Welcome to New England! It sounds like it's been a bit of a struggle to get adjusted to the climate here. Actually, this was a bad summer in a lot of ways - not at all typical of our weather. We don't normally have long periods of one kind of weather (dry/wet or hot/cold) - it usually changes pretty fast, which makes everybody and their plants happier.

There are others here who can advise you on the roses - do you happen to know what the hardiness rating is for the variety you are trying to overwinter? My mother keeps a half-dozen of them by the back door, and only brings them into the back hall when it's going to be colder than about 10 degrees (not very often, on Cape Cod).

As for mums, they're very hit-or-miss. Some varieties do fine in some locations, others ... not. I also let some leaves accumulate on mine, but if they're maple leaves they can mat down and rot the plants. If you've gotten a good show out of them in their pots, then try to figure that their survival over winter would be a bonus, and don't be too disappointed if they're not there in spring. You just never know!

Welcome to New England. I grew up right next door to you in Granby, CT :-)

I've had mini-roses overwinter quite easily in Z5. I treat them like their big brothers and, because they mostly grow on their own roots, just mulch a bit and they're okay. Climbers may not get as robust as they do in a higher zone, but they survive.

As for "Northern" varieties of veggies -- I've found that anything that will mature within 110 days will work, except for long day-length veggies like some onions. It takes starting them early, getting them out under a cloche or in a cold frame, and then letting them do their thing. I've[once] successfully done 120 day cantalope using this method. We'll be eating Brandywine tomatoes for Thanksgiving this year. You'll be tempted to do Zucchini squash -- if you do be sure you have 100 good friends ;o

There are a ton of great nurseries and greenhouses in the area. Let me know if you'd like a tour!

Martie

I'm a bit north of you, but I generally get short season seeds for my veggie plants, usually from Johnny's Select Seed in ME. It allows me to have peppers, eggplant, July tomatoes and cantelope or other melons, whereas with the general varieties, it's hit or miss whether I harvest much or not. Some years I've put plants out early under a hoop house of PVC tubing and contractor's poly, but most years not.

If you really want to put in a few bulbs so you have early color, two kinds of bulbs that the squirrels and other critters won't eat are daffodils and allium. It's late enough now that you might find some end-of season bulbs on sale somewhere and you can plant until the ground freezes. (Hopefully there are a few left somewhere and the stores haven't totally gone over into Christmas mode!) I've planted bulbs in late December at my folks house on the south shore of Lake Erie and they have done just fine.

The intense part of the gardening season in New England is pretty short, but once you have settled into a permanent place, there are many things you can plant to extend the gardening season so that you have flowers about 9 months of the year. (I still have several things blooming now even though we've had several hard freezes) You also learn to look at what plants and garden structures look good against the snow.

Welcome to New England.

what state is MO? I thought Montana, which I would expect to be freezing cold. Tell us a little more about your previous climate; I'm curious.

The best part of New England is the autumn. What beautiful fall gardens can be created! You can extend the season right into November if you know the plants that thrive at the end of a long season, with cooler, wetter weather. Many of them are trees and shrubs, so you may not want to invest in your rental property. If you will be there another year, plant some tricrytis (toadlily (ies) and just bring them with you when you leave.

I hope you don't find us new englanders chilly. Gardeners are a great group to hang with, and I'm glad to meet you on the NE forum.

COME TO OUR SPRING PLANT SWAP AND PUT SOME FACES TO THE NAMES!
idabean aka Marie

Mo. is Missouri..lol.. our winters were fairly mild..very little snow.. more ice than snow.. high humidity in summer and nice, long growing season if the heat didnt kill it all... never had to bring in miniature roses for fear of cold kill, although as with everywhere it sometimes would happen.. mums readily came back in the Spring and I never had to cover any shrubs, etc. for winter cover.. I could start direct seeding in April with most vegetables and alot of the time I could plant potatoes in March.. well, I am getting a bit homesick even remembering! Nice to have a place to come to for advice..Thanks.

If you stay for awhile, you'll fall in love with this state. Try to get to the Arnold Arboretum before winter sets in, also Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Garden in the Woods ... there are many more, we had a thread about this last year that listed the most wonderful public gardens in the area, and it was a very long list.

Like many people, I really hate the cold weather, but I find that if I make a point of taking a good walk every day, all bundled up, it stops bothering me. Cold days can be beautiful and invigorating.

My husband says that people shouldn't live where it gets colder than their age. At this point we'd have to move to Ecuador to satisfy that requirement, so we just make do with the weather here. It has its good points!

Welcome! Digging the Dirt has suggested some wonderful gardens to visit. If you get sick of the winter here, there are some great gardening shows in Feb and March. In Feb, visit the Rhode Island Flower Show in Providence, also there's the big New England Flower Show in March at the Bayside Expo in Boston. These are the one's I've been to. There are others in Connecticut and Maine. Garden shows are fun to go to especially the vendor areas after the show to buy seeds, plants, etc.

For tomatoes, I start mine indoors in April under lights, transfer them to a 4" pot, then put them out the end of May in larger containers or in the ground. If you try this next year you can get a jump on the growing season. You can pick earlier growing varieties. I've had good luck with Roma, cherry tomatoes, I can give you a list of varieties if you're interested.

Link for RI Flower Show:
http://www.flowershow.com/r_show_1.php

Here is a link that might be useful: New England Flower Show (March)

Mscratch: The flower show in Hartford is late February. With careful planning you can do them all *and* join us at Logee's. Just 'cause it's Z5/6/7ish doesn't mean the gardening stops with the frost :-)

Do you have any particular plants in mind that you'd like to grow next year?

Martie

mscratch, welcome. Your among friends here.

I guess what I really need to know is am I supposed to plant Northern varieties of vegetables now that I (live up here)? I can use all the advice
How funny does that sound. I hope I don't confuse you but Maine is Down East. A term used in sailing to Maine from below Maine.

When I think of, "live up here", I think of my time in Alaska . Your comment just tickled my funny bone. Thanks!
I suppose I never thought of "being up here".

Again welcome and please join in.

Ron

i'm originally from iowa & the big adjustment for me was having to make good soil -- the glaciers didn't deposit rich topsoil so freely here and you can't just toss seeds in & expect them to thrive. unless a gardener lived in your house before you, your soil probably needs amending.

and yep -- get used to winter-sowing or starting seeds indoors or writing large checks at your local nursery come spring. also, beware of that cold snap that always happens in may ... i usually kill off the first round of okra & morning glories because i get fooled into thinking winter might really be gone after the first warm spell or two.

you might want to check out the soil, compost & mulch forum and the winter sowing forum. and please do consider coming to the spring swap at marie's (idabean's) place. there you will find veteran new england gardeners generous with both plants and knowledge.

welcome to the land of the bean and the cod!

and, uh, go sox!

okay ron..lol..you got me there..I was originally, from way back when, a native Marylander! any state above Md. was considered up there.. sort of an unknown and alien region! must be a figure of speech that I never dropped...my in-laws refer to me as a rebel from "down there"..lol... even though we had lived down and over for 17 years in Mo. They consider me the odd one! go figure?? lol.. I will look into the various shows you all have mentioned and thank you so much for the welcome and humor. I have no family of my own up here but a ton of in-laws and I am most grateful for the warm reception to this forum. I dont know what I want to grow right now as I am still finding out names of various plants, shrubs, trees, flowers, etc. that are entirely new to me. What really excited me was the brilliant colors of the flowers in this region! So much more color than I had ever expected, even though I had grown some of the same in Mo. Has to be the climate and soil.

Several of us are getting together to visit Logees in Danielson, CT. From Southwick, it's about 1 1/2 hours and absolutely worth the trip. (Tried to e-mail but GW links are super slow this morning :-)

Please Come!!

Martie

Here is a link that might be useful: Most Recent Logee's Trip Thread

Hi mscratch:
try some of the varieties of vegetables and ornamentals from New England catalogs:
Fedco of Maine, Pine Tree Seeds, Johnny's Selected Seeds, Seeds from Italy, look for short maturities.

Southwick is sort of close to the Berkshires, so take a day trip to some of Massachusetts natural wonders, and you'll feel lots better. Google Bartholomew's Cobble, October Mountain, Mt. Greylock, and Bash Bish Falls. There should be directions, and even some maps on line to get you started. There are a lot of "secret" locations in the state that are real treasures.

Cheers and happy gardening
Maryanne in WMass

I have the catalogs from Pinetree and Johnnys and several more that I am browsing through. Been camping in the Berkshires this past year. As a matter of fact, we parked our camper up there for this past season. It was near a town called Hinsdale. We lived in that camper for the "rainy season"..lol It sure was chilly and wet up there in May and most of June! The camper is now parked in the driveway with a For Sale sign on it.

I'm from outside, too, Pacific NW, and it took me a while to figure out the complexities of gardening in New England. It was a huge change from mild maritime zone 9 with dry summers and wet winters to here!

Then I moved from zone 5 to zone 4, which complicated things even further (zone 4 is definitely a cut-off for a lot of plants). Also, I have alkaline soil here--this is the first time I've gardened in an alkaline soil, which has required me to think really differently.

But once you catch the "rhythm", it is actually a lot of fun. One thing I like is that in the spring, I don't have to contend with pulling bajillion weeds out of my beds to make room for the stuff I planted! For perennials and shrubs, I do some research and pretty much plant things that are rated for zone 4.

I was absolutely delirious when I found out that there is magnolia stellata is rated for zone 4. I got one, and it came through our awful last winter without so much as a nipped bud. It was so gorgeous in bloom last spring that everyone who walked by asked what it was.

About the miniature roses: the most readily available of them were developed in Canada and are extremely cold-hardy. You are in zone 5, so have a lot more rose varieties to choose from than I do, but even here there are enough to keep me happy and adding to my collection.

You'll have fun. Like me, you'll make some goofs along the way. (I call them experiments...) But if you do some research before buying spendy plants, that saves a lot of pain. And sometimes the "experiments" pay off.

Dayle Ann

Sedum37's right, the RI flower show is fun. There are usually talks by several nationally-known garden writers, but the schedule isn't on line yet. It's much less crowded than the NE show in Boston, too, and much more relaxed. There are not as many displays as at Boston, but I like it anyway. This year I'll miss it, I'll be travelling (for work) again.

Ron also mentioned, on another thread, New England Grows! in Boston Jan 23-Feb 2. It's aimed at the green industry, but anyone can attend. I've never been to it, but there are some excellent talks planned. Maybe this year ...

I hear the vendors are good too. Not that I like to shop or anything.

NaN (DtD)

Here is a link that might be useful: New England Grows!

mscratch-Welcome! You have to go to Arnold Arboretum in May for Lilac Sunday. I went 2 years ago and fell in love with just about every bush there, even though it rained on us all day. Because of the lovely display, I now have President Lincoln and Tinkerbelle at my house! Roses tend to be iffy here in z5-Northeast Roses sells hardy minis-they were a local company, but are now located in California. The previous owner is still involved with the new grower-he gave a presentation earlier this year at my local garden club and says that his minis are still hardy to z5 even though they are "imports" -kinda like most of us here :) I've lived here 20 years and I still get this "you're not from around here, are you?" from the yankees that were born here.

One good thing about northern gardening is that you get a little rest after the furious gardening season. I think I'd drop dead if I lived in Florida of southern California and had to garden all year long. I use the winter to dream, plan and fuss over my citrus in my greenhouse.