Great Autumn Color! October 13, 2006

Here are a few plants that will give your garden great Autumn color!

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’)  

The plumes of this ornamental grass appear in summer and keep going for months. Winter Hardy in Zone 5 and warmer.

 

Aster ‘Alma Potschke’

Beautiful Red flowers on an extremely hardy plant! Zone 4.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

The sedum’s flowers bloom pink and then mature to brick red. Zone 3.

 

Euphorbia Characias 

The wintergreen leaves stay crisp looking after the spring blooms are gone. Zone 7.

 

Senecio Greyi

The silver leaves make this a beautiful evergreen that will blend with everything. Zone 8.

 

All of these plants will be attractive as a single specimen or in a group planting with the tallest plants in the back and the lower plants in the front! It is always nice to have plants and flowers that continue to be beautiful in Autumn.

Trees and Shrubs October 10, 2006

If you had any plans to start adding trees and shrubs to your landscape, now is the time to do it.

Why?

As the top of the plant starts to go dormant, the root system can now fully “concentrate” on it’s own growth thus ensuring the strength of the tree or shrub. If the roots are strong, the rest of the tree/shrub will follow suit.

How?

Dig a hole only as deep as the root ball, but 2-3 times wider. There’s no need to add any fertilizer, so just return the original soil firm, and water well. Make sure to mulch 3-4 inches deep around the plant keeping the mulch an inch or two away from the trunk.

Now is also a good time to fertilize any existing trees and shrubs in your landscape in order to maintain growth and health for the coming winter season. Make sure you water them well, and replenish the mulch.

More Winterization Info… October 8, 2006

In response to our loyal reader’s request here is what we found out for ya’.

Winterize your perennial garden by removing any dead flowers or foliage in autumn. After a hard freeze, cut back all stems to ground level and add extra mulch. This would be applicable to perennials such as hostas, phlox, iris, anemone, cranesbill, etc.

Some perennials, such as wax begonia, zonal geraniums, alstromeria, and calla lily are not hardy and must be grown as annuals in cold climates. But they will return year after year in hot areas.

Ease up watering in the autumn when it comes to shrubs and azaleas. Water induces new growth, which may not harden off before the first freeze. As mentioned above, prune away dead foliage and flowers as well as mulch around the base of the plant.

It’s That Time Again! October 6, 2006

As some of you may know, it is time again to plant spring bulbs!

You should always plant spring flowering bulbs in the fall. This way they will establish faster and bloom earlier. For the best effect, plant bulbs in groups or gently toss a handful on the ground and plant them where they land. This method of planting will provide a more naturalistic look for your garden bed. 

When planting, a good rule of thumb is to make sure the bulb is fully touching the bottom of the hole and the hole should be twice the depth of the bulb.  Typically you should plant your spring flowering bulbs in mid-September to mid-October.

Examples of a Spring-Flowering Bulb would include:

• Tulips
• Daffodils
• Hyacinth
• Some Varieties of Gladiolus
• Crocus
• Iris
• Peonies
• Snowdrops
• Ivory Bells
• Lily Of The Valley
• Muscari (Grape Hyacinths)
• Narcissus
• Allium

 

A good example of a cluster planting: Allium, Tulips and Hyacinths.

Happy Planting!

-Lemons