GARDENERS SECOND CHANCE

            Late August and early September is a second chance for gardeners to do all those things we didn’t get around to in the spring.  For an instant garden blast of color, fill your flowerbeds and empty spaces in your landscape with Chrysanthemums.  They come in a wide range of autumn colors from white, yellow and gold to bronze to maroon.  Lighter colors tend to bloom earlier than darker reds and purples.  So select different colors for a longer display of color. 

       Mums also work well as container plants to decorate patios, porches and decks.  Go easy on the water, however, to prevent root rot.  Potted mums do not do well inside the house, as lower light levels often result in yellowing leaves and droopy flowers.

 

     Flowering Cabbage and Kale also make nice fall plants to replace annual flowers.  Both will turn a beautiful color with the cold and will last until covered with snow.  Or try Fall Asters as they provide good color and many of them are hardy as well. 

    September is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs.  If planted this month their roots will continue to grow into November, giving them plenty of time to get well-established before winter.  You might find some good clearance sales this time of year, but don’t let price dictate what you buy.  Leftovers at the end of the season can be just that.  Poor quality means they might require more help to survive.  Choose varieties that do well in your hardiness zone, as well as fit into the space you have available.  Allow ample room for growth as trees and shrubs mature. 

DIVIDE AND CONQUOR:

       Perennial flowers can be safely moved at this time.  Warm soil temperature allows for optimum root growth and establishment before the soil freezes.  If you move and divide peonies, make sure to replant them only one and one-half to two inches below ground level.  Planting too deeply at this time keeps the new plants from blooming.  After the soil freezes later this fall, apply a good layer of mulch over all newly moved and divided perennials to keep them from heaving from the soil over winter.

 

THINK SPRING

    It is time to think spring and plant those spring flowering bulbs.  The bulb package lists planting techniques but fails to suggest planting design.  I encourage mass plantings of one flower type.  The use of several dozen bulbs in one spot will produce a better effect than a mixture of many colors.  European gardens often contain several thousand bulbs of a single type to create a display that is impossible to describe.

SHOULD PERENNIALS BE CUT NOW?

       It depends - if you get little snow, you may want to leave them until spring, so the stems can trap the snow.  If you have perennials with attractive winter interest, such as Sedum Autumn Joy or ornamental grass, you may wish to leave them for winter effect.  Some seed heads, such as Black-eyes Susan, may provide food for birds.  If your perennials are diseased, cut them back and destroy - don’t compost - the diseased stems and leaves.

     Perennial plants lacking winter interest, should be cleaned up after a few hard frosts in the fall.  When cutting back, leave a couple of inches of stem to help trap the snow. 

           

Tom McNutt is a professor emeritus at The Ohio State University. and retired NBC4-TV resident green thumb.