Fall is for planting. It is true, fall is an excellent time to plant just about anything. Go ahead and plant new shrubs and trees, perennials, vegetables, lawns and containers this time of year. They will get established in the fall and take off like a rocket come spring. Here is a list of other chores to consider this month.
Lawns. There is no better month to plant a new lawn or resurrect an existing one. Aerate, de-thatch, re-seed or start all over but get it done this month. If you’re unsure how to proceed, consider attending a lawn care class at your local gardening center.
Roses. We can usually squeeze one more round of blooms from our roses if we fertilize and prune this month (My favorite? EB Stone Organic Rose and Flower Food). This is mildew season and I have found it is helpful to hose off roses first thing in the morning. Keep the ground around roses clean as well. For extra protection, apply a fungicide like Bonide Rose Drench to the soil around the base of the rose — no spraying required.
Perennials. Garden centers have a lot of late blooming perennials in stock and it’s a great time to plug up a few holes in the garden. This is the ideal time to dig and divide large clumps of perennials like day lilies and irises. Share the extras with a neighbor. Always add some fertilizer and compost when you are planting. Liquinox Start is also helpful during transplant time and it’s cheap insurance.
Bulbs. Believe it or not, now is the perfect time to plant spring bloomers like tulips, daffodils, crocus and hyacinths. There are also many other fine specialty and minor perennial bulbs available, most of which will naturalize and never have to be dug again. Buy them early while the selection is at its best and don’t forget to plant them. I hate finding bags of shriveled bulbs in my basement in April.
Veggies. I just tore out my beans and zucchini and beets and now I have room for some cool-season crops like peas, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, beets and garlic. Be sure and replenish the soil with EB Stone compost and organic fertilizer. Consider constructing a cloche (this is just a fancy word for a temporary greenhouse) to protect your veggies from a hard freeze. A frost fabric which will work too.
Containers. I seem to repeat myself every year but we’ve come a long way from just thinking of annuals when designing our pots and baskets. In addition to winter pansies, dusty miller and flowering cabbage and kale, there is a huge pallet of plant material that is appropriate for late-summer planting into containers. Herbs, grasses, evergreen perennials and small conifers are all finding their way into beautiful winter containers. Think of using foliage and texture rather than just flowers and don’t forget to stuff a few bulbs underneath the plants while you are at it. Containers planted in September will look fabulous all the way into April or May, which is actually longer than the containers we planted this past spring.
Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.
Upcoming class
Learn all about winter containers at a free class at 10 a.m. Sept. 5 at Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. For more information, visit www.sunnysidenursery.net.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
