Although I’ve taken a break from documenting, plenty of garden activity has filled our short days here at Coppertop this wet November. I write “wet” because with daily showers, we’ve already received nearly five inches of rain in a month when we normally receive a grand total of just 4.5 inches. As typical of my avid gardener friends, I follow weather just a wee bit closely. 😉

Our mild temps mean we’re still awaiting a killing frost, pushing back my dahlia digging date and allowing areas of dahlias to continue blooming, despite being a bit beaten up by the rain. Not to be outdone, roses remain in bloom as well.

Along with the expected gathering, shredding, and composting of acres of leaves, some of our November garden projects have included: cutting back foliage that turns too soggy and/or doesn’t offer seed heads for winter birds; working on raised bed covers or mini hoop houses for winter veggies; compiling seed starting mix to fill a huge tarp on the floor of our garden shed; planting 250 tulip bulbs, 70 crocus bulbs, 100 narcissus bulbs and more in beds and containers.

The tulips I planted are a great mix of deep purples, oranges, and whites. The selection includes Mt. Tacoma, Princess Irene, Daydream, Ronaldo, Queen of the Night, and Maureen. The varieties, planted in 20 pots and tucked into a few wine barrels, should provide early, mid-season, and late blooms all over Coppertop this spring.

Our six sweet blue-egg-laying hens have survived a season of culling. Not the fun part of being chicken owners! Even the young girls have slowed down in production due to our short days. I’m thankful for the dozens of eggs I gently mixed then froze during more productive months. The hens do love their free range hours, and Coppertop is made more vibrant by their presence.