RDG Fall 2025 Summary
Leave the leaves...better for the garden, less work for the garderners :-)
We wrote a Spring Summary of the RainyDayGarden (RDG) this year, after not having done one for a while. Spring was wet and warm, which led to lots of flowers, strong growth, and a very colorful season.
Summer was not as hot as in past years, and Fall was extremely pleasant. Come check out what changed and what stayed the same!
June/ July/ August
The biggest change in 2025 was the front yard, with the removal of the Cottonwood trees last Fall, and is now completely open for something new. The RainyDayGarden gardeners took full advantage of the sunny space for another pollinator garden.
The first day of Summer was Friday, June 20, 2025, and the last day was Monday, September 22. June had a record streak of rainy Saturdays, July’s start was dry with later weeks bringing humidity and thunderstorms, and August finished dry but with warmer temps.
That all translated to excellent growing conditions for everything in the RainyDayGarden, especially for the flowering plants in the pollinator’s garden 🙂
The peonies started budding in mid-May, flowering in early June, and peaked soon thereafter. We managed to get two harvests before things wound down for the season. We got a healthy bunch from both and had fragrant flowers opening in the office every day for a few glorious weeks 🙂
All the rain early in the season gave a great start for the hostas and daylilies. The heat in July got both to flower with vigor. What a showstopping season for them!
The same was true for the pollinator garden in the back and the newly planted one in the front. Flowers started popping in July and just kept going…with the occasional dead-heading by the RainyDayInterns 🙂
Why deadhead flowers? Deadheading spent flowers stops plants from trying to produce seed. By redirecting the plant’s energy away from seed production, it can be used to make more flowers.
September/ October/ November
The first day of Fall, aka the Autumnal Equinox, was Monday, September 22nd. This Fall was a mix of conditions, with overall temperatures leaning towards above normal, especially in September and November, though October saw some chilly weather and early snow flurries.
The odd thing this year was that the Clematis flowered well into November. We suspect it had something to do with all the sun hitting it after the Cottonwoods were removed. While the Coleus, like the Clematis, loved the heat, the Cereus really responded to it with three flowerings in July, September, and October!!!
Because of that observation, we decided to move a large collection of irises from the rear garden to the front, where they will be exposed to a lot more sun. If they take, the front garden will be putting on a nice show next year 🙂
Fall colors came and went really quickly. We attribute alot of that to the heavy late spring/summer rains, a small drought, and the generally warmer conditions.
We didn’t have a chance to visit all the places in the city that we normally go to see the Autumnal/colorful foliage. Fortunately, the show in the RainyDayGarden was pretty spectacular!
We are not exactly sure when we started, but we stopped doing the “Fall cleanup” at some point because we learned how much better it was for birds, insects, and other creatures if everything was left alone until the next Spring.
Leaving “stuff” (leaves, stems, debris) on the ground until spring:
- protects overwintering pollinators, beneficial insects, and small wildlife,
- provides natural mulch and fertilizer,
- retains soil moisture, suppresses weeds, and
- offers winter food/shelter for birds,
thus creating a healthier, more resilient garden ecosystem to our garden.
Less work, better for the environment… win-win!!!
Welcome to Winter
The first day of Winter (aka the “Winter Solstice”), and the shortest day of the year, is Sunday, Dec 21. Winter will last until Friday, Mar 20, 2026. The Northeast is expected to experience below-average temperatures…BRRRR!!!
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