Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
In this time of autumn clean-up, what’s your least favorite job? Leaf-raking? Gutter-clearing? Mine, at the moment, is removing dead Morning Glory vines. What a vice-like grip they have on posts and wire fencing in my small herb garden. You can’t simply pull them off, for this might damage the fence. Instead, they must be painstakingly unravelled. There isn’t a strong enough curse word to describe their removal.
And that’s my garden grievance du jour. What’s the worst job around your place?
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Eric says
Oh, where do I begin??? Gutters need cleaning, there's more raking to be done, and the house needs painting. Oy.
Justin says
That's morning glory for you: pretty in summer, horrid in fall. I have to remove a tangled mass from my big wooden arbor. I'm saving the job for spring.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Eric – ditto here. A two-year-old paint job on the north wing of the house is now peeling — drastically!
Justin – I usually save vine removal for the spring, but this year I can't. I want to plant bulbs at the base of the fence.
Emily says
Bulb planting – that's my worse job this fall! I bought bags and bags of bulbs in October, and still haven't finished planting them. The problem? Every time I stick the shovel in the ground, I hit rocks!
Gardenlady says
My biggest gripe? I raked and bagged all of the leaves in my yard. But my neighbor still has not raked and bagged his. Now, the wind is blowing all of his leaves onto my property. Grrr.
Rob says
I agree with cleaning the leaves out of the gutters. However, picking the leaves out of every small section of my rose garden does try my soul. Rob
Jane says
Kevin:
I find that removing dead foliage from hostas is the thing I want to avoid doing at all costs. Jane from Chappaqua, New York
Alex says
Excluding leaf raking, cutting back my perennials and cleaning their beds is the biggest gardening job I have this fall.
Should I cut my butterfly bush back to ground now?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Alex – welcome! You can cut your Butterfly Bush (Buddlejah) back in the fall, or wait until spring. I wait until spring to tackle mine.
Mindy says
It looks like you have your mg's on wire mesh like mine. For easy cleanup, I would clean up the leaves and anything flammable from around the fence. Then I take my torch and burn the old off after I shake the new seeds down on the ground. It goes up quickly and does not damage the wire or the fencing. Of course – safety first!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Mindy – sorry I missed your post. I'm responding now, albeit 3 months late! Anyway, what a GREAT tip! I will surely follow your excellent advice next fall.