KEEPING THE GARDEN GOING THROUGH SEPTEMBER
Presented by Meg Spurlin
 

THREE PREMISES:

Want flowers in bloom all the time especially towards fall, when the weather becomes more inviting and garden-friendly.
especially in the premier beds near the entrance and outdoor sitting area

Want the rich, exciting look of perennial garden,  variety and contrast, rather than boring "bedding"

Perennials generally have bloom season of only 3 weeks

SOLUTION: PACK THE PERENNIALGARDEN

o    annuals
o    summer bulbs" (dahlias, -cannas) potted-plants

RESULT: A FLOWER BORDER WITH THREE "PEAKS"

April through early May:
Bulbs (e.g., tulips, daffodils, anemones)
perennials (Bellis perennis; candytuft; aubrieta) Pansies (planted the previous fall)

Mid-May through end of June:
"precious" perennials that I nurture carefully and protect from competition (Delphinium, lupine, climbing roses, clematis, columbine, peonies) "expendable" perennials (campanula glomerata, daisies, meadow sage, onoethera) that spread so rapidly that I dig some out after bloom and replace with summer annuals and bulbs, winter-sown annuals, where there were bulbs but no perennials (larkspur and shirley poppies)

July through frost:
Perennials (Phlox; hibiscus maschuensis; aster "Alma Potschke"; veronica "Sunny Border Blue"; verbena "Homestead Purple"; rebloom of delphinium and sage); When these summer-blooming perennials are strongly out there is a peak within the peak. Annuals, transplanted in bloom(zinnias, cosmos, penta, alyssum; verbena "Appleblossom") dahlias, cannas glads.
 

ANNUALS

Advantages :  Constant bloom until frost

Disadvantages: expense; work; they compete with perennials and may in a worst case cover them completely

Time to Plant: Early July, when June perennials are finished and the annuals are just starting their bloom

Source:
Seeding them yourself (the advantages are the low cost and the wide choice of varieties; the disadvantages may be the additional labor and anxiety of transplanting them into the perennial border) start cells in the house or coldframe start seeds in vegetable garden.  If you have planted mixed colors, you transplant them into the perennial garden when they are just starting to bloom, so you can be discriminating about color placement

Buying Seedlings (The advantage is that they are ready to go;
the disadvantages are (l)the expense,  (2) growth retardant    (3) commonplace, trite
varieties)

Self-sown (e.g., nicotiana, gloriosa daisy, cosmos in my garden).  Some bloom all summer (e.g., cosmos); some have limited bloom period and new plants should be allowed to come up later in the season)

Direct sown in border (i.e, in my garden, nasturtiums, tithonia and eschscholzia were direct-seeded in the serpentine border)

SPECIAL ("COSTLY) ANNUALS
e.g., mandevilla, heliotrope, angelonia, fuscia, lantana -- how to save them for next year

If they are planted in the ground, make a mini-greenhouse with a clear plastic bottle to cover them; stuff with straw

Keep them in pots all summer, or transfer them to pots in fall, and bring in before frost; watch them decline and nearly die
Bring back outside and many will eventually recover
Take cuttings and get rejuvenated (& more) plants

BULBS/TUBERS

Time to Plant: I suggest May 1; some sources advise to wait until soil warms, but I have found this unnecessary, and I want the bloom to start by July 1.  I have tried planting in pots in house in March, but find this makes spindly plants and does not result in much earlier bloom.

Advantages :  constant bloom from July until Frost

Disadvantages: must lift and store over winter (possible loss of some during storage); some dahlias need to be staked for best result

Dahlias, Glads, Cannas

Wide selection.  Can start small varieties from seed and keep roots of those you like best.  All are easily increased by dividing the tubers in spring (each division must have an eye).  Try to get varieties that bloom early.

nice height. Dark or striped foliage is particularly interesting.

the traditional large stemmed types are too stiff for the border but the smaller types bend gracefully and can be acceptable; all have limited bloom period, however.

Begonias  I keep them in pots and put the pots in the cellar over winter.

PERMANENT HOLES FOR POT-PLANTS (It's not cheating -- Gertrude Jekyl used them -- why can't we?) (This is an idea I am just beginning to implement)

Keep replacing what's in the pot with whatever looks showy at that time

I plan to plant up some pots with early and late tulips this fall for my first two rotations next spring (bulbs will not be "forced," rather, kept out all winter so that blooms will appear at natural time)

Will try some oriental/auratum lilies for the June/July rotation

Have many small P.G. hydrangeas and I'11 pot some of them up for late August/September.

PERENNIALS

Some bloom only once in the fall

Advantages:    seasonal association

Disadvantages: take up space all year but bloom for
only a few weeks (a few have interesting foliage)

Examples in my garden:   asters (purple dome and Alma Potschke)

dendrantehmums (chrysanthemums)
japonese anemone, aconite (monkshood)
hosta Plantagineria

Rebloom:

Some perennials (and some clematis and roses) rebloom in fall, especially if cut back after first flush.

Some perennials are not thought to re-bloom, but you can find varieties that will re-bloom, e.g., iris and daylilies.

The second bloom is usually not as showy, but is very welcome.

Two cutting-back strategies:

To the rosette: lychnis chalcedonia, meadow sage, daisies; delphimium; hollyhocks

Only deadhead at the spent flowers: helenium; heliopsis

WOODY PLANTS
caryopteris
hydrangea tardiva hydrangea P.G.
Camellias (new varieties supposedly hardy in zone 6)

FALL SOWN FLOWER SEEDS

Pansies.

Much more satisfactory planted in fall than in spring. Not only are the plants three times the size; you get the enjoyment of the flowers in the fall (and even an
occasional bloom in a warm snap in winter)

Best varieties to overwinter (some are labeled "second season":

Clear Crystals zone 5A
 Delta Series 45th parallel (Montreal)
Swiss Giant zone 4B
Bingo 44th parallel (Toronto) (Do not overwinter Majestic Giants (40th parallel Nashville)Good spring variety - heat-tolerant)

if you sow your own pansies,
timing --  last week July/first week August. Cover planting to exclude light while germinating (but beware of slugs)

mulch with springy material (branches)

Fertilize with something like Electra (highly organic) 1 t. at planting, 1 t.during winter thaw,  1 t. in spring.  Pansies are heavy feeders

Pansies love to be worked-around; transplant easily

Eschscholzia (california poppy) Centureana (batchelors buttons)
Phlox drummondi
calendula

snapdragon -- mature plants will overwinter with protection. Fall-sown seeds questionable; will try again with protection.
larkspur
Shirley poppies.

Larkspur and Shirley Poppies are an exquisite combination
that I have used for many years.  Sow seed in October through February.  They do much better if sown in the winter, than if sown in spring.

FALL VEGETABLES

some are harvested in fall,

e.g., peas, lettuce, turnips carrots, spinach

plant in late July or early August)

some will overwinter and mature very early in the spring,

e.g., kale in March; spinach in early April

(I plant spinach in August for October/Nov. harvest and again in September for spring harvest)

Use like a green manure, to smother weeds, control erosion,and enrich soil when debris is tilled back into soil

Leeks and parsnips must be sown in spring and will overwinter in the ground.  Mulch and dig even when ground is frozen.
 
 
 
 

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