The Fall Garden

The Summer of 2009, as short as it was, is over and the feel of Fall is in the air. This is my favorite time of year when working in the garden is so delightful! It's also a good time to take a critical look at the garden. Are there 'holes' in the garden where plants are not thriving, maybe needing to be divided or moved to a better location. Or, could these gaps be filled with late season bloomers. Many nurseries will be having sales of trees and shrubs, soon, and there will be bargains to be had! October is a great time to get these 'woodies', now gone dormant, into the ground. Plants will need at least six weeks before the ground freezes to allow the roots to get established.

Fall is perfect for dividing perennials, too. The mantra had always been-'divide Spring bloomers in the Fall and Fall bloomers in the Spring'. Not, necessarily, the case! This article on dividing perennials, in the latest issue of Fine Gardening, is far more detailed than any other I've come across and includes short videos on each of the five methods (based on root type). Well worth reading! Note: Spring can be so busy, you coud make divisions, now, for the 2010 SGC Plant Sale in May and plant them in a 'holding area' in your garden, ready to be popped out of the ground and potted up come April.

  Gardening catalogues advertise it and some local nurseries offer it as an alternative to bark mulches but rubber mulch is a product that I ,personally, knew nothing about. It comes in a variety of colors (yes, red too!) and is advertised to be safe and effective.

Would you use this in your garden?

    Turning the soil over each year is a millennium-old tradition that has been challenged only in the last half century. The major benefits attributed to the annual rite of tilling are that it aerates the soil; chops and kills weeds; and mixes in organic materials, fertilizers, and lime. Not to be downplayed are the psychological benefits of tillage. It induces a righteous-feeling sweat that makes a clean slate of last year’s mistakes. But, are you wasting your time? Wouldn't you love to eliminate this chore? This article explains why, maybe, you should.

    More reading :Fall Blooming Anemonies,  Plants for a Fall Cutting Garden, and Tips for Designing a Garden.