The start of October means it is time to decide what plants to save over the winter and what plants to turn into compost.
Dirt-cheap gardening awaits thrifty gardeners this month as nurseries put trees, shrubs, vines and many perennials on sale for fall planting. In our climate, autumn is the best time of year to add plants to the landscape because the cool soil and fall rains encourage stronger root growth.
Every Autumn the garden wakes with a second spring as Acer Palmatum or the Japanese maples strut their stuff with colorful foliage that can range from bright yellow to carmine red.
The third week of September is a good time to add asters, mums and winter pansies to the landscape. If your sedum Autumn Joy plants are falling forward with their heavy blooms, surround them with stakes and corral the floppy stems with twine. It’s best to do this job on a rainy day or you’ll be fighting off the bees.
The first week of September is the start of the best kept secret when it comes to Northwest Gardens – this is the month that celebrates the most perfect weather for gardening and garden inspiration.
As August winds down, a new season in the garden begins. Late summer is the perfect time to visit a nursery and check out what trees, shrubs and perennials still look great at the end of the season.
The middle of August is the time to take a stand, rise from your lawn chair and tend to routine maintenance. What you do now in the garden will determine how your landscape will look all autumn.
Water, water, water is usually the work of the gardener during the dry month of August, but how much to water depends on so many factors the best tool for this job is your finger. Dig a bare finger into the soil around potted plants and water until the drainage holes flow. In the month of August don’t depend on how often a hanging basket needed water in the beginning of the summer. By now the roots have grown and the larger plants need more moisture than they did a month ago.
Summer vacations have turned into relaxing staycations for many gardeners so it makes beautiful sense to invest in your own backyard paradise.
Marianne explains how to properly maintain a raspberry plant.
The last week of July is a good time to dig up spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils, crocus and tulips and separate them so you can move colonies all over the garden. This is also your last chance to plant more vegetable seeds for harvest this winter. Sow seeds of beets, broccoli, kale, bush beans and carrots and you could enjoy veggies from your own garden well past Thanksgiving Day.
For inspiration on what to plant now and to see what grows great in my neighborhood, treat yourself to the Enumclaw/Auburn garden tour.
The first week of July is the time to celebrate the joys of the season with the best of the red, white and blues.
