Savoring September 
Greetings!
I love the light of late summer and early autumn, all golden and gorgeous. And it always seems to be slanting through a window or backlighting a turning tree or tuft of ornamental grass.
With all the rush, rush, rush of my life, I have resolved to do my best to savor September, a month that in Iowa seems to be a 30-day stretch of perfect weather, the last opportunity to do all those things I've been wanting to enjoy all summer.
And part of that is to get caught up with the garden. The cooler weather means the weeds have slowed down enough that I can catch up with them. I've dug up and "reorganized" my overgrown little herb bed. Then it's dividing the daylilies in the front to expand them as edging in a large bed there. And I'll buy some bulbs. I won't plant them until October, but I want to get them early so the selection isn't picked over!
Enjoy!
Veronica Lorson Fowler
P.S. Did you see The Des Moines Register article on Japanese beetles and how destructive they've been this year? Disheartening but interesting news on their slow spread through the state.
|
Better Bulbs
 I can easily spend hundreds of dollars on spring-blooming bulbs, so I try to proceed with caution and restraint. Wish me luck.
For whatever reason, my local Earl May here in Ames seems to have the best selection and value. I avoid the big box stores and discount stores since they almost always carry cheap bulbs that are undersized and won't bloom well, if at all. Another tip: Forget about adding bone meal. It doesn't have complete nutrients for bulbs and can attract animals. Instead, use Bulb Booster fertilizer or compost. For more tips on having the best bulbs possible, click here!
|
In Defense of Goldenrod
Goldenrod is a stunning fall flower, and yet so many Iowans avoid growing it because they think it aggravates allergies. But that's a myth. The pollen on goldenrod is disseminated only by insects, not by the wind. And it's those wind-borne pollens that cause some of us such suffering.  Goldenrod does bloom about the same time as ragweed, and that has contributed to its unfair bad rap. So go ahead, enjoy big armfuls of goldenrod cut indoors or in tall stands in your garden!
|
Before the Snow Flies
 Post Labor-Day, this becomes my mantra. It applies with everything from painting the south side of the house to getting leaves raked to emptying the little pond in the back yard.
Check out our Fall Garden Checklist. You'll want to print it out. And if you're really clever, you'll then hand it to your spouse. |
Garden Quote
"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather
And autumn's best of cheer."
Helen Hunt Jackson, September 1830-1885 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Garden To-Do List
For a printer-friendly version of this list, click here.
 Nope, it's not time to plant bulbs just yet. Wait until October. Go ahead and buy them now, but keep them in a cool, dry, dark place. And pay a little more for nice, firm, healthy full-size bulbs. Mail order and small nurseries are ideal. The big box stores, I'm afraid, too often carry undersized bulbs that won't bloom well.
There's a saying that beautiful lawns are made in the fall. As days grow cooler, it's a great time to reseed problem patches or lay new sod. We've been having some dry weather though, so water daily until established--usually in a couple of weeks. Now is also an excellent time to aerate a lawn.
If you prefer a shorter look, start mowing cool-season turf, such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryes, and fescues, lower (about 2 inches) now that temperatures are cooler. Or continue to mow at the ideal height of 3 inches.
With warm season grasses, such zoysiagrass, keep mowing at about 2 inches.
Fertilize cool season lawns, such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryes, and fescues, to encourage good root growth. Do not fertilize zoysiagrass this month.
Continue to harvest early and often for the most tender, sweetest produce and to keep plants producing well. Click here for information on a plant-by-plant breakdown on when to harvest.
Keep things watered. You'll enjoy your garden longer, and it will prevent plants from going into winter dehydrated, which can make them die out over winter.
Make the tough calls. If any annuals this late in the season are struggling, pull them up and put them in the compost heap. If a perennial is looking shot, just cut it off at ground level now and discard the foliage.
Brighten your garden with mums. Choose from either florist's mums, which aren't winter hardy but are very tidy-looking with large flowers or from hardy mums, which are more rough-looking but will come back again next year. Florist's mums are great for pots indoors and out while garden mums are good for planting in the ground for a permanent display. |
|
Upcoming Garden Events
Tuesday, Sept. 13
Arts at the Arb
Bicklehaupt Arboretum, Clinton
7 p.m. The "Fabulous Paul Brothers" will be playing. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy an outdoor performance.
Tuesday, Sept. 13 Onward
Floral Design Classes
Reiman Gardens, Ames
2 p.m. or 6 p.m. Learn the basics of floral design and create garden-styled arrangements. Other classes are October 11, November 8, and December 13.
Friday-Sunday, September 16-18
Fall Peony Sale
Iowa Arboretum, Madrid
Choose from a wide range of peonies, both those grown at the Arboretum and from local growers. Choose from singles, semi-doubles, doubles, and even bomb-doubles. An on-line listing will be available soon.
Saturday, September 17
8th Annual Art and Flower Festival
Anna's Cutting Garden, Oxford
10 a.m.-4 pm. Anna's Cutting Garden, 1259 Rohret Rd. SW, Oxford, Iowa. Local artwork, fresh flowers, live music, children activities, wood-fired pizza and homemade ice cream. Rain or shine. Donations requested for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity. 319-337-8949.
For more upcoming Iowa garden events, click here.
Have a garden event or events that you'd like featured in The Iowa Gardener? Click here and send us your information. . |
|
