This harvest moon month is a major transitional month where floral displays star at their most brilliant in the early weeks. Unfortunately, as we are reveling in our beautiful lush landscapes, nature shows her dominance with drastic changes that sometimes strike in just a few hours. Frost and even that “S” word can and do occur this month, and the Farmers Almanac actually predicts both for this September.
Don’t despair though. Nature is on a continuum. Gardening never ends; it simply changes. Even if the weather were to remain warm, most of our annuals would cease blooming because they require long hours of sunlight for growth. Yet, the shorter, cooler days offer a showcase for other plants, such as mums, rudbeckia, marigolds and pansies to star.
September also invites gardeners to again engage in their favorite activity: planting. Yes, you can now plant shrubs, perennials and even trees. The warm days and cool nights enable them all to establish strong roots before winter.
This is a very busy month for gardeners because spent annuals and frozen vegetable foliage must be removed, and errant branches of shrubs and trees should be pruned, to prevent damage from heavy, early snows.
Finally, take pictures of your landscape early in the month. Attach the pictures to December’s page of your calendar and then move them to March 2011 when you are planning next year’s plantings.
Q. My son recently bought his first house, which has a neglected yard. He would like some plant color next spring, but doesn’t have a lot of time now for a full-scale landscape attack. Where should he start?
A. He should plant bulbs – lots of them. Clear a space in the front yard for spring-blooming bulbs. They will give glorious color and stimulate his green thumb while he plans other projects. They will also give the house instant street appeal.
Don’t just plant ordinary tulips and daffodils, though. Buy LOTS of tiny crocus bulbs that can bloom as early as February. Add the early miniature tulips and daffodils as well as the sky blue chionodoxa to a selection of tall late-blooming tulips and daffodils to have a continuous color display all spring. Buy bulbs at local nurseries, not discount stores. Nursery bulbs will cost you more initially, but they offer a nearly 100-percent blooming rate and will re-bloom for many years. Be certain to prepare the soil well for these newcomers.
Q. This is the first year we’ve grown potatoes and we don’t know when and how to harvest them.
A. By now you’ve probably had your question answered because the potato vines have all dried. When that happens, simply use a spading fork to carefully lift the potatoes. Try to avoid puncturing or damaging the skins. When you’ve harvested everything, lay the potatoes in the sun for an hour or two to dry. Then eat them as soon as possible to savor the full flavor. Potatoes, like all other home-grown veggies, please the palate with real flavor not found elsewhere. Don’t be surprised if your harvest is small. Potatoes can be tough to grow here.
Q. Are columbines annuals or perennials? I thought they were perennials but my neighbor says they propagate by seed, so I should cut my plants back and scatter the seed.
A. Columbines are domestic perennials that propagate easily from seed, which is why I find new ones in interesting new places in my yard every spring. Your neighbor is correct on care, but those new ones probably won’t retain the color purity of the parent plant. The lovely blue-flowered ones you see at 10,000 feet are thriving in porous acidic soil, and enjoy warm days, cool nights and afternoon showers, an impossible environment to create here. Yet, we love our columbines, regardless of their colors.
Q. Raspberries went wild this year after several years of seeming dormancy. When and how should they be pruned?
A. Prune them now by removing all canes that bore fruit this year. They won’t produce again. Raspberries sucker so be ruthless about which canes you want to keep and destroy all the weak “roaming ones.”
Q. Give me some tips for bringing my houseplants indoors in the fall. Every year they decline or even die.
A. Really hose them off to remove spider mites or other insects. Thoroughly clean container exteriors, including the underside. By now you should have been gradually moving them toward the house. Because indoor light is far less intense than outdoor, they will naturally decline for a while. Decrease watering and don’t fertilize.
September signals a new phase of gardening. Enjoy your harvesting and the promise bulb purchases offer. Then splurge on masses of great blowsy mums.
To September’s glories.
