Peonies and fall cleanup

We were surprised this week with the earliest snowfall that either of us can remember here! I've been regaled over the years with Mr. H's tales of "the blizzard of '91" that ruined Halloween when he was a youngster, but I'd never see snow on Halloween before. We had delayed some of our end-of-season chores because of visiting family and the MKE film festival (we saw 3 movies last weekend), so today was the day to get out there in the damp cold and finish up.

What did we do today?

• Raked leaves, heavy and wet with melted snow
• Cut down the rhubarb
• Cut down the hostas, stachys, sedum, and other tender plants
• Threw away one rotting pumpkin (I wanted to keep it around for Halloween, the only time when rot is good)
• Planted the last of my bulb stash (tulips, hyacinth, daffodils) in the spot where the lilac used to be. I wanted a bed devoted to cut flowers and this will be it next year! 
• Jan Bos hyacinth, Barret Browning daffodils, Negrita tulips, all grabbed on a whim during a trip to Menards
• Disconnected and stored the hoses
• Removed and stored the soaker hose from the front bed
• Removed and stored the sprinkler system for the square-foot beds
• Rinsed, dried, and oiled the garden tools
• Mr. H. put winter tires on his car. (He switched the tires on my car earlier in the week.)

I also planted TWO NEW PEONIES! Since we've lived here, I've enjoyed the four peony plants (two varieties) planted by an unknown owner long ago. This week, I jumped on an end-of-season sale offered by Old House Gardens: 10-20% off selected fall-planted bulbs and flowers! I ordered Duchess de Nemours and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt is now planted in the front with the Duchess in the back. 

I'm very excited! They arrived yesterday and were in the ground before noon today. It's cold outside, but the ground is still soft and warm and the snow is mostly melted, so I don't think it's too late. I tipped in buckets of our own compost when digging the holes. They're in sunny spots and will be able to set roots (I hope!) before the ground freezes. We also followed directions issued by Old House Gardens and topped the planted peony roots with loose straw, which we then kept in place with a bit of chicken wire that Mr. H had in the garage.

Hooray for new peonies!

The rest of the day will be spent making bread (Mr. H.), working on a baby quilt (me), reading, and drinking tea.