Maid To Garden

In The Garden Of Good Living - September: Summer’s Last Days In The Garden
by Pat Hendrickson

Be sure to check hanging baskets and container plants every other day. Push your finger an inch or two into the soil to be sure there is adequate moisture all the way down to the roots. If your containers are annuals, you can use a fertilizer on them every other week, and they will continue to look beautiful. And, although it may go against your instinct, you should give them a little haircut right now if they are looking leggy. Between the fertilizer and the haircut, you'll have beautiful looking container plants right through September.

There are quite a few perennials that will continue to bloom if you take the time to remove the spent flowers. Trimming them back will keep the plants from going into the seed producing stage which causes them to continue flowering longer into the season.

Gardener's Tips

Container grown perennials, shrubs and trees can be planted this month. Treat them to some of that compost you've been cooking in your side yard!
Plant Fall blooming Crocus for some great blooms at the end of the perennial season.
Divide Spring flowering perennials and transplant or swap with your friends. Do this first thing in the morning and give them plenty of water afterwards.
Prune your hybrid roses in late August to promote the most fall blossoms. Remove about a third of the vigorous growth. Any stems that cross each other should be removed, as well as those that are in the center of the plant. Weak, spindly canes and any damaged by black spot fungus should be removed. Except in colder regions, roses should be fertilized through the end of September.
Start your fall and winter vegetables. Plant starters or seeds of green onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and winter cauliflower directly into the garden early this month.
If you are into lawns, you probably already know that grasses go dormant in times of drought, but will quickly return to life with the fall rains. If a lush green lawn is important to you, and you don't mind mowing, water it regularly, and deeply. If a water shortage is expected, or you hate tending to grass, you may choose to just let your lawn go dormant, and water it as seldom as once a month. It helps to raise the cutting height of the mower because taller grass cools the roots and helps to keep the moisture in the soil longer.

Have you discovered a local garden club or art league in your area? The two often go hand in hand because artists love to paint and sketch gardens and gardeners are natural born artists!

University of Salisbury Arboretum - http://www.salisbury.edu/arboretum
Maryland Natve Plant Society - http://www.mdflora.org
Horticultural Society of Maryland - http://www.mdhorticulture.org

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