September To-Do List

Enjoy your local garden centers and farmers' markets in the fall

Fall is the best time for planting many things. The soil is still warm from the summer, we’re getting cooler air temperatures, and the summer drought seems to be over. The University of Maryland Extension and our friends at Jonathan Green agree that now is the time for fertilizing and seeding the lawn. When seeding, we recommend the Black Beauty line of grass seed. Use a seed starting fertilizer and consider Mag-i-cal to help bolster your soil’s pH and overall health.  Choose the seed that fits your landscape, be it shady, sunny or a little of each. The dark green grass that emerges in 14-21 days from seed will overwinter providing a nice-looking lawn for spring. If grass seed isn’t necessary, give your lawn a fall feeding of fertilizer to boost the lawn with nitrogen for greening and potassium for overall grass health.

Like grass seed, consider sowing wildflower seed now too. You’ll need to do it soon, though. Ideally sow seed 8 weeks before a killing frost.

Plant a tree. The saying goes that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now. Trees I planted 20 years ago have created summer shade, winter protection from the wind and year-round beauty. I use Bartlett Tree Experts to thin out the trees and to remove any dying branches or branches that get in the way of mowing and gardening. My yard does not have room for one more tree, but if it did, I’d plant one now. Go with Native trees like Redbuds and exotic trees like Japanese maples. The varieties are endless. Dig a hole wider than the root ball, but no deeper. Add some Biotone transplant fertilizer and compost or soil amendment like LeafGro around the sides of the root ball. Make sure the trunk flare is visible above the soil line after mulch is added. Water weekly (more if the temperatures are up) until the soil freezes.

My neighbor's Crepe Myrtle has beautiful fall leaf color and bark texture

Perennials are great to plant now. Consider adding some natives for the pollinators as they migrate south. For butterflies, Goldenrod seems to be a favorite. Birds feast on dogwood berries and Winterberry hollies. Our local Audubon Society is a good resource for information on specific birds’ diet and habitat preferences. Stake your tall, fall bloomers like dahlias and salvias. Add some of the compost leftover from planting to top dress your gardens, Well-rotted manures work well as compost too.

Solidago/Golden Rod provides for Monarchs during migration

Mums are the stars of the fall garden. They work out well as perennials if they get in the ground soon. Kept in pots until they are finished blooming, mums are a seasonal spot of color on the porch and patio. They will not generally overwinter in pots. 

Choose mums that have just started to bloom

Pansies are great for fall color and will rebloom come late winter and early spring. While they may not overwinter in pots, similar to the mums, they do overwinter if planted in the ground. Area landscapers will plant pansies and their viola cousins for late color now and early color in spring. 

Freeze or can some of summer’s bounty. Freeze cherry and plum tomatoes whole. The University of Maryland has all sorts of tips for harvesting and preserving herbs and vegetables.

Harvest green tomatoes before frost. Store them at room temperature in brown paper bags.

My tomatoes may not ripen in time. Into paper bags they go!

Plant vegetables for fall harvest. It may be late for Brussels Sprouts, but plenty of time for kale, spinach, Swiss chard and root crops like beets and radishes.

Start or refresh a compost. Mine is just a woven wire fence staked on four corners. Fill it with alternating layers of green grass clippings, and brown leaves. Use a garden fork to turn weekly. Add the compost to your garden next spring or summer.

Get ready to dig up summer bulbs after the first light frost. Cannas, begonias, dahlias, gladiolus will not survive overwinter if the temperatures fall below 0 degrees F. 

Plant spring blooming bulbs once the ground is cooler, usually in mid-October- November. Tulips, daffodils, crocus, alliums and scores of other bulbs planted in the fall will provide beautiful color come spring. 

Trowel, auger, or bulb planters come in handy this time of year. 

Houseplants that have summered outside should be acclimated to lower light levels outside before moving them. Clean off leaves with a light mixture of mild soap and water. Then spray them with either Horticultural Oil and/or Insecticidal Soap.

The Z Z looks like an angel with the light over the pot

Ficus and Pachira enjoying their indoor home

Leave the leaves. In garden beds, they will suppress weeds and will serve as a habitat for frogs, turtles, birds, lizards and beneficial insects through the winter. In lawns, mow the leaves with the grass. Add leaves to the compost pile as well. Leaves add nutrients to the soil making it healthier as they decay.

Most importantly, enjoy the colors, temperatures and unhurriedness of fall. It's time to take it easy. Just ask your plants. 

 

 

PLANT OF THE WEEK: MUMS

I get it. Mums are ordinary. Everybody has them.

But, the reality is that they do their job, and do it very well. Mums bring color to our fall porches and gardens. They have hundreds of buds when we first see them in early fall, which translates to hundreds of flowers over a 6-8 week period.

And the hues and shades are extraordinary.
Suzanne, Dotty and Katie water mums most days. The plants' prolific root systems and robust foliage and blooms make frequent watering necessary to keep the plants nice. Once they are transplanted in the ground, mums may require less water, but keep an eye on them on bright, warm sunny autumn days.
Here are a few tips to be successful with mums

1. Choose mums when they are heavily budded and cracking color. Expect 6-8 weeks of bloom, though that will depend on the weather
   
2. Water mums daily if left in pots and containers
3. Once buds have started to open, mums will continue to color-up in sun or shade. If the plan is to compost them at season's end, sun or shade is fine. If planted in the ground with the expectation of returning next year, plant in full sun 
4. Double flowering mums will "age" better than their single-petaled counterparts. The flowers will fade but remain attractive well into the fall season
5. Ideally, choose up to 3 colors to display together. Almost any combination is pleasing to the eye
6. Darker colors fade to light as the season progresses. Burgundy, red, and purple are all very popular
   
7. Purple is especially popular in the Baltimore area since mums and Raven's football share the season
   
   Work up a fall combination of flowers to celebrate our teams. Red and yellow for the Redskins, and yellow with whatever for the Steelers
8. Buy the bigger plant. Once the buds have started to open, the plant will not grow much more this season 
9. Use mums to decorate for your own fall festivities. Mix them up with pumpkins, squash oddities, corn fodder and other fun fall décor
   
10. Wait to cut mums back until spring if you are over-wintering them. Then, remember to cut them back to about 6 inches on St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day and the Fourth of July. They will be compact nd full of buds come next fall
11. Purchase mums from local growers. Ours are grown on our own farm in Hydes, MD

Mums are by no means the only thing to plant in the cooler months of autumn. Pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, scores of perennials, and trees and shrubs all benefit from being planted now as the air temperatures cool off while the soil remains warm.
The colors of fall are beautiful. Enjoy the season.

Fall To-Do list

 Calling all gardeners! Now is the BEST time for several tasks and projects for the home landscape. We've received plenty of rain late this summer. The soil temperatures remain warm even as the air cools. The timing is perfect for transplanting trees, shrubs, perennials and grass seed. And, if you're like a lot of us, most of the planting around the house was completed in spring, providing beautiful blooms and color in April and May but leaving the landscape a little bland right now.
 Here, in no particular order, is a fall to-do list.

• Plant pansies, mums and ornamental cabbage and kale for autumn color in pots and the garden.  

• Renovate the lawn; check our website for some seeding and fertilizing tips.
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils and other colorful flowers.

• Plant perennials, trees and shrubs. They get a chance to be well rooted in time for spring. Look for plants with colorful leaves, late season flowers and attractive bark. Consider trees and shrubs with berries, like pyracantha, hawthorn, beauty berry and various hollies. They are beautiful and the birds love them.  

• Protect houseplants and tropical plants. Be prepared to bring them in before the first frost. Check leaves and stems for insects; spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap before moving plants inside. Repot  plants in the spring if necessary. 

• Dig up summer bulbs like dahlias, cannas and caladiums. Store them in a frost free area and replant in spring.
• Visit our water gardening department for information and a handout on how to overwinter your pond. Better yet, attend Tim's seminar on October 8th at 9 o'clock for tips from the expert.
• Tidy up. Recent storms have left branches and leaves in the lawn and garden
• Edge perennial beds.
• Remove spent flowers from daisy-flowered perennials and annuals to keep them flowering for the remainder of the fall season.

• Remove perennial weeds that have taken root in the garden.
• Empty the compost bin. We'll be filling them back up with leaves in no time.
• Keep a journal of successes and challenges in this year's garden. Take some photos to keep with the journal for reminders of the past season.
• Clean bird feeders to get ready for any of our feathered friends that aren't flying south.

Mostly, enjoy the fall. We'll have all the gardening supplies you'll need plus everything to decorate your home for autumn. Pumpkins of all sizes, gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks,and other fall decorations are displayed in abundance outside.

Fall wreaths and garlands, many ornaments for Halloween and our famous Halloween shop are stocked up and ready for visitors.

And, if you want to take a sneak peek at our Christmas display, you might find our elves hard at work.