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Away from my own small home and garden this week, I sit looking out over Salt Lake City, Utah from the 22^nd floor of a downtown condo, the very antithesis of my usual arrangements when I am writing this column. Snow drifts past the wide windows and fuzzes the lights of the city. A heavy snow was predicted for last night but all we received was a sprinkling with no accumulation at all. The temperature hasn’t dropped very low, barely dipping below freezing in the middle of the night.

Surprisingly, some of the annual plantings arranged around the downtown buildings are none the worse for wear. Most still have flowers and don’t show any frost damage at all. I suppose that the cement and asphalt of the downtown area are acting as a "heat island" and prevent the temperature from dipping low enough to cause significant damage, yet. The coming weeks call for much colder temperatures though and all these plantings will be gone until next year.

Although the fall color is definitely past its peak, I can still find an occasional splash of red and yellow about the town. The cottonwoods are especially pretty as they shine a brilliant yellow-gold. Even after the leaves have fallen they create a bright carpet on the ground.

As head higher into the mountains, as we did yesterday on a day trip to Park City, the scenery becomes more barren. The hillside shrubs have turned brown and the trees have dropped all of their leaves. Without the softening effect of new fallen snow it can be a bit depressing, but I remind myself that this is only one small part of the cycle. Spring will bring bright greens as the world turns again towards the sun.

Sundance Farms

While you may be familiar with Robert Redford’s Sundance Foundation I discovered another aspect of Sundance. Sundance Farms is located near the small towns of Heber City, Midway and Charleston, Utah, not far from the Sundance resort. The farm grows a wide variety of herbs and flowers which are used in the production of soaps, honey, wreaths and flower arrangements. A small retail store sells all these products and other gift items. You can also purchase them through the Sundance catalog. (http://www.sundancecatalog.com)

After petting the friendly horses in the corral we wandered over to the drying barn where a host of herbs and flowers were hanging. The barn was an herbalists heaven and the smell was indescribable, especially considering the winter-like weather outside. The gardens themselves boast high-tech drip irrigation systems and practice sound agriculture practices such as cover crops and composting.

If you are ever in the area I highly recommend you stop by and visit the farms as well as the surrounding countryside. While I came to Utah on a business trip with my wife, no matter the reason for my visit I always try and seek out the people and places that make any town special. The next time you are taken out of your usual environment, take some time to find the best that the city, village or countryside has to offer.

Keep digging!

Douglas

What was happening a year ago (or more) in my garden? November 7, 1999 Ants & Such November Sowbugs, Birds and Native Plants

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