Newsletter
 

Gardening in the Fall

Fall is a great time to plant perennials, trees and shrubs along with spring flowering bulbs!  It is also the time to make sure your planting beds are robust for next year!  Fall planting gives the roots of plants almost two seasons, fall and spring to get established.  By planting in the fall, with increasing rain, the roots have less chance of drying out.  Just because air temperature is lower, it does not mean that the soil temperature is the same, gardening can still go on.  Bulbs like the ground to be cooler when planted. 

As long as you can see weeds, you should continue to eliminate them now so that they do not over winter. 

Fall is a great time to amend your soil - Nourish your soil with organic matter or amendments including 100% Organic Sweet Peet, and Freeland Soil’s Root Booster, along with Espoma's slow release organic fertilizers to improve soil structure.

Transplanting in the fall works to your advantage because the plants are more mature and you space more accurately than you would in the spring.  Always remember to water the root area well prior to digging. Woody shrubs can be transplanted after foliage turns color and start to drop signaling dormancy. Remember to not plant too deep and apply a 2" layer of mulch.  Water transplants like you would a new plant. 

 

Spectacular Fall Color

Late season interest involves not only bloom time and color, but also a celebration of decorative fruit and seed heads and vivid foliage.   Consider the yellow transformation of native Amsonia hubrichtii, the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2011, or the seed heads of ornamental grasses.  Pink Muhly Grass is a spectacular grass with giant puffs of cotton candy-like plumes that look great in outdoor containers, indoor arrangements, or planted in your yard!

Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' (Red Chokeberry), is a native shrub that is covered in long lasting berries are just starting to ripen to a vibrant red color, which is later exceeded in beauty by the foliage's brilliant display of crimson fall color. 

6'-8' H x 6'W, abundant white flowers in spring. 

It provides food for over 20 species of birds.

Aronia melanocarpa 'Elata', (Glossy Black Chokeberry) 5'-8' H x 4'-6' W, is a great Rain garden plant.  It adapts to both wet and dry soils.  Compact, suckering growth habit with glossy green leaves that turn a spectacular red color in the fall, white flowers in spring, large handsome black fruits in the fall that persist into winter.

 

Ornamental landscape grasses offer a diversity of color, form, and texture to your landscape.  They are pest free, deer-resistant, and low maintenance.  Cut back in early spring and also divide, if necessary, in early spring.  Winter interest is provided by the silhouette of plume grass which is very dramatic against a background of snow.

We carry an assortment of grasses in all sizes.  Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan' Zones 5-6, has a prominent white stripe and wider leaf.  6'-8' H x 6'W, with an upright habit has copper colored plumes in mid-September. 

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a native Zone 6 ornamental grass 4 feet high and 3 feet wide, nicely cascading habit of foliage and fanned-out, unbelievably profuse pink blooms.  Perfect for indoor arrangements or they keep their color and texture beautifully outdoors as well, lasting through fall as the birds come to feast.

 

We also have field grown native pink coneflowers (Buy one get one Free!) in 2 gallon pots that are a magnet for butterflies. The advantage of field grown perennials is that the plant is grown in its native soil versus container grown plants are grown in a light soil media.   Field grown plants will establish faster than a container grown plant and uses less water once established. We add 100% organic Sweet Peet to our plants to ensure they receive the necessary nutrients.

 

What is a Soil Amendment?

Soil amendments can include virtually any substance that improves the growth of plants in soils.  Soil amendments can improve both chemical and physical properties of a soil.  Chemical properties include soil fertility and pH.  Organic soil amendments are the most common solution to improve physical properties in soils.  Physical properties that are improved include soil structure, porosity, and water holding capacity. The foliage on your plants may be green due to all the rain, but remember that the root system of plants needs nourishment.  When a root of a plant (tree, shrub, perennial) grows into new soil, nutrients have not been depleted.  With time, the uptake of nutrients at the root surface often exceeds the rate that nutrients replenish themselves in the soil.   We suggest Espoma slow release organic fertilizers and/or using 100% Organic Sweet Peet around the base of your plants.  Adding 100% Organic Sweet Peet in the Fall to your vegetable garden, it will ensure your plants a healthy start to the 2012 Spring and Summer season.  FreeLand Soils Root Booster added to house plants (any African Violet fans?) will produce healthy plants, indoors or out!

 

Do You Know the Difference between Organic Matter vs. Humus?

Raw organic matter consists of the waste product or remains of organisms that have not yet decomposed.  Humus is fully decomposed organic matter.  Soil changes the fastest under optimum conditions for soil biological activity, and fresh supplies of organic matter must continually be added to your soil to keep the cycles moving.  The process by which organic matter and humus break down in the soil is called mineralization.  Although the color of humus can vary, it is usually dark brown or black in color which helps warm up cold soils quickly in the spring

 

 

 Fall Planting for Next Year's Show

Fall is the time to plant bulbs which will add spectacular color and a warm welcome to your spring landscape.  You can have continuous color by planting bulbs that bloom early spring. mid-spring and late spring.  We carry Large Flowering Crocus Mixture, Wild Flowering Tulip Mixture, as well as Chionodoxa Blue Giant (deer resistant) and spectacular Sky High Scarlet tulip.  If you like florist quality cut long stemmed red tulips then Tulip 'Sky High Scarlet' is for you!  Height is 32" and up with strong stems!

Bulb Planting Tips:

1. Use bulb planter, dig a hole, or use an auger, and do not cover up holes until you are done planting for the day and remember to mark your bulbs with plant markers. 
2. Always sprinkle Espoma Bulb Tone fertilizer on top of the soil, not in the planting hole at planting time and fertilize all bulb plants (including Lily's) every Labor Day to enhance spring bloom.
3. Go inside your house and look outside to see where you might enjoy seeing some color in the spring.
4. Treat bulbs like ornamental grasses  - they can be planted in the back of beds because they will be in bloom when other plants are still breaking dormancy.  Pale colored bulbs prefer a green background.
5. Planting depth rule of thumb:  3 times the height of the bulb and 3 times the width from the center.  The pointed end is the top; the flat rounded end is the bottom, always plant with pointed end up.
6. Cover with 2 inch layer of mulch and water weekly if conditions are dry.
7. Purchase your bulbs in bulk to pick out quality bulbs.
8. For extra interest, plant bulbs in groundcovers.
9. Deadhead spent blooms to conserve the plant's energy and let foliage turn yellow/brown and wither naturally. 

 

The Monarch Migration

On September 27, we witnessed hundred's of Monarchs migrating south to their winter safe haven, the Pine trees of Mexico.  It is still a migration phenomenon - where do they come from?  The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is very unique in that with many migrating species, such as birds and whales, the same individuals travel the migration route year after year.  In contrast, migrating Monarchs have never been to their destination before.  In fact, several generations of Monarchs have lived and died since last year's butterflies departed. 

Did you know?

1. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to the high mountains of Mexico.
2. Monarchs West of the Rockies migrate to locations on the Central California coast.
3. En route, they may travel as far as 2,000 miles covering 100 miles a day.
4. They fly as high as 10,000 ft.

 We take pride in being a feeding station on their journey north to Canada and back to Mexico.   Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) is their host plant and needed for breeding.  Nectar plants are many, including Achillea (Yarrows), Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Weed) and Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) were among their favorite plants! 

You can do your planting part to help save the Monarch Butterfly.

 

Unwanted Guests

 If you do have a challenge planting because of deer and rabbits - please try Bobbex Deer and/or Animal Repellent.   Once sprayed, Bobbex is long lasting and will provide additional protection from the effects of late spring and early frosts by reducing cell damage.

It is used by the Cleveland Zoo and we have it in stock.  Spraying Bobbex around the base of a plant is beneficial for repelling voles.  Spray small holes and tunnels using the dilution recommended on the bottle label. 

Bobbex animal repellent keep the rabbits from eating my roses over the winter!

 

Breathe Free - Plant a Rootmaker Tree

We are starting to grow more of our trees and shrubs in white fabric rootmaker bags.  They create a more fibrous, non-circling root system, without toxic chemicals.  The results are a greater surface area of roots which achieve a higher efficiency in the absorption of water and nutrients, transplant survivability, and overall long term health.  The fabric bags take up less space in our landfills versus the black plastic pots.

 

• Ø Did you know that a rainstorm that produces 1 inch over a 24 hour period, over 700 gallons of water will run off the average roof of 1,200 sq. ft. (30 x 40 ft.)
• Ø Did you know that the root system of a 4” caliper (width of the trunk) Silver Maple, can eliminate 700 gallons of rain water runoff from your property per year.  An eight inch caliper Maple captures 1,750 gallons per year.

Receive a Free New Tree Planting Brochure (with maintenance and follow up care) with each new tree purchase

  

 

 

Pruning Your Clematis

Clematis are relatively easy to grow, provided they have moist, alkaline soil with good drainage.  Roots in the shade and their tops in the sun are also important.  Eastern exposure is best.  These flowering vines can be worked over an arbor, fence or threaded through other perennials and shrubs.  Clematis planted among weeping trees and climbing roses can be a real show stopper.  

 

We prune clematis vines to encourage new growth, which results in more flowers.  No matter which pruning category your clematis plants fall into, flowering will diminish on all clematis vines without pruning.  Left unpruned the new growth is confined to the tops or ends of the vines and that is where your flowers will be.  Late season pruning of clematis is not recommended in areas which experience cold winters.  Any unexpected warm spell will encourage new growth which will certainly be killed by the cold spell that follows.  Resist the temptation to clean up clematis tangles in the fall…wait until spring. 

The varieties of clematis bloom in two different ways.  Some bloom on wood grown the previous year and some on wood grown the same year.  Know your vine's blossoming habit; this will make a difference in how you prune.  

Don’t let pruning clematis instill fear.

 

• Examples of year-old wood:  'Belle of Woking', 'Nelly Moser', 'President', 
• Current year's growth:  'Jackmanii', 'Comtesse de Bouchard', 'Ramona', 'Ville de Lyon',  Sweet Autumn Clematis 

  

There are three categories of clematis for pruning purposes:  1) Spring Bloomers 

2) Summer or Fall Bloomers 3) Repeat Bloomers   

 

1)      Spring Bloomers flower on last year's growth.  Prune them back immediately after blooming in the spring and they will have the whole season to put on new growth and set buds for next year.

 

2)      Summer or Fall Bloomers flower on current year's growth.   Clematis should be pruned back to 1 to 1.5 ft. in early spring as they start their second year.

 

 

3) Repeat Bloomers can be pruned at different times.  If spring is when your clematis blooms profusely, prune after spring flowers have faded.  You will lose some late season bloom, but gain next spring.  Conversely, if late season is the show stopper, do your pruning in early spring.

 

Training Clematis  

Pruning is rarely necessary at planting time, since you usually plant a vine that is potted.  Let clematis grow thick and bloom heavily all the way up a trellis or post.  Start pruning when a plant is still young, in second or third season.  In early spring, when it is a foot or so tall, pinch off the top buds to encourage them to branch and thus make a bushier plant.  A week or two later, again pinch the terminal buds of the new side shoots.  Continue this practice until the vine has filled the trellis or covered the post.  After that, clematis vines are likely to need only an occasional thinning of old, unsightly, and thick vines.                           

 

 

 

Plant a Row for the Hungry

Thank you to all of you who donated your produce this past Labor Day Weekend.  The Second Harvest Food Bank of Lorain County and The Oberlin Community Center thanks you for your generosity.

 

 

NEXT ISSUE WE WILL DISCUSS WHEN AND WHY TO PRUNE YOUR TREES AND SHRUBS

 

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 Free Moisture Meter

 With the purchase of $35.00 or more

of plant material.

(Excludes Mums and Bulbs)

 Good through October 29, 2011

Please present coupon with purchase.

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