The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

Oh, Fall Again?
Sadly, summer is drawing to a close. After Labor Day, days are growing shorter, the weather is growing cooler in the evenings, and leaves and plants are already starting to show the brown edges that foretell fall.

Early September is an important gardening time, one for sprucing up the garden for the remaining weeks of outdoor living, and preparing the garden to carry plants through the winter to spring.

This time of year is a great time to seed new lawns and/or repair the results of summer drought. Take action only if you can ensure adequate water for newly seeded areas (grass seed requires daily watering until the grass germinates and continuous moisture to establish strong roots). It is also a good time to fertilize lawns. The number of applications of fertilizer, of course, depends on the product you use, but try to use an organic fertilizer if possible to protect the sensitivities of the environment.

Begin labeling perennials and identifying the location of tender tubers and bulbs like dahlias, caladiums, and elephant ears. Marking these now will help identify their locations once leaves die back. As the leaves wither, cut off the foliage to keep the garden looking fresh (however, leaving seed pods on Rudbeckia and Echinacea will keep birds around the garden foraging for seeds).

Dig tender bulbs as soon as there are indications that the temperature will dip below 45 degrees at night. Place these bulbs in a dry location for about a week. Once dried, store them in a basket or bucket covered with a combination of sand and peat. If you see evidence of any fungus or mildew, dust the bulbs and tubers with a little fungicide before storing. Keep any stored bulbs in a cool place (about 45-degrees) throughout winter.

Continue to fertilize annuals at this time of year with an all-purpose fertilizer. This will keep them blooming strongly until frost. However, be careful not to fertilize perennials further this season. Fertilizing perennials may spark additional growth that probably will not have the time to harden off before frost sets in.

It is already too late to prune Nikko blue hydrangeas this year. If you did not accomplish this task by early August and plants appear unsightly or leggy, just grin and bear it until they finish blooming next spring. Remember that the Nikko blues bloom on the growth from the previous season.

If you haven’t already ordered spring bulbs – don’t wait any longer, especially if you want some of the newest introductions. Many of the local garden shops and nurseries carry an abundant supply of the tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs, but may not have some of the more unusual bulbs. Remember that the ideal time to start planting bulbs is about six weeks before freezing temperatures, so we are quickly running out of time. When planting spring bulbs, plant them somewhat deeper than recommended – especially on the East End. This helps set roots and protects them from squirrels and chipmunks that seem to love to dig them up as soon as they are planted. To help protect tulips, try interspersing them among daffodils to fend off deer. If you have a problem with digging pests, plant one or two fritilaria in and among the bulbs (rodents hate the smell). Or, crush some garlic and macerate it in water for a couple of days before using with bulbs. Sprinkle some of the water over the bulbs as you plant (this seems to fend off critters). Never use bone meal when planting bulbs as it attracts dogs and raccoons who like to dig up the bulbs to get at the bone meal.

While many people hate the look of mums, we find that a strategically placed plant or two add wonderful fall colors to the garden. Many people use mums as an annual plant because it takes some work to get a bushy plant the second year. However, when treated as taller perennials at the back of the border, or in group plantings, mums can offer a special accent to the early fall garden. Be sure to mulch mums heavily. If you plant them this fall, it is likely they will not survive to spring without the mulch.

While it is sad that summer is waning, focus on the tasks at hand to ready the garden for the next season. It may seem a chore at this point in the gardening season to put forth effort, but just imagine the effects next spring that a little extra effort now will produce.

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.