Flowers (annual and perennial), Garden almanac, Vegetables

Fall is Coming to the Garden

As fall is coming to the garden, it is time to prep it for winter. Start by clearing off all of the debris and remove it by bagging, composting, or burning. This reduces the number of disease spores and insect eggs for next year. Now is a good time to till because spring seems to be more hectic for time.

Cannas being stored over the winter in a box with dry peat moss

In the annual bed, dig the non-hardy bulbs like glads and cannas after the foliage turns yellow. Store them in paper sacks in a dark, cool area after they dry for a week. Do not scrape off the excess dirt, leave it attached to the bulbs.
In the perennial bed, leave the foliage on it catch the snow and help insulate the crowns of the plants.

Hybrid tea mounded with leaves for winter protection in cold climates

Same way with roses, I never cut them back until spring. The tender hybrid tea roses can be mulched with 12 inches of straw or hay.

Stored seeds in a Mason jar

Store your garden seeds in a cool, dark area that is not humid. Mason jars work well for this purpose.


Bring in all your houseplants and herbs before a freeze. For the lawn, you can be a winterized fertilizer anytime after October 1. Be sure to winterize your underground sprinklers and lines if you have them.

Astronomy

Night Sky Tonight

Jupiter resides in Capricornus this month in the night sky tonight. With a telescope, you can see the giant red spot.

Saturn is found in the sky all night in the constellation of Capricornus east of Jupiter. A great site in a small telescope with its rings and southern polar region showing along with some of its larger moons.

Venus can be found easily looking west setting 2 hours after sunset. It is the brightest object in the sky beside the moon and the sun setting after the sunset. Venus appears to scoot south because of its location with the earth’s orbit. The planet is in the Libra constellation.

Center of the Orionid meteors
Center of the Orionid meteors

Coming soon the Orionid meteors around October 2 to November 7. That’s when Earth is passing through the stream of debris left behind by Comet Halley, the parent comet of the Orionid shower. 

Summer Triangle

The summer triangle made up of Deneb (Cygnus), Altair (Aquila), and Vega (Lyra) is found looking above the eastern horizon. The triangle is visible all night during the summer. Vega is the brightest star of the three.

Sagittarius and the Scorpion

The constellation of Sagittarius the Archer which you can spot in the south early in the night. Lying east of the scorpion, nowadays it looks more like a teapot than an archer.

Great Square of Pegasus

As fall is coming upon us, the great square of Pegasus starts to rise out of the northeast. Pegasus is the winged horse of the Greek hero Perseus.

Flowers (annual and perennial)

Fall Color for your Perennial Bed

Want some fall color for your perennial bed? There are more choices than mums for adding color in the fall.

Asters

Try asters which come in purple, red, and white daisy-like flowers. They start blooming in September to a hard frost. Two-foot plants require no maintenance.

False Aster

Another plant that looks like an aster is the Boltonia or false aster. The plant differs from a regular aster in that it can grow from 3 to 6 feet depending on the variety. Both the aster and false aster are very hardy.

Stonecrop Sedum

Fall sedum or stonecrop sedum is a 2-foot tall plant with reddish or pink blooms. Being a sedum, it grows with a lack of water, poor soil, and hot temperatures. The colors grow richer as the temperature drops.

Goldenrod

Goldenrod with their bright yellow blooms, unlike their native cousins. Most people think when goldenrod blooms, their allergies get worst. Not the case because their pollen is large and not wind-borne being self-fertile plants. The cause is the other weeds like ragweed and Kochia which do not notice with their small, green florals. Varieties grow from 1 to 3 feet tall. Another plant liking dry, poor soils.

Mums

Of course, the mums, adding fall color coming in most colors. Make sure you have the hardy garden mum which is hardy in our climate. The florist mums you get this time of year are usually not. When planting mix a little sand into the soil because they do not like soggy soil in the winter.

Bluestem grass

Do not forget the ornamental grasses like maiden grass and zebra grasses to add a touch of texture in the autumn.

Like many flower beds in the landscape may be in full glory in the summer and trails down in fall, but it does not have to end. By adding some perennial or annual flowering plants, you can extend your bloom season by 6 weeks.