Hello Friends!

Welcome back to Vanha Talo Suomi! Today is a partly sunny Saturday, but with half decent temperatures hovering around 12c. It’s as good a time as any to begin getting the bulbs we’ve selected into the ground. Leaves have been falling quite steadily now for the last couple of weeks. We’re at nearly 50% leaf coverage, maybe even less, due to a few occasions of blustery wind. But let’s face it, a lot of the leaves were more than ready to call it quits this year after the lack of rain and hot temps. Speaking of rain, we’ve had plenty, thank you very much, and things are pretty well soaked. Reserves in the soil have most definitely been replenished. It’s the long term effects from heat and drought stress I’m more concerned with now. Things are happening too rapidly for plants and trees to adapt, right?? Or at least that’s my two cents on the matter.

Pekka and I have our set routines about visits to nurseries through the year. Some of our pilgrimages have us back to old favorites several times to see what’s new or to take advantage of seasonal items. One such place is the Kukkatalo in Salo. They are popular and have both in-season and pre-and off-season items. We generally get our spring-flowering bulbs from Kukkatalo. With rows of choices, there’s something new, as well as the usual faves to select from. This year, I also sprang for some extra bulbs through Korpikangas Siemen-Frö. Finns love spring-flowering blooms, (who doesn’t!) which guarantees great selections of everything from alliums to tulips are available & can be found in nearly every shop once autumn arrives. It’s always the same old story, though…. I pick and choose too many! I always dread the ‘putting them all in the ground’ part! Luckily, the load is nearly halved because all the ones Pekka chooses are the ones Pekka has to plant! It’s a great strategy! Now, let’s hope the bulbs stay in the ground and flower for US instead of feeding the voles and squirrels!

I ordered a lot of those Purple Sensation Alliums and others too. Allium Sphaerocephalon and Allium Caeruleum which are small, so I bought too many! 😦 Of course, there are White Prince tulips and a few others bits and bobs. I even picked up Galanthus elwesii (Snow Drops) Once all the bulbs are situated, there won’t be much in the way of actual gardening to do. I c-o-u-l-d do some light tidy up here and there, and well everywhere, but I really dislike working in cold AND damp/wet conditions. In the spring, I’ll only have to contend with the cold, which is why I sometimes leave a couple several autumn garden chores until springtime to sort out. Pekka ear-marked dates during spring 2025 to attend European & regional power-lifting events, which is probably why he has already pruned the apple trees for next year! Way to go Pekka!! It’s also a good time to bundle up a couple items to protect them for winter. I’ve noticed the circulating fans of the heat pumps blow directly onto both a tall conifer and a rosebush, and it’s causing them to become slightly desiccated (dried out). Several months of that occurring, and it will definitely have a negative impact. Hopefully, being bundled up with some winter fleece will provide enough protection.

In case you were possibly wondering what a Finnish red squirrel looks like, feast your eyes on this furry chonk! Ian has 38 photos in total of his two-year Finnish red squirrel photo adventure. Link below.

Thanks for stopping by! <waves>

Until next time ❤ Vanha Talo Suomi