(Garden Tasks in Early October)
It seems like Fall is really here once October rolls around. A
few leaves start to turn just a little. The nights are a little
cooler. I am planting, mulching and planting some more. Roses
are responding well to the cooler weather. I am pruning them rather
aggressively in order to promote new cane production. A number of
perennials are pretty much spent including penstemons, teucriums and
coreopsis. I am cutting these back to near the ground. There
will be a cluster of tiny shoots near the base of each stem. They
will have a small flush of new growth before going dormant for the winter.
I am going through my ponds and removing the weedy plants like cattails
and grasses that have been brought in by the birds. It is nice to
get the work done in the ponds before the water cools to the point of
being uncomfortable. The biological activity will be reduced as the
water temperature declines. But if I don't get to it at this time it
can become really difficult to get them out come Spring.
Now that the equinox is past and the nights are a
little cooler the plants have shifted their water requirements. I
have cut back on irrigation times significantly. I am planting in
all of the spaces that I have been preparing all summer. It is a
great time to be out in the yard. Weeds are starting in irrigated
areas. If they can be caught now keeping up with their onslaught
will be much easier. I have been dividing daylilies and cleaning up
beds. A number of grasses have started to flop. I give them a
good stiff haircut while there is time for them to recover.
(Gardening Tasks Mid-October)
A number of perennials are flopped over and
looking ratty. I have been giving them a hard trim. There is
still time before our first frost in November to flush once more. I
have been shaping deciduous trees one last time before they go dormant.
Once dormant many trees will pour sap out of the wounds for an
unreasonable amount of time. Maples and Liquidamber are both
notorious for this. The first garden is planted and getting ready
for the next. Early plantings require extra water, sometimes daily
for a few days. I taper off the watering frequency as fast as the
plants will let me.
It is a last chance to lift and divide many bulbs
before they start their new season. Narcissus and watsonias are
moving about this year. They should be at the nursery now or coming
soon.
It is a tough time for annual color. While
many spring/summer plants are still in the nursery snapdragons and pansy's
are some of the most dependable. Torenia is an unusual choice that
can be added in dependably.
(Gardening Tasks at the end of
October)
I am starting to move plants that are in the
wrong place. I still do this with some caution as we can still have
a hot spell or two. I am finding lots of seedlings of interesting
plants from many yards. I am potting them up and moving them about.
I am collecting seed from many of the summer blooming trees and shrubs to
be started this next spring. Mulching is a regular task as always.
Now is a great time to get after the warm season grasses like Bermuda
Grass and Kikuyu. They don't do as well in the coming months and
damage done now is more effective than in the spring or even when they are
completely dormant in the winter.
Many of the perennials that provided color throughout the summer have
passed their prime. I am cutting back the spent bloom stalks.
The basis for my timing is when numerous small shoots start growing from
the base of the stalks. Oregano's, Salvias, and most of the plants
in the daisy family all do this. If you are going to over-seed a warm
season grass with annual rye this is a great time to get started. I
try to seed so that the new seedlings emerge after all of the ghosts,
princesses and gremlins are done trampling the lawn on Halloween. This is
prime planting time. I am pinching the last of my basil for one more
batch of pesto. The spent blooms on the lavenders are looking
ratty. I cut them back and keep the plants looking fresh.
The cool weather intensifies the colors of the flowers on many plants.
It is a great season for getting a few prime photos in the garden. I
am cleaning up the bearded iris beds and removing the leaves torched by
the summer heat. Narcissus and tulips, and a host of south african
bulbs are in the nursery including freesias, sparaxis and ixias are at the
nursery.
I am planting new plants and dividing and moving
perennials. It is time to plant the Winter crop of peas and get
those seeds or lettuce starts in the ground. This is the season that
the plants put the most energy to root growth. While there will be
some more hot spells it is relatively easy to get plants established now.
I have been reducing the amount of time that I am watering lawns and beds.
The leaves are just not growing much and the days are shorter. As
happens every year I am working hard to keep a little color and spark in
the annual flower beds at this time of year, pansys and snapdragons are
dependable. The rose beds are blooming like mad. It is a
second spring for them. I go through and cut out the blind shoots
and witches brooms. This time of year can be particularly fraught with
yellow jacket wasps. They often nest in old wood or in a gopher
hole. While they have an important role in consuming insect pests
they are difficult to contend with around a BBQ or picnic.
They often hunt or hover just above a lawn looking for something to eat
and call all of their buddies when they find something. I put out
pheromone bait traps in the areas that I notice them concentrating.
(Garden Tasks 10/16)
A chance of rain. Here in California this is the beginning of the
growing season for so many of our California
Native plants. We will get more natural nitrogen with our first
slow rainfalls than we usually put into the garden ourselves even if we
are enthusiastic spreaders of urea from a bag. Of course it will be
a little more available to the plants in its natural format. Besides
Native plants the Fall season is particularly good for roses, many
Rosarians consider it a second Spring. Many bulbs from similar
climates are starting to push out new growth and can be found in the
nurseries. It is a good time to plant those Iceland poppies, pansys,
sweet peas, ranunculus, freesias, and narcissus.
Most plants are spending much of their growing energy producing roots
right now. It is an excellent time to be planting. I find the
results are more successful now than at any time other than the very first
part of Spring.
With the first rain the soil finally becomes workable. For many
parts of the landscape that might not be irrigated this makes all digging
much more pleasurable. So grab your shovel and cheer the change in
the weather.
We are coming up on the right time to overseed your warm
season grass with an annual rye lawn. The grass will have to be cut
very low. I often renovate the grass at the same time with a
vertical mower to remove the built up thatch. I usually hand throw
the seed with smaller lawns and double the recommended amount of seed to
get the thickness that I like. The I throw a fine layer of mulch
over the top. Within two weeks or so the grass is pushing
through. If you have lots of trick or treaters that might walk on
the new grass it is probably best to wait until the first week in
November.
(Garden Tasks 10/24)
Due to the recent rainfall I have started to move and divide plants
that have waited all year for my attention. It is a great time of
year to make cuttings of native plants.
Ceanothus and other woody plants are
often propagated using semi hardwood cuttings. That is to take a
piece that is not the freshest green growth but just a little older than
that. This should be planted into a well drained medium and
kept moist but not soggy. I have been cleaning drains and gutters
and making sure that runoff will not be blocked by foliage.
Raspberries and blackberries are growing like mad right now. At
the tips of their branches they will root into the soil as they touch
down. This is a good thing if you want more of them but not so good
if your patch is as established as you would like. In any case
freshly rooted plants can be had with very little effort right now.
A number of my potted plants are not draining so well. The roots
have clogged the drain holes. It is important to tip the pots so the
soil will drain and to repot the plants into larger containers
before the roots rot.
It is common to fertilize plants one last time with the early
rains. With organic fertilizers the soil has cooled to the point
where very little of the fertilizer will be available to the plants due to
the decreased bacterial activity. The rain brings a tremendous
amount of nitrogen from the atmosphere. These slow early rains are
the most effective means of naturally fertilizing possible. They
provide the equivalent of hundreds of pounds of organic
fertilizer per acre with each storm. I am always in favor of
letting nature take care of as much of the work as possible.
