Let’s discuss trees, and specifically in deference to the season, Christmas trees.

The first—and last—time I wrote about Christmas trees was in 1977 when I was a columnist for The Ely Miner, a now-defunct, weekly newspaper in northern Minnesota. Our little paper wasn’t very sophisticated and the first paragraph of my column proudly introduced Bill Schiltz’s ‘free farm.” I’m still chagrined by that typographical error.

Hopefully, some 31 years later, I can redeem myself.

Christmas trees are among the oldest and fondest of holiday traditions. For me, they rank right up there with stockings by the fireplace and frosted sugar cookies.

But as with many subjects, the more one ponders them, the more complex they become—especially in these complicated times. Let’s dissect the issue beginning with some hard facts about natural vs. artificial trees and moving on to much-needed clarification about pines and spruces and firs.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching……and what a wonderful holiday!

It’s short and sweet. No anxiety, no pressure, no stress. No present-buying, card-sending or mounting of plastic Santas on rooftops. We simply gather with family and friends around a big table and savor traditional food.

Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

--Lydia Marie Child

Welcome to November! For many gardeners, November is a bleak month. Long gone are the riotous colors of spring bulbs and summer perennials. Even the dazzling display of crimson, orange and gold foliage ended weeks ago. Only muted shades of gray, brown and tan remain.

But I truly welcome November. I relish the change in seasons and am happy to come inside. It’s time now for warm fires every evening, toasts with good Scotch, and roasts, stews and cassoulets for dinner.

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
--Clyde Watson

Taking center stage in the November landscape is the appearance of berries* on many deciduous shrubs. Fruit, previously been hidden by foliage, is now exposed for all to enjoy and, in particular, for wildlife to eat. Surely, every garden has room for a shrub or two!

How to design with shrubs.
 Plant the right plant in the right spot.
This is always critical but even more so when the objective is to cultivate a nice crop of fruit. Wouldn’t it be silly to prune off flowers and fruit because the plant was overgrowing its intended space?
 Plant in combination with other plants.
Shrubs can provide two design principles in a perennial garden: focal points (planted singly) or repetition (planted repeatedly to provide cohesiveness).
 Plant in a massive shrub border.
A favorite design concept! My garden in Forest Lake featured a shrub border which was not only magnificent to view from the house and deck but provided a wonderful screen from the neighbor’s long driveway and garage.
 Plant a shrub border against the backdrop of evergreens.
When deciduous shrubs are accentuated by the dark green background, the effect is stunning.

What to plant.
Even though nurseries offer many genera, species and cultivars of shrubs, this is an excellent opportunity to consider the use of native plants. Remember the entry in my last column about Douglas Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home, How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens? To ensure the future health of our ecosystem, it is crucial that we cultivate native plants in our gardens.

Following is a list of native, deciduous shrubs with outstanding fruit. In some cases, good cultivars of the natives are available and can be considered.

• Black Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa. Fabulous plant with purplish-black fruit. No garden should be without several!
• Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium. Plant multiple cultivars for good cross-pollination.
• Cranberrybush Viburnum, Viburnum trilobum. Definitely a food source for native birds! My husband always checks the crop of ruffed grouse when cleaning. After a recent late afternoon hunt, the crop was stuffed full of hazel catkins, clover and the fruits of this viburnum.
• Eastern Wahoo, Euonymous atropurpura. A very cool member of the Bittersweet family with showy fruit. Should be planted more—unlike its relative, the Winged Euonymous or Burningbush, which is over-planted to the point of triteness. (Can a plant be trite?)
• Gray Dogwood, Cornus racemosa. A lovely native shrub which is striking in all seasons but in fall, flashy white fruit are borne atop bright red pedicels, or stems.
• Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus. Sturdy shrubs with striking, creamy white fruit.
• Winterberry, Ilex verticillata. This plant is dioecious (male and female flowers are borne on separate plants). Only females produce fruit so be sure to purchase at least one male for a group of females.
• Consider, also, Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) and Wild Rose (Rosa blanda).

* For simplicity, I called all fruit from these shrubs berries but actually, in addition to true berries, drupes, capsules and hips are also represented.

This past week, while staying at Bowen Lodge northwest of Grand Rapids, I’ve walked through forest types at opposite ends of the successional cycle:  a climax sugar maple/basswood forest (an unusual location but these trees grow hard by the shores of the vast Lake Winnibigoshish) and pure stands of aspen which sprouted from a clear cut about 15 years ago.  Talk about being blessed by an embarrassment of riches.

While many would prefer the grandeur of the mature maple/basswood forest, I’ll take the aspen. Despite its rather blue-collar reputation, the aspen is both interesting and important. Consider:

• Most widely distributed native tree of North America.
• Clones older than 1 million years-of-age exist.
• Plant is dioecious which means male and female flowers are borne on separate trees, i.e., separate male and female trees.
• 500 organisms feed on aspen (see entry on Tallamy’s book below) including deer, beaver, insects, fungi and viruses.
• Common names: Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, Popple.
• Scientific name:  Populus tremuloides.

But the attribute that most captures my fancy is a botanical anatomy thing. The leaf stem, or petiole, is flattened so the leaf can only move from side to side. Thus, leaves flutter, or tremble, in even the slightest breeze.

And how to describe the splendor of an aspen woods in autumn?

But it is in the fall when the aspen’s leaves are masses of old gold and hillsides and islands are mirrored in a sea of blue that the days become enchanted and a hush lies like a benediction over the entire country.
--Sigurd F. Olson, The Singing Wilderness

Fall gardening doesn’t have to be a huge production. Rather, clean-up can be distilled into four simple tasks.

Your garden will look attractive all winter (and won’t you feel smug?) and will be very pleasurable to venture into next spring. Most importantly, though, the simple work completed this fall will actually improve the health your garden.

Task #1
Take soil samples and send to the U for analysis. The test results will yield important information about texture, pH, nutrient levels and percentage of organic matter. Plus, you’ll need results for Task #4. Go to:  http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/ or call 612-625-3101.

Task #2
Cut back annuals and vegetables and place on compost pile. Don’t cut back perennial foliage and don’t deadhead fall-blooming perennials which provide winter interest, help prevent erosion and provide natural insulation. Exceptions include peony foliage and any diseased or pest-infected plant parts which should be discarded.

Task #3
Shred fallen leaves with the mower and do one or all of the following:  leave on the lawn, spread as mulch (See Task #4.), add to the compost pile. Don’t bag your leaves and toss in the garbage which is a terrible waste of time and effort, as well as environmentally reprehensible.

Task #4
Over all beds, spread a 2-inch layer of organic mulch (compost, shredded leaves, well-rotted manure or wood chips, or a combination) and any materials suggested by soil sample results. The mulch will decompose into wonderful, luscious soil—rich with organic matter and proper nutrients. (This is part of no-till gardening which I mentioned in a previous column.) If you like to mulch perennial beds, wait until the ground has frozen and then use a loose material such as chopped straw or evergreen branches.

Now, relax and enjoy the final, glorious days of fall. You’ve earned it!

Even though I’ve never been to Munich and can’t dance the polka, timing is perfect for celebrating Oktoberfest. Sounds jolly and boisterous, doesn’t it? At our house, we’ve been eating German-inspired dishes of pork, cabbage and apples and drinking excellent beer.

My husband and I both raved about a new recipe for a salad of red leaf lettuce, sliced apples and Camembert-topped, toasted baguette slices. The simple dressing mixed sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. No doubt the success of the salad was boosted by its paring with one of our favorite dishes—sage-dressing stuffed, thick, bone-in pork chops.

I also pulled a simple recipe from the archives. This sort-of casserole with the catchy name of Sausage ‘n’ Kraut Skillet calls for sautéed onions, diced apples and sauerkraut to be simmered together and then function as the bed for big chunks of smoked sausage. On a dank evening in front of the fire, this dish was delicious served with hearty bread and pints of German beer.

On another evening, my husband grilled local, organic pork loin chops while I was inside preparing a slaw made with purple cabbage, apples and blue cheese. Very tasty! Do I need to mention we quaffed beer?

arboretum.umn.edu
The website for the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is filled with wonderful information…..whether a member or not.

extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/ygnews
This is the home for Yard and Garden News, a monthly newsletter (sign up for free notification of publication) which is well-edited by Dr. David Zlesak and filled with fabulous entries covering a broad range of timely, gardening topics.  Plus, all past editions are available online if you need to double-check an item.

extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo/weedid
This site facilitates identification of common weeds by category:  Broadleaf, Grass, Sedge, Woody and Moss.  The thumbnail photographs on each category page are small and perhaps difficult to identify, but once the offending weed is chosen, images and information specific to that weed are excellent.

gopherstateonecall.org
Most Minnesotans know about this free service—now available online—to have underground utility locations flagged.  Always use this service before any excavation is ventured.   

northerngardener.org
I’ll never forgive the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, which has been in existence since 1866, for bowing to pressure and changing its venerable name.  What a shame.  Northern Gardener is now the name of the organization’s website and publication.

plantinfo.umn.edu
A collection of  book and magazine citations to plant information and images produced by the staff of Andersen Horticultural Library (from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum) and Magrath Library. Search options include:  Plan and Seed Sources, Book and Magazine Citations to Plant Info and Images and Selected Links.

soiltest.cfans.umn.edu
All gardeners should get their soil tested!  Good soil is, absolutely, the key ingredient for success.  (Ok, I’m off my soapbox now.)  For $15, gardeners can send soil samples to the U for analysis. The test results will yield critical information about texture, pH, nutrient levels and percentage of organic matter.

sustainable-gardening.com
This friendly, factual and comprehensive source for information about sustainable gardening is managed by Susan Harris, a garden writer, coach and part of the clever Garden Ranters.

sustland.umn.edu
Another site devoted to sustainable gardening, this one hosted by the U of Minnesota under the auspices of SULIS, Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series.

taunton.com/finegardening/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx
A wonderful site with the proper pronunciation of Latin names.  Make a substantial bet with a friend about how to pronounce—correctly—Clematis or Weigela.

taunton.com/finegardening/plants/wallpaper.aspx
Are you bored with your computer screen?  Want a fresh, seasonal desktop?  Go often to this site and choose from among many gorgeous photographs.

1.  Be strong and powerful.

2.  Be humble, too.

3.  Read.

4. Travel.
 
5. Treat people and pets with integrity, honesty and loyalty.

6. Savor good food and drinks.

7. Keep your adrenal glands healthy by indulging in plenty of laughter, sex and sleep.

1.  Plant the right plant in the right spot.

2.  Inspect indoor and outdoor garden plants regularly for watering needs, insect and disease problems, general clean-up and other TLC which will make your plants healthy and you happy.

3.  If a plant is dead or looks too awful, don’t fret.  Toss it!

4.  Take time to press your nose into lilacs, peonies and pines.

5.  Don’t buy a rose if it doesn’t smell like a rose.

That is well said, replied Candide, but we must cultivate our garden.
--Voltaire

I like my dahlias when they’re small and spiky, round and ruffled as a clown’s collar, or splayed as big as dinner plates.  I guess I just like dahlias—however they choose to come out of the ground.
--Anthony Albertus

The bluebell is the sweetest flower
that waves in summer air:
its blossoms have the mightiest power
to soothe my spirit’s care.
--Emily Bronte

My garden will never make me famous,
I’m a horticultural ignoramus.
--Ogden Nash

I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn’t come as a surprise…..because I am busy painting huge sunflowers.
--Vincent van Gogh

The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only one page.
--St. Augustine

It’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne.
--Winston Churchill

Come quickly; I am tasting stars!
--Dom Perignon

In spite of illness, in spite even of the arch-enemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ones.
--Edith Wharton

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
--Virginia Woolf

Rest and be thankful.
--Helen MacInnes

I played hooky today. Conditions outside were too lovely and my inside projects and responsibilities seemed too trivial. The warm sun, blue sky and gentle breeze beckoned and the pull of the Sirens was strong. Lacking the willpower of Ulysses and the foresight to tie myself to my desk, I grabbed keys, bag and omnipresent legal pad and off I went.

Today I headed for the shores of Lake Superior and remembered Kurt Vonnegut’s eloquent quote:  “I can achieve a blank and shining serenity if only I can reach the very edge of a natural body of water.”

The big lake was empty save for a lone tanker in the distance. When I first saw the vessel it was pushing large, frothy waves off the bow but as it neared the canal, the captain eased up on the throttle. I could see then that the boat rode high in the water and was coming into port to load, perhaps, coal, iron ore pellets or grain.

As I stood to leave, the boat’s stern cleared the canal entrance and the captain sounded the horn with a blast of one long and two short. The lift bridge acknowledged with a one-long-two-short blast of its own.

Once again the big lake was empty and serene.

 Consider the no-till method of gardening. Spread 2-inch layer of mulch (something organic like compost, leaves, well-rotted manure or wood chips, or a combination) which will slowly decompose into wonderful soil, rich in organic matter and nutrients.
 
 Don’t rake and bag your leaves! They are fabulous organic material and a key component of good soil. (See above entry.) It’s a complete waste of time, effort and money, as well as environmentally irresponsible, to bag them as trash.  Shred leaves with the mower set to 3” and do one or all of the following:  leave on the lawn; spread as mulch on planting beds; add to the compost pile.
 
 It’s time to empty and clean containers, unless they’re able to withstand freezing temperatures. Dump the contents on the compost pile, soil and all.  Scrub out the containers with a stiff brush and store them when dry. Even though it’s not a fun job (where did all these containers come from?), you’ll thank yourself next spring.

 If you grow grafted roses, begin preparing for winter protection. Choose your method:  Minnesota Tip or Leaf Mulch Method. Rose cones, while seemingly an easy alternative, fail without additional, precautionary steps.

 Still time to buy and plant bulbs, but hurry!

 Consider taking a soil test before the ground freezes. Soil is the crucial component to successful gardening and the test results will yield important facts about pH and nutrient levels. Plus, you’d have all winter to plan proper soil preparation. Go to: http://soiltest.coafes.umn.edu/ or call 612-625-3101.

 Store pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers properly. Liquids need to be protected from freezing temperatures.
 
 Drain and store hoses. Also, shut off the valve to outdoor faucets.

 If you like to mulch perennial beds, wait until the ground has frozen. The purpose of mulch is to maintain evenly cold ground temperatures without fluctuations of warm, thawing periods. 

Usually, I love the entire meal planning and preparing process…..dreaming up menus, shopping for ingredients (really!), cooking the dishes and, ultimately, presenting the food on a nicely laid table. But sometimes time and energy are in short supply and I resort to take-out food.

I recently hit the jackpot, or else I was very hungry and bought one of everything! Either way, my husband, Jerry, and I have had some fabulous meals from cobbled-together sources.

Meal #1
A late summer salad of yellow beans, chunks of corn-on-the-cob and radishes which had been quickly cooked and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper was paired with a rack of BBQ ribs (grab extra sauce packets!) and corn muffins. An indulgence not to be resisted was a slice of my favorite dessert, key lime pie.

Meal #2
For Pizza Night, individual pies which were made with uneven, hand-thrown crusts of dough redolent of rosemary and oregano and topped with arugula, smoked mozzarella and caramelized onions.

Meal #3
Rotisserie chicken was served with delicious Mango Lime Salsa, roasted new potatoes (jazzed up with freshly snipped herbs) and cute, mini loaves of ciabatta.

Breakfast Scores
Wild mushroom bread pudding made with hearty, chewy flax-millet bread, maple scone with brown sugar glaze, thick slices of citrus cranberry bread.

Snacks
Toffee sugar cookies, chocolate mint cookies, granola cookies, pecan pie.