By now, most of our garden plants have gone to seed with the coming of November. This gives us a great opportunity to collect and save the seeds of some of our favorite plants, especially annuals, tomatoes, peppers, perennials and native wildflowers and grasses.
Collecting and saving the seeds of our garden plants is not as intimidating as it seems. In fact, it is one of the simplest garden tasks we can enjoy.
As the autumn spectacle begins to wind down, the painted oaks put on their incredible show. The oaks are among the last of the trees to turn and transform into their incredible autumn dress.
Here in our area, we are blessed with large forests of oaks and mixed hardwoods that create mile after mile of painted colors that reach from horizon to horizon. The oaks, especially, dominate many areas here locally, showcasing their full spectrum of colors during mid to late autumn.
As the gardening season begins to draw to a close in October, a simple stroll through the backyard and garden reveals many wonderful treasures. Look closely. Explore intimately. Seek out and find many of the season’s special surprises.
On the cool, crisp mornings of October, search blooms that remain in the garden for bumblebees that have spent the night sleeping among the season’s last blooms.
By now, you have probably all heard about the benefits of leaving your garden plants standing throughout the winter.
We all claim to be happy to support the birds and insects and pollinators that call our area home, but then we make hypocritical moves like completely cleaning up garden beds and borders during the fall season.
If we are serious about protecting birds and pollinators, then we need to take another look at our annual habits.
September brings a whole new dimension to the gardening season. Summer annuals are beginning to wind down, and fall perennials and specialty garden plants begin to show their stuff.
It’s a great time to get to your local garden center to see new fall arrivals every day. There are mums, of course, as well as colorful annuals such as zinnias, celosia, coleus, fall grasses and more.
Some of my favorites of September are the classic perennials and flowering shrubs that are still looking amazing.
August and September are black-eyed Susan time. The many varieties of black-eyed Susans are at their peak, and even more are on the way as garden centers prepare us for the fall decorating season with beautiful varieties of large-flowering black-eyed Susans.
Hydrangeas begin to peak in color during August and September, transforming from near white to wonderful shades of pink and red.
There are many varieties of easy-to-grow panicle hydrangeas that transform color during late summer into fall. The panicles, as well as a few of our smooth hydrangeas, showcase these colors best.
Midsummer has arrived and, in many gardens, a showcase of summer blooms. After the rush of spring blooming perennials, the summer bloomers have spent the last several weeks growing larger and larger, forming flower buds and getting ready to explode into bloom.
The many fragrances and aromas that emanate from the summer garden are enchanting and delicious.
For many gardeners, fragrance is just as important as beautiful blooms, and there are many wonderful plants we can add and incorporate into our gardens for lush aromas and rich fragrances.
While we wait for the perennials and wildflowers of July and August to come into bloom, there are many excellent easy annuals we can pop in to our gardens and containers for instant and long-lasting color.
Annuals are those flowers and plants that bloom for just one year in the garden. They are generally not winter hardy here, so we enjoy them for one growing season.
If we are serious about protecting birds and pollinators, then we need to take another look at our annual habits.
