A sign of things to come

A Sign of Things to Come

by Toni Leland

Most of you will agree that this has been a strange year, weather-wise. Gardeners especially have had a tough time dealing with Mother Nature and her capricious personality. Perhaps we should take heed as we head into our September tasks of planting perennials, woody ornamentals, and bulbs, reseeding our sad-looking lawns, and making plans to settle the garden for winter.

Our summer of drought and deluge is a sign of things to come, according to Todd Forrest, vice president for horticulture and living collections with the New York Botanical Garden. “...gardeners [must] understand they’ll have to live with elevated temperatures...and less snowfall [which] will have a significant impact on what we can grow.”

Plants and shrubs bloomed earlier, providing forage for the ever-increasing deer population in the area. The robins were here much earlier last spring, and those in my yard raised three broods. Not only are birds and butterflies breeding earlier, they’re migrating earlier. With the weather so unpredictable, we must build change into our gardening plans if we are to adapt.

I recently read that one-third of the country is under some level of drought conditions. As you plan your fall plantings, consider the drought-resistant varieties of shrubs and perennials in the accompanying sidebar. Keep in mind also that some plants, such as apple trees, need a certain length of cold winter temperatures in order to bloom. Warmer winters means more pest insects like bagworms, aphids, and mites. And when it pours, all that precious water runs off the surface of the parched soil, heading for the lowest point and taking with it pesticides and fertilizers that end up in our waterways, while our beautiful gardens wilt.

September’s garden chores don’t produce that excitement of waiting for the first bud or the greening of a tree, but instead, a comfortable feeling of caring for a treasured possession. Continue to water trees and shrubs so they don’t go into winter in a dehydrated state, but don’t fertilize them. Most annuals are finished by now and need to be removed from the beds, along with any weeds that bounced back after the dry spell. Concentrate especially on the perennial weeds that are setting seed for next year’s onslaught. Perennials that have finished blooming and are beginning to yellow should be cut back, and all dead material removed from the bed. Decomposing plant matter attracts slugs and snails and other undesirable critters who’ll hunker down in your flower beds for the winter.

Now is the time to plant winter pansies and fall mums and, if you’re so inclined, plant perennial seeds to assure young plants next spring. New perennials should be planted now to give them time to adjust and form a firm root system before the first hard freeze. Overgrown or crowded perennials should be divided and replanted, or shared with friends. Crisp autumn days are the perfect time to prune those shrubs and trees that need it.

Here in southeastern Ohio, our soil temperature probably won’t drop below 60˚F until mid-October, so hold off planting spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocus. These bulbs must have a long period of very cold temperatures, or they won’t bloom.

A garden is a work in progress, and I’m always delighted to discover a small spot of ground that doesn’t already have something growing in it. (I can usually remedy that situation quickly.) Planning each year involves knowing what you have in place. One trick I’ve been using successfully for a few years is labeling my perennials in the fall before they die back. I use inexpensive clear or white plastic picnic knives and a waterproof black marker to note the name and color. The ID tags last through the winter and prevent me from digging up something in the spring that I forgot about.

Though the weather has been frustrating this summer, perhaps the coming change in our climate will allow us to expand the variety of things we grow, and look at our habitats in a new light. If you have gardening questions, feel free to e-mail me at tleland@mac.com and I’ll get the Master Gardeners on the case! Questions and answers will be printed in this column as space permits.

Drought resistant plants aren’t necessarily indigenous to arid regions; the following list of plants suitable for northern landscapes is courtesy of the University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science. Be aware that these plants will need occasional water, but will fare adequately during the drier months.

Perennials & Grasses

Adam’s Needle (Yucca)

Anise Hyssop (Agastache)

Baby’s Breath (Gypsophilia)

Beard Tongue (Penstemon)

Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

Blazing Star (Liatris)

Blue Fescue Grass (Festuca)

Blue Stars (Amsonia)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias)

Catmint (Nepeta)

Coneflower (Echinacea)

Daylily (Hemerocallis)

Dead Nettle (Lamium)

Eulalia Grass (Miscanthus)

Evening Primrose (Oenothera)

False Indigo (Baptisia)

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)

Foxtail Grass (Pennisetum)

Geranium (sanguineum, Perennial G.)

Goldenstar (Chrysogonum)

Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma)

Heather (Calluna)

Hellebore (Helleborus)

Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

Lamb’s Ears (Stachys)

Lavender (Lavendula)

Lupine (Lupinus)

Mallow (Alcea)

Mullein (Verbascum)

Peony (Paeonia)

Perennial Sage (Salvia)

Periwinkle (Vinca)

Phlox (Phlox)

Pinks (Dianthus)

Plantain Lily (Hosta)

Plume Grass (Erianthus)

Poppy (Papaver)

Russian Sage (Perovskia)

Sedge Grass (Carex)

Sedum (Sedum)

Strawberry (Fragaria)

Switch Grass (Panicum)

Thyme (Thymus)

Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Wandflower (Gaura)

Wormwood (Artemisia)

Yarrow (Achillea)

Annuals, Bulbs, Biennials

Amaranth

Baby’s Breath

Calendula

Canna

Cosmos

Dianthus (annual Pink)

Digitalis

Dusty Miller

Flower Tobacco (Nicotiana)

Four O’clocks

Gazania

Geranium

Gloriosa Daisy

Lantana

Marigold

Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia)

Morning Glory

Moss Rose (Portulaca)

Periwinkle (annual Vinca)

Petunia

Phlox (annual)

Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum)

Spider Flower (Cleome)

Statice (Limonium)

Strawflower

Sweet Alyssum

Verbena

Wax leaf Begonia

Zinnia

Shrubs & Vines (V) (E=evergreen)

Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Autumn Clematis, V (Clematis)

Bayberry (Myrica)

Bluemist Spirea (Caryopteris)

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Carolina Allspice (Clethra)

Cinquefoil (Potentilla)

Cotoneaster, E (Cotoneaster)

Dutchman’s Pipe, V (Aristolochia)

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles)

Honeysuckle, V (Lonicera)

Juniper, E (Juniperus)

Red Chokeberry (Aronia)

Russian Arborvitae, E (Microbiota)

Scotch Broom, E (Cytisus)

Trumpetcreeper, V (Campsis)

Virginia Creeper, V (Parthenocissus)

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea)

Weigela (Weigela)

Witch Hazel (Hamameles)

Yew, E (Taxus)

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