A time for rest….
It’s that time of year. It’s time for gardeners and Mother Nature to take a rest. We can now sit quietly on a bench and notice what we had little time for in the not too distant past. Heat and weeds are formidable foes to gardeners. Most of us lose some of our gusto during the dog days of summer, but now we can take note and glory in the beauty around us. As the sun rides lower in the Southern sky, the light looks different now, almost magical. Our plants are easing into a state of rest or dormancy. Even the weeds seem to have given up for the moment and trees and shrubs have begun to wear their fall colors. With cool weather coming soon, lawns will also start going dormant. Be sure to check your automatic sprinkler settings and start to reduce the watering of your lawn. Over-watering your lawn can cause lots of disease problems in the Fall and Winter.
If you look closely, you’ll see seed pods are everywhere that migrating songbirds relish, local mockingbirds too! Most varieties of female Holly trees are still ripening their berries, but fruit is evident on Yaupon Hollies and other wonderful native plants like the Wahoo, Viburnums, American Beautyberry and Parsley Hawthorn trees.
Although the hummingbirds for the most part have moved on, many other birds abound and can be seen in the woods and our suburban gardens. Woodpeckers are in their glory – tap-tap-tapping on the dead trees off in the distance. Hawks soar overhead looking for mice, rabbits and unwary small birds. The ground and streets are becoming blanketed with pine needles and leaves from deciduous trees – a great source of mulch or compost for your garden. There is a cool-ness in the air in the morning and evening. If you are lucky enough to be near a body of water, a swirling fog may greet you with that first cup of coffee. Take the time to look around. You will notice aspects of the landscape and wildlife around you that weren’t so obvious just a short while ago.
Now is a good time to take notes and become more educated about curiosities you may have during this peaceful respite. It’s the perfect time to research trees and shrubs that you may want to add to your landscape now and through the next several months. Browse a bulb catalog and order spring blooming bulbs for your flower garden. You have just enough time left to get your tulips in the fridge for 6-8 weeks of chilling before planting on or about New Year’s Day.
Plant a petunia or two, or some violas and allysum. Annuals like these planted now will have plenty of time to spread their roots to support beautiful large plants come spring. It’s much better to wait until at least late November to plant pansies since they tend to get leggy in the sometimes warmer weather of October. It’s also a good time to plant cool-weather herbs and salad greens. Parsley, Dill and Loose-leaf Lettuces are very easy from seed. Simply toss them onto bare soil in the garden. During the short, cool/cold days of Fall and Winter, plants, flowers and herbs don’t grow or flower all that much – they are storing up and preparing for a big burst in Spring. So, as you relax and observe the plant world going to rest around you, dream of the exciting days ahead when our gardens have finished their winter rest and the world will seem reborn all over again.
submitted by Bonnie Johnson