| Putting leaves to bed |
Yes, we did say putting them to bed - but we mean the garden bed!
Mulching your fallen leaves into planting beds or turf is a very sustainable practice, and relatively easy to do, with very little change in your fall clean-up routine. All you need to do is rake the leaves into a pile, or mow your leaves to shred them, and rake them back into your flower beds (or leave them to nourish the turf).
But why bother? The answer is - in order to feed the soil!
When leaves are returned to the soil in this way, they decompose quickly and then the good part begins! Rotting leaves feed worms and other tiny critters (and bacteria and fungi) that in turn release nutrients to feed your plants.
It's all pretty amazing, and it's aided by something as simple as putting shredded leaves (a.k.a. "organic matter") back onto planting beds or turf to "feed" the soil.
Over time this practice will help change the texture of the soil. Your soil will be easier to work. It will also drain better and smell fresher. Ultimately, the plants that grow in such enlivened soil become more resistant to disease and insect damage.
When springtime rolls around, your landscapes will be off to a better start and you will need less and less water each year to maintain your garden. |
| Bulb planting 101 | In our climate, spring comes slowly, and by the end of March we are all anxious for some color in the garden. Planting spring-blooming bulbs is the best way to provide for that color next year. Bulbs can bring delight and color to the garden from snowdrops in March to late-blooming tulips and daffodils in May.
Here are some tips for your fall planting scheme:
Plan what you want and where you will put it. Small bulbs such as crocuses, snowdrops and grape hyacinths are best close to a doorway or window where they will be noticed. Larger bulbs such as showy tulips or larger daffodils are best planted in clumps or drifts throughout the yard.
Choose your site carefully, and remember that most bulbs like full sun. The notable exception is daffodils, which will do well in shade.
Lay your bulbs out in the location you have chosen, at about the right distance apart for each type. Then you'll know how much area you need to prepare to plant all the bulbs in that group.
Prepare the soil by adding in compost before planting. After you have planted your bulbs, sprinkle bulb food on the soil and keep moist.
Plant bulbs with the pointed end up and take care to plant at the recommended planting depth. A bulb planting tool or long narrow spade will make the job easier.
If you have problems with nosey squirrels or chipmunks, you can lay chicken wire or netting about ¼ inch below the soil. Anchor to keep in place. The bulbs will grow through the screening in the spring, and in the meantime, pesky critters can't get to the bulbs down below!
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| In Our Next Issue |
Pumpkins and more pumpkins
Fall chores checklist
and more!
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| Featured Plant: Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea | |
 Now the most common and well known variety of Hydrangea comes in pink! Invincibelle® Spirit is a smooth Hydrangea like the well-known Annabelle, which produces large white blossoms in gardens all over America each year. But Invincibelle® Spirit is pink - and is fast becoming known as "the pink Annabelle'!
Invincibelle® Spirit is hardy, easy to grow, and a reliable bloomer, just like Annabelle. It blooms all season, producing new flowers from early summer to first frost.
The species is adaptable to many soil types, can be grown in full sun to partial shade, and required minimal maintenance to keep it looking great. The flowers emerge a bright, hot pink, and mature to a light, soft pink.
There's another good reason why this Hydrangea is so special. For every Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea sold during Pink Week at Lurvey, $3 will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
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| Getting to Know Hydrangeas |
Hydrangeas are very popular in our gardens because they are so easy to grow and their flowers are so big and beautiful! Very few garden pests bother Hydrangeas, and the flowers of most varieties can be used in bouquets or dried for winter use.
It's worth getting to know Hydrangeas and learning which varieties do best in our area, because not all of them are hardy in Zone 5. While Hydrangeas come in both shrub and vine types, we will review the shrubs this time! Four words will help you distinguish the types:
Smooth: This category includes 'Annabelle' the one we know best. 'Annabelle' produces white round flowerheads on stems that grow to 4 or 5 feet tall. It's very easy to grow and a nice old-fashioned flower in the garden. This Hydrangea is great when used behind colorful perennials or when grown in a cluster.
 Big-leaved: This category includes the Hydrangeas that we all wish would produce blue flowers! In our area, flowering has been unpredictable and the flowers often bloom pink instead. There are two reasons for this.
Big-leaved Hydrangeas are marginally hardy in our area and often die back to the ground in winter. This can mean no blossoms, as the plant will only set blossoms on last year's wood. However, we now have 'Endless Summer', 'Blushing Bride' and 'Twist & Shout' which bloom on both old and new wood.
Alkaline soils like ours produces pink rather than blue flowers. We can give you soil amendments that will make the soil around your Hydrangea more acidic and increase the chances of blue flowers on your big-leaved Hydrangeas.
Panicle: These Hydrangeas produce flowers that are longer and more panicle shaped - thus the name. They are also known for the way in which the flowers change color as they mature, starting as white and aging to pink. These shrubs are typically larger, growing to 8 or even 12 feet tall. We have 'Limelight', 'Pink Diamond' and 'Tardiva'.
Oakleaf: The American native Hydrangea is the oakleaf, a truly beautiful plant at any time of the year. We wrote about this plant in our last issue! Check our 'Snow Queen' and 'Alice.'
If you're interested in Hydrangeas, you have lots of choices. We can help you select the right ones for your garden.
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| Dividing spring blooming perennials |
Mid-September is optimum time to divide spring blooming perennial plants (those that come back year-after-year but bloom only once each year, in April and May). Why? Because the temperatures are cooler, so the plants are less likely to wilt from heat, but the soil is still warm, so that the plant will re-adapt quicker once divided. Here's what to divide: Spring blooming perennials include Coneflower, Phlox, Astilbe, Geranium, Coral Bells, Jacob's Ladder and many many more. Plants that are healthy and filling their growing space -- like the Lambs Ears pictured here that is just too much of a good thing and crowding everything around it -- are ready to be divided.  Here's how to divide: Dig a clump of soil around the plant at least as wide as the crown of the plant. Lift it gently to preserve the root ball. Lay it on its side and use a sharp shovel to slice through the plant. You can make several slices if you have a large clump and want to divide it more than once. Replant immediately and water. Be sure to plant so the new clump is buried to the same depth as the original undivided plant. More pointers: Divide each plant into 3 or 4 parts. If you divide only in half, it will only be a few years before the plant needs to be divided again. Choose the most vigorous clumps to re-plant. Take care that the roots are able to spread and point downward in your new planting hole. Don't crowd them, please. And by all means, space the divisions widely enough to allow each to grow as big as the plant you just divided. Add compost to the planting hole to give the plant extra organic matter. If you cannot replant right away, keep divided plants in a cool place and keep roots moist. |
| Preparing your lawn for winter |
Last issue we talked about top-dressing as a great technique for fixing thin areas on the lawn. Here are some other tips to help you prepare the lawn for winter.
If you're on a seasonal fertilizing schedule, September and October is a good time to apply. Read directions carefully to ensure application at the right temperature.
Compost (such as Cotton Burr Compost or Organic Soil Condtioner) can also be used to good effect in the lawn. Sprinkle it liberally on problem areas. It will work into the soil and make the soil healthier. This, in turn, will stimulate stronger root growth and healthier grass. Compost is used by many gardeners who wish to minimize or eliminate the application of chemicals to their lawns.
If you have questions about what you need to do to prepare your lawn for winter, we can assist you in the Garden Center.
If your soil is very compacted, you may also want to aerate. This requires special equipment, but it is a technique that helps loosen the soil over time, and contributes to healthier soil and therefore healthier grass. |
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