In some Native languages the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.” — Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, professor, writer, 2022 MacArthur “Genius” award

It is not hard to start a small garden, all you need is a sapling, a planting pot, a small bag of soil, and regular watering. There you go, you helped cooling the earth by one plant. — Noora Ahmed Al Suwaidi, artist, curator – United Arab Emirates

The oak tree is hanging on to maybe a third of its summer leaves while the rest cover the ground with leaves up to your ankles. Normally we manage leaf drop by raking and mowing but this year it’s been overwhelming. Perhaps the summer drought and gusty winds caused a highly unusual and early shedding. The ash tree leaves are gone, as are the wild black cherry leaves. The pecan trees are bare except for a few remaining pecans at the tippy top. The silver maple still has pretty spring-colored leaves. The magnolia tree drops a lot of leaves but not all. Sam says the leaves look like shoe soles scattered across the lawn. The crepe myrtles lose their leaves. I find it a little annoying as they fall daily into the goldfish pond where I dip them out with a fishnet. The dipping seems to attract the fish knowing feeding follows dipping.

Our Possumhaw tree, native to the Prairie, can grow up to 30 feet tall. The leaves are dark green and they also fall in autumn. The tree retains its red berries through winter as long as the raccoons, possums, songbirds, and other critters don’t eat them. The Possumhaw tree is a holly so it reminds me winter is around the corner.      

There are a number of plants that will go dormant in the winter. My daisies are gone but will flourish in spring and bring more with them. Black-eyed Susan will do the same. Swamp irises, Prairie petunias, hostas, lantana, coneflowers, daffodils, snapdragons, roses, forsythia, and gardenias will awaken in spring.

For now, I’m surrounded with hanging plants and flowerbeds filled with petunias and marigolds. It saddens me that early sub-freezing temperatures are predicted. Both petunias and marigolds will succumb to freezing temperatures. The nice thing about hanging plants is they can be quickly moved to the greenhouse. I’ll probably dig up the marigolds and move them as well.

In the long run, some kind of shelter for plants is an economical project. Our greenhouse is made with old discarded windows. The knee wall is landscape timbers. The door is a discard from a funeral home. A friend has a large southern facing window in her garage. Adding a baker’s rack created a place to overwinter her plants. You may want to grow veggies and herbs over the winter in a windowsill.

Kits for greenhouses and simple instructions are on the internet to design your shelter with everyday products you may have on hand or at least available to you. You can design a lean-to greenhouse to attach to a garage or other out-building. There are in-the-ground greenhouses where you cover your raised beds.

When you think of it, plants are a lot like pets. You raise them, feed them, nurture them, enjoy them and meet their needs as long as possible. In many ways they reciprocate.    

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].