September may seem like a restful month in the world of gardening & landscaping, but alas, this is the time to divide and reset perennials, harvesting gardens, order and plant bulbs, set up a window garden, and prepare the vacationing houseplants for their return to indoor life. Not to mention at the end of the month you’ll most likely be conducting fall cleanup tasks such as raking your yard, doing one last good lawn mowing, mulching in preparation for the cold weather, cleaning out gutters….But that’s for another blog post. In this one, we’ll focus on the most important tasks for September that are easy to do and will set you up for success come October when you can begin those tasks that are a little harder and take a little longer.
Divide and Reset Perennials
Each plant and flower is different so we aren’t going to focus on the specifics, however this is something you’ll want to look into when dividing and resetting perennials. There’s many out there that has their own specifics. For example:
Irises can be divided and reset crowded clumps, but remember to keep rhizome tops exposed.
After lilies fade, cut stems back to the ground. Don’t clip foliage until turns yellow and becomes loose.
Divide and transplant any poor-blooming peonies or set out new ones this month. They need sun, good drainage and only two to three inches of soil over the crowns.
You can continue deadheading roses, but stop feeding. Roses need to prepare themselves for winter dormancy — not new growth.
Harvesting Gardens
Growing vegetables, herbs and fruits? Harvest now what you can before they go bad due to an unexpected frost!
A few easy vegetables to harvest now would be broccoli, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and salad greens. A proper row-cover can keep the frost out until about October if you want to continue growing for another few weeks.
Herbs can easily be cut and brought indoors to be hung upside down to dry or store them in the fridge for a few weeks to be used.
Order and Plant Bulbs
Order early, and with purpose. Print out a copy of your order form, and note each bulb’s height, color and location for planting. This way you won’t get caught standing in the cold with a bag of hyacinths and not the slightest clue where to plant them. It’s also fun to order extra tulips, daffodils, Dutch hyacinths and muscari for advance blooms in the house.
Set up a Window Garden
Houseplants look their best, and are far easier to maintain, when you display them not just on a window sill, but in a real window garden. A window garden is an ordinary window that’s been outfitted with a broad sill and glass shelves. It takes neither money nor skill to create such decorative quarters for plants. Here’s a few ideas of outdoor plants you can easily grow indoors:
Petunias, Wax Begonias, Impatiens – Take cuttings now, and root them in pots of good soil. Brought indoors before frost, these tender annuals will provide cheerful blooms during the dark winter months.
Amaryllis – Induce dormancy the first week in September. To do this, lay the pot on its side and let the soil dry out. Remove the foliage after it turns yellow and becomes loose, and then bring the plant indoors to a dark and cool place. Give water not more than once every three weeks during the winter rest.
Bring Your Houseplants Indoors
You may have given your indoor houseplants a nice vacation outside during the summer. Now is the time to gradually condition these to indoor life before nights get cold. Prior to their coming in, pots should be scrubbed, foliage cleansed with a firm blast of water, and both pot and plant sprayed with a good insecticide (I use House & Garden Raid). This way, plants will be in a clean condition and no pest epidemics will start. Indoors, keep windows open day and night to provide plenty of fresh air through the first weeks. Then there should be a minimum of leaf-drop and general discontent with the home environment.
Let our landscape crew handle the big tasks while you handle the small ones! Need a helping hand in your garden or assisting you in the upcoming Fall cleanup tasks? We got you!
We’re just a call away! You can reach us at 925-6826, or email stoneyacresnursery@yahoo.com
Wanting to join our team?
NOW HIRING!
Landscape Foreman
Manage our landscaping team and handle landscaping tasks including, but not limited to:
Weekly mowings, monthly visits with clients, fertilizing, spraying, trimming of shrubs, Spring & Fall clean ups, directing the landscape crew, etc.
To apply, please send us your resume!