Even though the garden is winding down for the season, there is still a fair bit of gardening still to be done by the gardener. And I am not just talking about raking up fallen leaves. The lawn needs to be aerated and fall fertilizer put down before the really cold temperatures arrive. Tools need to be cleaned and oiled before they are stored away for next year. And the sprinkler system needs to be shut down and garden hoses stowed away.
While it is true that all of these things still need to be done, when I say that there is some gardening still to be done, what I mean is that now is the perfect time to put some more plants into the borders.
Most gardening experts state that autumn is the best time to plant most trees, shrubs and perennials. Transplants apparently do better when planted in the fall. When a plant is put in the ground in spring, the plant has to divide its energy between developing roots at the same time it’s growing foliage; whereas in autumn it can focus on developing roots because it “knows” that the days are growing shorter so there is no need for leaves and flowers.
I bought most of the plants you see below on sale. If you wait until late summer to buy plants, most nurseries will have their woody and perennial plants on sale for 30% or more. Of course, if there is a particular plant you want and you wait until they go on sale there is a chance that it may no longer be in stock.
I’ve been nursing these plants through the dry, hot summer for WEEKS! Some of them look a little worse for wear but they should bounce back fine.
The weather finally moderated enough that I was able to finally put these babies into their new homes. I’ve been watering these poor plants through the hot days of July and August, and they looked a little threadbare when I put them in the ground. As long as I continue to water them on a regular basis for the next few weeks, they should do just fine.
Here I am putting a perennial sunflower called “Maximillian’s sunflower” in the drive way border. This particular variety, known as “Santa Fe”, is supposed to grow 6-8 feet tall and wide and bloom in September.Here I’ve got a low growing black chokeberry called “Low Scape Mound”, and it’s going into the old veggie garden border. This shrub will grow to 3-4 tall and wide. The berries are supposed to be very bitter (hence the name “chokeberry”) but the birds will find them more palatable in late winter, after the berries have shriveled up. This is a shrub with three seasons of interest: white flowers in spring, shiny black berries in late summer and really good autumn color. I’ve got several of these Liatris, also known as “Blazing Star”. Liatris is a native of the American plains, and blooms with purple spikes in late summer. I’m putting them in groups of three in different parts of the long border. in the backyard.A month or so Ago, I posted how I wasn’t thrilled with the wall of blue and purple provided by the Russian sage and blue globe thistle here in the back corner of the long border. So I dug some of the Russian sage out, and replaced it with this late summer-blooming goldenrod (var. Fireworks).Just to the left of the pot holding this “Heavy Metal” switchgrass you can see the carcass of its predecessor. I put three switchgrasses in the section that the old serviceberry called home, but only two survived. So this grass is to replace the dead one.And this guy, popping up in the driveway border, is not a new plant at all. These are the leaves of a bulb that will actually bloom in the spring. I think it’s a crocus or hyacinth, guess I’ll find out for sure in about 5 months!
