Fall Garden Pleasures & Chores

 

Beautiful blooms, rich foliage, and dramatic seed heads abound. Dozens of bees are cruising around blooming Sedums, Japanese Anemones are showing off their beauty, and Hydrangeas are blooming even in shaded parts of the garden. Ornamental grasses are more attractive than in summer, Clematis might bloom for a second time and some Roses are still providing spectacular colors well into Fall. In a few weeks it will all be gone, so take some time to enjoy the warm October afternoons outdoors in your glorious fall garden!

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Bring Indoor Plants In

The end of October (or early November) is then filled with fall garden chores - from cutting back dying perennials, to planting bulbs and preparing the indoor plants for their return back into the house.  Potted plants need to be re-potted especially the tropicals in outdoor containers.  Add new potting mix and increase the pot by one size to keep them happy all winter.  This will be the last feeding until March. Make sure to check for any critters and pests before bringing anything inside, and consider applying insecticidal soap to the soil after re-potting (it leaches down into the new pot).  You can also hang sticky pads on them to catch tiny flies.

Leaves

Remove leaves from your lawn, or otherwise the grass underneath can rot.  But do it NOT with leaf vacuums or leaf blowers.  Experts advise against using leaf vacuums or leafblowers.  Leafblowers are a disaster for the environment.  They destroy the upper layer of the earth and with it many organisms that try to live there.  Apart from the noise, devices with combustion engines emit harmful exhaust gases such as carbon, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Also, small animals are literally chopped up when using suction devices.

Lawns

White grubs are a common turf and lawn pest, and beneficial nematodes can be a very effective (and safe!) control.  However, it is important to treat at the right time of year, based on the white grubs’ life cycle, to ensure good control.  Treating them in early fall is ideal, as that is when the smaller, young grubs are most susceptible to nematodes.  Heteromask is a preferred product against white grubs, but Scanmask is also effective.  Focus treatment on sunny areas of your lawn/turf or on any areas that show signs of grub damage.  Heteromask comes in a spray formulation, and you can use the Nema-Jet, a hose-end sprayer or a watering can (for smaller areas) to apply

Lawns are hungry as well. Early October is the time for your second application of fertilizer with a “winterizer” type on the label, one with an NPK (nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium) of around 28-0-14.

You should mow your lawn for the last time this year by the end of November at the latest - after that there's no point, as you may even harm it if it has to survive the winter after being shorn too short. It's best to set your lawn mower higher so that your lawn can catch enough sunlight even in the cold season and doesn't give uninvited guests such as moss a chance to grow in.

Rake the leaves from the paths into the beds on the left and right - but not higher than 3 inches.  Mark where you have plants to avoid trampling on them in early spring.  The layer of leaves provides frost protection for the plants in winter and also attracts blackbirds, for example, which pick pests out of the beds.  Leaves also help plant growth in the long term.  The leaves gradually decompose and become valuable fertilizer and soil.  Nature has the very best recycling system.  It's unbeatable!

You can also cover flower and vegetable beds with fresh compost: It can mature over the winter and provides the plants with an ideal breeding ground when they develop new shoots in the spring.

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Hedges & Shrubs

In gardens and parks, densely growing shrubs and hedges create visual accents.  For property owners, especially those who live directly on a street, hedges serve primarily as privacy screens.  But hedges are not an attractive substitute for a fence, they serve as a habitat for many animals.  For this reason, there are a few things to keep in mind when trimming hedges:

Hedges should only be trimmed between October and the end of February.  Between March and September, some native bird species use the densely growing hedge plants as a shelter to first build a nest undisturbed by humans and predators and later raise their young ones in it.  However, as soon as the first strong frost sets in, it is important to stop pruning your trees and shrubs, as the cuts will no longer close. 

Usually, hedges are cut with hedge shears.  The fastest and most efficient way is to use the electric version.  A little more practical, but also a few dollars more expensive, are models that are powered by a battery.  Hedges should be cut conically, a little narrower towards the top.  The reason is quite simple: The lower branches get much less light with a straight cut.  In the worst case, they become bare or stunted.  That's why the base of any hedge should be about 20 inches wider than the top.  Donate an additional layer of mulch to the soil under the hedge.  This favors the nutrient balance and pleases numerous microorganisms.

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No Need to Cut Roses in Fall

Older varieties of roses lay the flower buds already in the previous year and then unfold all their beauty only once - in early summer.  The problem is that the new shoots do not produce new flowers in the same year.  This means that they will not bear a single flower in summer if they are pruned as radically as roses that bloom more often.  Tip: Thin out such roses only slightly in spring so that the crown does not become too dense.

Prune Roses in Spring:

Be patient and wait to prune roses until no more heavy (night) frosts are expected.  So, about after the forsythia bush flowers have faded.  The 'eyes', i.e. the places where a rose can form side shoots, play an important role when pruning roses.  If you cut the shoot too close over an eye or side shoot, they could dry out.  What would be left behind - instead of a fragrant flower - would be an unsightly stub.  Therefore, place the scissors about five millimeters above the uppermost eye and cut the shoot at a slight downward angle.  This prevents water from collecting, which would provide a perfect breeding ground for pathogens.

For shrub roses, cut back to no more than half the shoot length.  Otherwise, long and unstable shoots will develop.  The procedure is different again for climbing roses.  Here, the previous year's shoots remain uncut and are only slightly thinned out. 

It’s also time to plant lots of bulbs for spectacular spring blooming.  Pay attention to the planting depth as listed on the packages.  Dividing perennials is a great way to make your beds fuller.  Lift plants carefully from the hole and shake off excess soil.  Remove any dead stems and foliage.  Separate the root system in half down from the middle, using two garden spades or forks or a sharp knife.  Replant in a new hole with fresh soil and water thoroughly.  If there is no rain during the next days, water these 'new' plants at least three times a week.

Keep pulling up the summer veggies as they ripen, and make room for fall crops, such as turnips, beets, onions, spinach, or Brussels sprouts.  Composting summer plants will improve your soil next spring.

Read more: 

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/bgen/bulbs-for-shade-gardens.htm

https://biologicco.wpengine.com/blog/faq-how-to-kill-white-grubs-with-nematodes/

https://www.cbc.ca/life/home/how-to-prepare-your-garden-for-winter-1.6623540

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/25/1131114849/leaves-fall-autumn-compost-mulch-grass-lawn-nutrients

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Plants That are Thriving in Shade

 

Even if your garden is mostly shady, you still can fill it with color. Many spring bulbs are ideal for planting in shady areas at the base of shrubs, beneath large shade trees, and along woodland paths. At this time of the year, the trees have no leaves yet.  They are the earliest bulbs to bloom and the first food for bees: Snowdrops, Anemones, Fritillaria, Crocus, Narcissus, or Scilla are the first blooms in your garden.  But don't forget to plant them in the fall!  Other spring flowers such as Primula, Pulmonaria, Bleeding Heart, Foamflower, Spiderwort, Aquilegia, or Obelia.

Quite a few plants are thriving in shade gardens from early summer into fall.  Some are colorful, some are white-blooming, and some have attractive silver leaves.  However, flowering shrubs bloom best with some sun (preferably in the morning because the hot afternoon sun isn't a friend to shade lovers). And if you're planting shrubs or perennials, which come back every year, make sure they are suited to your hardiness zone. 

Here is a selection of flowers that don't mind shade to plant this early fall or next spring - beside begonias, pansies, or impatiens:

Astranti: the Most Beautiful Shade Perennial You’ve Never Heard Of 

https://laidbackgardener.blog/2017/08/01/astrantia-the-most-beautiful-perennial-youve-never-heard-of/

https://seedterra.com/astrantia-masterwort-purple-seeds-astrantia-major/

Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)

https://savvygardening.com/shade-loving-perennial-flowers/

Brunnera Macrophylla: Silver Leaf Plant for Shade 

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/brunnera-macrophylla-looking-glass-siberian-bugloss

https://www.fromhousetohome.com/garden/compact-shade-plants/

https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/brunnera-macrophylla-siberian-bugloss

Switch Grass

https://www.bluestem.ca/panicum-rotstrahlbusch.htm

Japanese Painted Fern

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-and-care-for-japanese-painted-ferns-4691739

Goatsbeard

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/goats-beard/goats-beard-plant-info.htm

Astilbe

https://www.gardendesign.com/plants/astilbe.html

Variegated Solomon’s Seal

https://www.gardenista.com/posts/gardening-101-solomons-seal/

Hardy Cyclamen: My Favored Fall Shade Plants

https://garden-dream.blogspot.com/2021/09/hardy-cyclamen-becoming-my-favored-fall.html

Ligularia

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/ligularia-dentata-desdemona

Heuchera in all Colors: yellow, copper, or maroon

https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/heuchera

Hostas in blue-green, grey, or yellow - avoid the boring green ones...

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/foliage/hosta/growing-hosta-plants.htm

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As you can see, there are dozens and dozens of flowering blooms that gardeners can plant in the shade. Many people think that if they have a shady garden they can’t grow flowers. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you have a garden space with less than full sun, you can still have a beautiful flower garden.

What to Grow in Full-sun Areas

 

Sunny spots can host a wide array of plants.  With the right mix of sun-loving perennials, you can savor seasonal color from summer to fall frost.  Treat yourself to a yard full of color.   Designing a garden is easy when you are able to work with full sun perennials.

When choosing plants for areas with full sun, it’s generally better to stick with native plantings whenever possible.  Many full sun plants are also tolerant of drought and arid conditions, making them ideal for potted environments too.

Buying new perennials in a drought and planting them in the garden makes little sense, as they need milder temperatures to become established first.  So, you should wait until the heat wave is over, or your new purchases will die right before your eyes.  Buy plants in the fall or spring that are hardy and have plenty of time to grow strong by summer next year.

Winter-hardy succulents like sedum, stonecrop, and houseleek are optimal for dry, sunny gardens. Houseleek is even called "sempervivum," meaning "always lives," in Latin.  Succulents have the special advantage that it's almost ridiculously easy to grow from cuttings.  This way you have three times as many plants in two to three years without spending a penny extra.

Woody Mediterranean perennials and herbs such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano are also excellent and very bee-friendly.  In dry gardens, all kinds of iris, yarrow, and purple coneflowers feel at home.  They tolerate dry soils well and have beautiful colorful flowers.  The sunniest flower of all, sunflowers, need 6 - 8 hours of full sun.

Happy Gardening

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Skip the Lawn: Diverse and Hands-off Gardening

 

Lawns are Attractive Only to Weeds… 

I have never met a garden owner who was happy with their lawn.  They all complain about the work, the watering, weeding, fertilizing, and expensive lawnmowers.  And point out ground-covering plantains, crabgrass, creeping charlie, dandelions, and other nasty weeds. Not to mention grubs or moles that are destroying the lawn.

Perfectly manicured lawns are a thing of the past!  Who needs turf around the house that requires frequent mowing, fertilizing, raking, aerating, watering, and lots of pesticides?  Doing all this work (or paying someone for it) is not worth the effort.  Not to speak about the cost of labor, material, and most of all: the environmental impact. 

Ecological Desert

CBC wrote in an article recently: "The case for leaving the perfectly manicured lawn behind. North Americans have had a longstanding love affair with crisp blades of grass and the perfectly manicured lawns we shape them into. The tidy turf tradition isn't homegrown though: the concept was hauled across the Atlantic by colonists who maintained lawns in Europe going back to the 17th or 18th century. The growth became a staple of the leisure class who reveled in lawn games like croquet and tennis and turned it into a status symbol since bringing neatness to nature's chaos required deep pockets. And so, keeping up with the trim-turfed Joneses began.

Though its shorn blades are a bare-footer's dream and the smell of it freshly cut may be inseparable from summer nostalgia for many, a pristine lawn comes with a whole whack of taxing environmental impacts - and high maintenance cost."

Lawns are a Dead Part of Your Garden

Insects that are necessary to pollinate vegetables, flowers, fruit, and other crops cannot find anything in lawns, but the odd dandelion bloom. Bees and butterflies are not finding any wood in the sea of grass blades.

Fertilizers and pesticides can create runoff and pollute lakes and reservoirs. Nitrogen and phosphorus and other chemicals contained in these products can lead to oxygen-choking, overgrowth of algae and other plants - and kill small animals.

The fertilizers and pesticides we put on lawns can create runoff that pollutes surrounding bodies of water. In surface waters like lakes and reservoirs, the nitrogen and phosphorus contained in these products can lead to oxygen-choking, light-masking overgrowth of algae and other plants. 

The monoculture, free of wildflowers, shrubs, dead wood, and trees, is also not ideal for wildlife.  It provides neither shelter nor nutrition for flittering pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds that help plants reproduce, creating more vegetation — our food.

Lawns also require a huge amount of water to maintain, drinking water that can be better used.  This obscene amount of drinking water onto our lawns makes them green because they're the wrong species for our climate.  Turf spends a large chunk of the summer on "life support," browning and dying in peak season because the grass isn't living in its ideal climate.  

Kentucky bluegrass is a species brought over by colonists from much wetter and cloudier areas, such as the UK or Ireland.  The same with dandelions: Europeans brought over dandelions because they were medicinal and useful, they ate the greens, roasted the roots, and made tea.

Smart: Growing Native Plants due to Raising Water Costs

Water-wise landscaping, a xeriscaped yard has the potential to cut watering at least in half - and it looks much prettier.  Start by digging out a part of the lawn and planting drought-tolerant shrubs and flowers.  You even don’t need to dig out the lawn, just cover it with wet cardboard in the fall, and secure this with a couple of big rocks. 

Comes spring, place good garden soil mixed with compost or composted manure, at least 1 foot high.  Plant sedums, Russian stonecrops, salvia, Santolina, sunflowers, irises, lavender, ornamental pink Muhly grass, rudbeckia, coreopsis, milkweed (especially for butterflies), yarrow, lupine, coneflowers, and in shade parts aruncus plants or hostas of a variety of leaf colors. Then mulch this new flower bed well.

Blooming Shrubs

Small shrubs that need water only a short period after planting are wild roses rosa rugosa), burning bush, sea buckthorn, privet, beauty bush, rose glow barberry, forsythia, or butterfly bush, just to name a few.  A little bit of blooming is all maintenance they need once a year. 

Mulch the ground well and the area around the shrubs will be weed-free.

Ornamental Grasses

Jodi Delong wrote in an article in Saltscapes: "Like many gardeners, I evolved into a love affair with ornamental grasses, and now I can’t imagine a garden without them. Oh, for sure, in the spring they don’t look like anything but a bunch of dead sticks, but as we roll into summer and autumn, they take on delightful texture, and make gorgeous sounds as the wind whispers through them…

And many produce elegant and long-lasting flower heads that are eye-catching.  As an added bonus, many types of grass have interesting colors throughout the season—not just green!—and great fall/winter colors, too. What’s not to love?

Most of these ornamental grasses offer more than ornamental value.  If you want to create a relatively quick screen to block the view of an unsightly fence or just to add some privacy to your yard, some grasses get quite large and showy.  Most importantly for many gardeners, they are relatively problem/pest free.  Best of all, deer do not like the majority of grasses: their tough, sharp leaves (blades) aren’t at all appetizing to Bambi.

Another idea, in case you want to keep your lawn, is to over-seed it with short-growing clover.  The benefits?  You will never have to mow again and your lawn is always green - even through a drought.  

Lawns are an anomaly.  And they may no longer fit the realities of the world we live in.  In today’s world, we worry so much about environmental issues, it is satisfying to have something that's really under our control - our gardens.

https://www.epicgardening.com/xeriscape-plants/

https://www.pinterest.ca/rvs11/drought-tolerant-plants-zone-4/

https://www.naturehills.com/blog/post/drought-tolerant-plants-for-the-landscape

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/the-american-obsession-with-lawns/

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Photos from Mediterranaen Island Sardegna

 

Called Sardegna (Italian) Sardigna (Sardinian) Saldigna (Gallurese) Sardenya (Catalan) or Sardinia (German), I am always amazed by the beautiful plant I discover there. And I even took a 4-hour train trip across the whole island to visit the Botanical Garden in Cagliari.

 

The island, in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, is home to some exotic species that represent an integral part of the Sardinian territory, an ideal place for an adventurous vacation to explore the unspoiled nature, embraced by the winds that dominate the land called Icnussa by the ancient Greeks. 

A green open-air paradise that the Mediterranean climate contributes to make unique, where endemic species are coupled with plants from Africa, Asia, and some parts of South America.

The Sardegna island is blessed by a great range and variety of plant species, a mild climate, and beautiful wild scenery. This heritage is enriched by another element: a popular tradition dating back thousands of years in natural remedies and food preparation.

On my bucket list are visits of the seven historical gardens of Sardinia. It will tour the whole island in a week or in several short breaks.  It starts in the north-west, in Sassari's park of Monserrato, then moves to the north-east, to Caprera and the garden-island of Garibaldi.  From here the tour moves on to the center, in the Nuorese region with the English park of Villa Piercy of Bolotana.  Then I'll visit the Oristano area, in San Leonardo di Siete Fuentes (Santu Lussurgiu), the Pernis-Vacca citrus garden, the Vega of Palazzo Boyl (Milis) and the Italian garden of Aymerich Park in Laconi.  The grand finale is the 'green' route to the Patrizio Gennari botanical gardens in Cagliari - which I visited already.

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How to Care for Climbing Roses

 

One of the most beautiful focal points in gardens and parks are rose trellises and arbors with their abundance of flowers.  They are a perfect choice for English-style or formal gardens.  I recently had to find two climbing rose plants in a certain color and it took a while until I found them in a nursery that was far out of my way.  I was surprised that not every nursery or garden center was carrying these marvelous and long-blooming additions to every garden.

An obelisk or pillar adorned with roses adds a strong vertical dimension to a flower border.  Create a beautiful focal point in the center of a bed, or place two or more along a long border to create a visual rhythm.

For pillars: train the stems in a spiral around them to encourage the flowers from the ground upwards. Tie-in at ten-inch intervals, attaching the rose to the pillar.  And for obelisks, train a couple of the main stems straight up to the top of the structure.  Then spiral the other stems around the structure, tying in as you go - this encourages flowers from the ground upwards. 

Training roses up an arch: An arch is perfect for linking different areas of a garden and forming an entranceway with flowers overhead.  Train your climbing roses on either side of your arch, upwards and over the top of it, tying in to the arch.  Create an even coverage with your two roses meeting in the center point at the top of your arch.

Roses over a pergola: For the uprights of a pergola, train your rose in a similar manner to training it up a pillar, training the stems in an upwards spiral.
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Climbing Rose Care

For the first year or two, climbers should be trained in the direction you want them to grow.  Prune only to remove dead or diseased branches.  This will allow the plant to establish itself and expand at the base for a fuller appearance.

Roses need at least six hours of direct sun every day.  If your climbing rose is not getting enough sunlight, it still may produce leaves, but it will not have the energy to produce flowers.  If shade is impossible to avoid, try to plant your climbing rose in a location where it receives morning sunlight. 

Climbing roses prefer slightly acidic, well-drained soils.  Dig your planting hole wide and deep enough to accommodate the plant’s roots when spread out.  Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole to allow the roots to easily grow deeper.  Before you plant soak the pot with the roses in a bucket of water for an hour, and water well after planting.

Water deeply in the first year to establish roots.  Mornings are best.  Water the soil at the base of the plant - not overhead leaves or flowers!

The best fertilizer for the roses is compost, also a bit slow releasing.  Other than that, liquid fertilizers, have the advantage of getting the nutrients to the roses' roots quickly.  A monthly application of a high phosphorous fertilizer, such as 9-14-9, encourages blooming and provides adequate nutrients for your roses.

Deadheading (removing spent flowers) will encourage more flowering on repeat-blooming varieties.  After the first year or two, you can begin lightly pruning as needed in early spring for maintenance and shape. This will also help promote new growth.  The main canes that come directly from the base should be pruned after flowering.  The lateral canes produce the flowers and can be lightly pruned any time of the year in order to keep the climber in shape. 

You can even propagate climbing roses from hardwood cuttings or semi-ripe cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are taken in winter when the plant is dormant, and semi-ripe cuttings are taken in late summer after flowering.

With the proper initial training and regular maintenance pruning, climbing roses can be a glorious garden backdrop and will bring joy for many years.

Happy Rose Gardening!

Resources:

https://www.thespruce.com/prune-and-train-climbing-roses-3269551

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-climbing-roses/

https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/all-about-climbing-roses

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/climbing-rose-growing-well-but-not-blooming-flowers-96860.html

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Gardening Joy and Challenges: The Good and the Invasive Weeds

 

Removing weeds is the most disliked gardening chore by almost all gardeners.  However, there
are "good" weeds such as Goldenrod (Solidago species) and Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) which are native species that support pollinating insects and birds and contribute to the ecosystem.  Another beneficial weed is clover.  As a legume crop, it fixes nitrogen in the soil and nourishes surrounding plants.  Instead of ripping it out, hark clover underneath the soil. 

Other weeds can be aggressive and choke out expensive garden plants. Some produce biochemical(s) that influence the germination of seeds and hamper the growth, survival, and reproduction of other plant species.

Weed which you definitely want to avoid:

Bindweed has lovely flowers, but it is not welcome in the garden because of its aggressive growth and its ability to resist containment because of its extensive root system.  Some reports have said that the roots can grow as deep as 6-30 feet and have seeds that can germinate decades (more than 20 years) later.  It twines and climbs up amongst garden plants and competes for sunlight, moisture, and nutrients.  If even the smallest piece of root is left remaining in the soil, a new plant will form.

Dandelions are considered weeds and grow over-abundant. However, they are pretty and considered super-food: their leaves are a great addition to salads, their roots can be grilled, and the flowers can be prepared as a fruit wine or infuse vinegar or oils.

Invasive Weeds That Need to go:

• Dog-Strangling Vine
• Bindweed
• Plantains
• Thistle
• Purslane
• Garlic mustard 
• Buckthorn tree/shrub
• Japanese Knotweed shrub
• Poison Ivy

Important: Don't pull the weeds, dig them out to get all roots, otherwise they will grow back.  And please always wear gloves!  Weeds between stepping stones can be erased by pouring boiling water or a mixture of vinegar, salt, and boiling water over them.  Choose a hot and dry day and repeat the procedure after a couple of days.

How to Prevent Weeds

Weeds are growing mostly on disturbed soils.  Start with adding compost and rake it into the soil. Then add at least eight inches of natural cedar mulch.  Weeds are prevented by mulch, and even if one or the other grows over the years, they are very easy to yank out.  An additional benefit of mulching is that moisture is kept in the soil and temperature differences in summer or winter are evened out. 

Read more:

https://www.oneearth.org/the-various-advantages-of-clover/

https://www.thespruce.com/controlling-and-preventing-bindweed-2540090

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/dandelion/uses-for-dandelions.htm

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