In the Garden: thoughts for fall

In the Garden

thoughts from the garden

By ray mikula

Deep blue skies contrasting with red, gold, and green swaying limbs, wafting the scent of autumn leaves, makes fall gardening a joy. With summer gone, the world wants to put on a grand finale of color before winter settles in. Bright colored mums, asters, pumpkins and gourds show up everywhere letting everyone know it's time to button up for winter. Roadside stands have the bounty of the years growing season with apples, preserves, grapes, squash, cider, potatoes and pumpkins.

As I walk outside in the the morning to a crisp chill in the air I sometimes wonder if it's too cold to be gardening. But the ground is still warm and will accept new plants and bulbs and makes a great opportunity for planting trees, shrubs, and grass. Spring bulbs, in our area, should be planted between October and December. This gives their roots time to develop and makes them ready for early growth as soon as temperatures begin to rise in late winter. Don't worry if you see some green shoots coming up in December. The plants will handle winter with ease. Trees that are planted in the fall have the chance to establish their roots without the need to sustain bunches of leaves at the same time. Cooler temperatures and a lower sun angle keep the ground from drying out and plants have less stress. New lawns and over seeding can still be done in October but that should be done early in the month to allow germination of the seed before cooler temperatures set in. Fall is a good time to get bargains at nurseries on shrubs and perennials as they try to reduce their stock before winter. The plants will welcome a chance to get their roots out of those pots after residing there all summer. If the they are root bound, cutting downward through the root ball on four sides will allow new roots to spread out as you plant them in your freshly dug and amended soil. It's also time to plant winter pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale for an extra splash of color during the coming holidays.

Sometimes I buy plants that grow well here in the summer but need to be lifted in the fall like Calla lilies, Cana lilies, gingers, etc. It's also time to bring in the houseplants and tropicals if you want them again next year. I bring in cactus, agave, palms, bromeliads, hibiscus, and anything else I have that will freeze. We always get our first frost in October. When the very tender plants are lifted and in, there may still be plants that could use an extra layer of mulch before winter. Tender perennials and shrubs like figs, and gardenias fall into this category .

Finally, it's not too early to start thinking about the holidays and fresh wreaths and garlands. Once again, in November the Master Gardener Association of the Central Rappahannock will be selling boxwood wreaths. Date and times TBD. Till next time, happy gardening.

RayMikula is a Master Gardener.He has several acres of garden space & has been gardening for 62 years. Before retiring Ray was a Earth Science & Astronomy Teacher