The arrival of autumn doesn't mean your days of enjoying your garden are over.

(ARA) – Your vegetable garden has supplied your family with flavorful, nutritious fare throughout the summer. But the arrival of autumn doesn’t mean your days of enjoying your garden are over. If you plant now for the future and prepare for the coming season, it’s possible to enjoy a few last tasty morsels from your garden and ensure next spring’s landscape will be dazzling.

Here are a few tips to ensure your fall harvest is as fresh and fabulous as possible:

Plant a bit of fall flavor

Add a few short-season vegetables to your garden for fresh-from-the-field flavor this fall. Simply count the days from planting to the average first fall frost to determine how many growing days are left in your area. Select vegetables that will mature and can be harvested in that time. Leaf lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, radishes and carrots grow quickly, tolerate cool weather and are great additions to your fall cuisine.

Get these vegetables off to a good start with a side dressing of low nitrogen fertilizer like Milorganite. Incorporate it into the soil prior to planting or sprinkle a narrow band along the row of plants. “This organic nitrogen will provide needed nutrients without damaging the tender seedlings. It is safe to use on all your edible and ornamental plants,” says Melinda Myers, nationally known horticulturist and author.

Cover ‘em up
Protect tender vegetables like tomatoes and peppers from the first few fall frosts. Floating row covers, cloches and cold frames can protect tender plants from frost. Or harvest green tomatoes before the killing frost and finish ripening them indoors. Spread them out on heavy paper or wrap them in newspaper so the tomatoes don’t touch and store them in a 65-degree location. They will ripen over the next few weeks. Speed up the process by moving a few tomatoes to a bright, warm location a few days before they are needed. And don’t leave green tomatoes behind. They taste great fried or made into relish and other tasty treats.

A fall planting of daffodils, grape hyacinths and other long-lived bulbs can provide many springs of beauty.

Plant some spring color
A fall planting of daffodils, grape hyacinths and other long-lived bulbs can provide many springs of beauty. Prepare the soil and add a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite to the soil. “This organic source of nitrogen releases needed nutrients including phosphorous and potassium from the soil without promoting unwanted fall growth,” according to Myers.

Give them a boost
Don’t forget about your trees. As the temperatures cool, and even after trees lose their leaves, tree roots are in their most active growth period. Fertilize trees in need of a nutrient boost about one month after the first killing frost but before the soil freezes. Use Milorganite to encourage balanced growth without the risk of damaging the roots. The organic source of nitrogen is slow release and stays in the soil. The non-staining iron is available to plants no matter the pH. So, you can give stressed trees a boost without encouraging excess growth or incurring root damage.

Prep your lawn for winter
Help your lawn recover from the heat and drought of summer and prepare it for winter with fall fertilization. University research has shown that fall fertilization is the most beneficial practice for home lawns. Less disease problems and slower weed growth mean your lawns — not the pests — benefit from the nutrients. Fall fertilization also helps lawns recover from the stresses of summer because it encourages deep roots and denser growth that can better compete with weeds, and tolerate disease and insects.

“Northern gardeners can follow the holiday schedule and fertilize Labor Day and Halloween. Southern gardeners should make their last fall fertilization at least 30 days before the lawn goes dormant or the average first killing frost to avoid winter kill,” recommends Myers. Use a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer, for best results.

Tuck them in for winter
A good, long drink and bit of winter protection goes a long way to help struggling and less hardy plants through the winter ahead. A blanket of evergreen boughs, straw or marsh hay applied after the ground freezes will prevent frost heaving and early sprouting, and increase the chance of winter survival for bulbs and perennials.

Wind breaks and mulch can reduce winter drying and death of broadleaf and other evergreens. Water these and other plantings thoroughly before the ground freezes to increase overwintering success.

Add a layer of wood chip mulch on the soil surrounding trees and shrubs to moderate soil temperatures, conserve moisture and reduce weed competition. Keep mulch off tree trunks and shrub stems.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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2. Green Gardening: Save Time, Money and the Environment
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Rabbits wreaking havoc on your prized plants? Natural products use taste and smell aversions to keep critters away.

(ARA) – You love the great outdoors, especially gardening. But sometimes wildlife can be just a bit too wild, with rabbits munching prized plants to the ground, deer devouring petals of roses and azaleas, and cats rolling over seedlings and leaving their “calling cards” throughout your landscaping.

Unfortunately, these critters are a common, perpetual annoyance to home gardeners. Learning a little more about their habits and identifying the culprits is your first step to critter control. First, you’ll need to recognize your four-legged foraging foe. Here are some tips to help you determine the critters you’ll need to thwart: 

Rabbits: Bunnies don’t just dine on clover and grass, they’ll also wreak havoc on your vegetable plants and can even damage woody plants in your landscape. Tell-tale signs that bunnies are bountiful include damage that is usually no higher than 2 1/2 feet above the ground, and sharp cuts at 45-degree angles on plants. 

Deer: A lovely sight almost anywhere other than in your backyard. Deer can, and do, cause major damage to plants, landscapes and vegetable gardens, consuming about 12 pounds of foliage in a single day. To determine if your flowers and vegetables are disappearing due to deer damage, look closely at the half-eaten plants. If you see a jagged, rough edge, you can be sure the damage was done by deer as they have no incisor teeth and tear at the food source, leaving proof of their presence. 

Squirrels: These furry, funny, cute creatures can be quite destructive when it comes to your gardens and landscapes. Squirrels are burrowing animals; they usually feed on bulbs and green leafy material during the spring and summer, switching to seeds and grains during the fall and winter. They love wild bird feeders and have a reputation for driving away the very birds you put the feeder out to attract. You have squirrel damage if you see gnawing marks on tree bark and outside wiring, and signs of digging and burrowing. You’ll also see them in the light of day sitting atop your birdfeeder. 

Cats frolicking in your flowerbeds? All-natural products can control critters in your garden and are safe for children and pets.

Cats: Cats love to dig in soft already-tilled soil, making gardens just perfect for their digging desires. Most cats think the outdoors is their litter box, and a patch of dirt is an invitation to come do their business. It also makes a great place to play or roll. They’ll roll over your plants, breaking new shoots and foliage. A sure sign you have a cantankerous cat frolicking in your flowerbeds is cat droppings. 

These critters don’t have to be the enemy of your gardens, and trapping them won’t solve the problem. The arrival of warm weather means the arrival of new foliage, green grass and pesky critters in our backyards and gardens. As spring is sprung, we’re suddenly faced with long gardening to-do lists and a wide variety of unwanted animals in our garden beds. As a rule of thumb, it’s far better to prevent animal damage than to wait until it occurs and try to combat it. 

There are a number of less-than-ideal approaches for dealing with these frustrating problems. Messy, dangerous chemicals pose unacceptable risks for most homeowners, considering pets and children. Sealing off entire areas of your landscape would be impractical, inconvenient and potentially very costly. Trapping is a lot of effort, and again, it would be a perpetual labor as trapping does nothing to prevent new pests. 

All-natural alternatives can help keep critters out of your gardens and landscape. Look for 100 percent certified organic products like those made by Messina Wildlife Management. Easily applied in ready-to-use spray bottles, these organic products dry clear, smell good and work for 30 days before reapplication is needed, no matter the weather. They’re safe to use on vegetables and none will harm the animals they’re intended to repel. Natural products use taste and smell aversions to keep critters like rabbits, deer, squirrel, cats, groundhogs, moles and even armadillos out of your backyard. 

For most animals scent and taste are the primary senses that attract them to food sources. If you disrupt the animal’s sense of smell and taste, you have won the battle against the constant parade of pesky critters in your landscapes. Visit Messinawildlife.com for more information on natural, safe, effective pest repellents. 

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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1. Organic Garden Sprays To Keep Nibbling Animals Away
2. Oh Deer! Please Don’t Eat The Daisies, The Daffodils, The Daylilies, The Dahlias!
3. Companion Planting: One of the Best Natural Ways to Combat Pests

photo credit: paul quinn photography

photo credit: C.K.H.

photo credit: wsilver

photo credit: jpockele

photo credit: lepiaf.geo

photo credit: Katherine_Davis

photo credit: ed~it

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2. Flower Pictures of the Week: Irises
3. Tips For Bonsai Photography

Purple Bearded Iris:

photo credit: amandabhslater

Pink Iris:

photo credit: Donnaphoto

Purple Iris:

photo credit: faeparsons

And finally this gorgeous group of Irises – entitled “mmmm colour” -

photo credit: nicer than air

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1. Flower Pictures of the Week: Tulips
2. Flower Pictures of the Week – Bluebells
3. Plant of the Week: Cyclamen

photo credit: arvindgrover

photo credit: lissalou66

photo credit: [lauren nelson]

photo credit: elbfoto

Happy Spring!

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Plant Knock Out roses against your porch to add eye-popping color to your home.

(ARA) – Stroll your neighborhood and chances are you’ll spot landscape shrub roses decorating someone’s garden or backyard. Take a drive into town, and you’ll see them planted at your favorite shopping center.

If you haven’t noticed, landscape shrub roses have taken the country by storm. In home gardens, in containers and along highways, these low-maintenance roses bloom continuously from spring until frost with little to no effort.

“Anybody can grow these hard-working roses, no matter where they live. If you can grow grass, you can grow landscape shrub roses,” says James A. Baggett, editor of Country Gardens Magazine. He likes Knock Out roses for their drought tolerance and disease resistance, especially against black spot.

When designing with shrub roses, think of them as you would any flowering shrub, only this one will bloom continuously all season and do all the work for you!

Here are some tips on using landscape shrub roses in the garden and throughout the landscape.

1. Problem Solvers in Your Landscape
Whether you live in a city or the ‘burbs, have a small garden plot or large acreage, the gardening and decorating possibilities with shrub roses are endless. Plant them individually among other shrubs, annuals and perennials, in mixed beds and borders.

2. Pot up a Container
Renowned garden designer Jon Carloftis prefers to plant shrub roses in containers. “I like to give them perfect planting conditions such as good drainage, rich soil and the addition of regular fertilizer that won’t be an overdose to neighboring plants,” he says. “The results are outstanding when roses are planted in formal urns or combinations of rustic pots.”

From small apartments to grand homes, containers filled with shrub roses bring an understated sophistication to any sized deck, porch and patio. Pot them up in large and small containers, around a gazebo, poolside, or your entranceway for the perfect plant for all seasons.

3. Close to Home
Nothing says simple elegance like the original Knock Out rose. Try planting them “en masse” against your front porch or home. The large clusters of cherry-red blooms say “welcome” with a generous bloom cycle of every five to six weeks. Against your house, porch or deck, the rich, eye-popping red color is a sure winner.

Group several Knock Out roses together to hide unsightly utility units.

4. Second Look Curbside Appeal
Looking for plants with great curbside appeal that add year-round beauty? Cluster shrub roses around a mailbox or blend with perennials to create visual curb appeal. Plant the award-winning Rainbow Knock Out along with perennials. This lovely coral pink rose complements any color scheme and the blooms almost look hand-painted with rich yellow at the base. The plant adds height and color for maximum curbside appeal.

5. Now You See it – Now You Don’t
Do you have an unsightly utility unit, shed, trash can, or pool pump you want to hide? How about a slope or a hazardous spot to fill? Group hardy and attractive roses for a showy “cover-up.” Try planting Pink Double Knock Out with double flowers in a cheerful bubble gum hue. Unfazed by heat, this hardy shrub rose will cover up those unsightly spots with a pink profusion of color.

6. Borders and More
Want to create a natural privacy fence in your backyard? Shrub roses will keep wandering children, pedestrians or stray dogs out of the landscape with a colorful “living wall” hedge.

7. Create an English Garden
You don’t need to dream anymore about having a showcase formal garden. Stake and trim your favorite shrub roses to grow as small rose trees for the look and feel of an English garden. Mix in old-fashioned favorites such as spiraea and hydrangea to create an enviable cottage garden.

It’s no wonder that these roses are the number one choice for folks looking for a carefree landscape shrub rose that looks great and performs beautifully. For more information visit: TheKnockOutRose.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The American Holly grows in several zones, specifically Zones 5 to 9, and is well adapted to almost all soil types.  This means the plant is fine in clay or sandy, acidic or rich soil and everything in between.  It is very hardy and thrives in full sun or partial shade.

One of the best features of the American Holly is the fact that it can either serve as a focal point in a garden, growing to heights of 40 to 50 feet, with the typical evergreen pyramid shape.  If it is privacy that you crave, the American Holly can be trimmed down to serve as a hedge.

Despite the functions of the tree, the American Holly offers food and homes to many animals and you will find yourself not only enjoying year round color but also a host of friendly animals to your yard.  It is a well-known fact that the luscious berries that reach maturity between September and October are enjoyed as a food source by birds and deer alike.  I should mention that, although deer and birds enjoy the berries they are poisonous to humans.

Lastly, if you are interested in having a successful American Holly in your yard, complete with berries, it is important to plan for more than one.  The American Holly is a dioecious, which means that male and female are found in separate plants.  To pollinate correctly, there must be more than one tree.  Another detractor of the American Holly is its slow growth rate.   On average, an American Holly can take roughly 4 to 7 years before it even begins to blossom and it gains an average of only 12 to 24″ in height each year.

Still, despite its detractors, the American Holly is a hardy plant that grows in a wide variety of zones, soils and geographical areas.  It is a perfect addition to any yard, whether you want a decorative tree or a nice hedge.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit

Related posts:

1. Plant of the Week: Camellia
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Even still, I would like to go through them for any beginner gardener out there. If you remember a few week ago, I wrote a post on the beginner gardener: getting ready. By now I am sure that you have had lots of time to think about your garden, what you want and how much time you have for it. I also know that growing season is coming to an end but if you are planning on putting in some bulbs or even starting in the spring, you should look at buying your tools now when the end of season sales start. For this post, I am just going to look at the tools you use for planting and digging and I will go over tools that you use for trimming later.

So without further ado, let’s look at the tools.

The Spade:

Every gardener needs a spade and the type of spade really depends on what you are going to use it for. Generally, you will use your spade for digging. For this reason, you will want to have a spade with a shaft length that is comfortable for your height. Gardening can be backbreaking work, so don’t make it more so by buying tools that are too short for you. The best spades are ones with stainless steel blades since they have a longer shelf life than steel spades and they also cut the soil much easier. Spades are used for the heavy digging when you are removing weeds or putting in trees.

The Trowels:

This is an item that I always called a spade, especially when I started gardening. For years, when I was mostly working with containers and annuals, it was pretty much the only tool that I had. These are the small shovel (or spade-like) tools that you use for scooping out the soil to create holes for new flowers, seeds or bulbs. Again, like the spade, the best type of trowel is one that has a stainless steel blade instead of forged steel.

The Forks:

If you are sticking to small beds or simply using containers, then chances are you will only need a hand fork. These aer used for working in tightly planted areas, removing weeds and also for transplanting seedlings. You can purchase hand forks with three or four prongs and there really is no difference in how they work. Basically, you want one that is comfortable to use, whether it is three or four prongs.

If you are going larger, a garden fork will be something that you may need to purchase one. There are different forks for general digging and others that you can use for working around potatoes. Again, stainless steel is the best option when you are purchasing a garden fork and you will want to find a shaft length that is comfortable. Garden forks can be used for digging and they can also be used for aerating a lawn, moving compost and cultivating a garden.

The Rakes:

Yes, rakes and forks are different and you will need both, especially if you are planting a vegetable garden. Rakes come in many different sizes and you can find wooden, plastic and metal heads for the rakes. Most people prefer rakes with a steel head for their gardening needs. Other than picking up leaves, don’t use a steel head for this since it can damage your lawn, forks can be used to level the soil or for aerating your lawn.

The Hoes:

Occasionally it seems like there are way too many tools for the same job in a garden but each one has a reason for their use. A hoe can be found in several different types such as the draw hoe and the dutch hoe and you may find that you will be purchasing more than one. Again, the best blade is the stainless steel variety but don’t feel that you need to purchase them in stainless steel since they tend to be more expensive than forged steel. You can use your hoe for weeding, breaking up the surface soil, building up mounds for vegetables and also for making a seed furrow.

And there are some of the tools of the trade. You can also purchase a wheelbarrow but they are only necessary if your garden is large. I find my kids wagon is perfect for lugging bags of top soil around the yard to each of the planters but if I am moving loose soil or debris, the wheelbarrow is perfect.

Sirena Van Schaik

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1. Pruning Shears – One Among The Four Must-Have Gardener’s Tools
2. Be Prepared – Five Basic Tools for your Rose Garden
3. The Main Purpose of a Garden Spading Fork

There are a number of ways to winterize your roses and it depends on the climate you live in and also the type of rose that you have. Obviously a shrub rose is not going to be cut back but it will still require some maintanance to ensure that it is healthy the following spring. The topic of winterizing your roses is one that is often debated. Some feel that roses don’t need to be winterized, some feel that only a few types need to be and others follow a general rule of thumb, “if it’s a rose, it should be winterized.” I usually follow the latter but don’t feel that you need to.

Now that you have assessed your rose bush and the climate you live in, let’s get to winterizing in general. Since there are a number of different varieties of roses, I will cover them in sections.

Rose Bushes:

Rose bushes, such as hybrid roses, only need minor pruning to prepare for winter. This means that you remove all of the leaves and if you feel it is necessary, cut back the canes of the rose bush until they are about 3 feet long. Once you have cut the canes back, you can use a rose bush cone or chicken wire and stakes to create a circular enclosure aroudn the rose bush and pile some soil around the base of the bush. Generally, you want to use about 12 inches of soil. Once the soil has frozen, pile another 4 inches of mulch on top of the soil and make sure it is spread around the entire bush.

Climbing Roses:

Climbing roses do not need as much work as a rose bush does but it will still take a bit of time to secure your climbing roses for winter, usually because of the fiddly parts the job entails. Before you remove your climbers from the trellis, or fixture that they are attached to, you will need to go under the bush and remove any small canes that seem to be growing uncontrolled. After that, remove the climber from the trellis and lay it flat on the ground. Cover them with soil and leave them for the winter, come spring you can reattach them to the trellis.

Before you winterize your climbing roses, make sure that they need to be. Many varieties of climbing roses are hardy enough so they will not need any winterizing to be done.

Rose Shrubs:

For the shrubs in your yard, all you will need to do is crawl under your shrub and cut away any dead canes so there is ample air circulation through the plant. After that, you’re done, except for the usual care of your rose bush before winter, such as removing dead blooms, ect.

With all rose bushes, it is recommended that you remove all of the leaves that you clipped off from the area. Don’t leave them in yoru garden since they could be covered with insect eggs. Another recommendation is to spray your roses with lime sulfur after you winterize them and throughout the winter if you can. This is not a necessity but it will help alleviate blackspot in the spring.

Sirena Van Schaik

Related posts:

1. Climbing Roses Grow On Longer Canes
2. Five Ways to Take Care of your Roses in Winter Months
3. Rambling Roses: How to Tame those Climbing Roses in your Garden

Still, even with that knowledge safely tucked away, there is still one point about fall that many people are thinking about in late summer and that is the fall bulbs. There are many to choose from but for this week’s plant of the week, I thought I would look at the Cyclamen, which is a beautiful fall bloom that you will want to see in your garden.

The Cyclamen can be planted in late August and early September and you will begin to see blooms in October, although this can vary with blooms occurring between September through to November and some varieties also have blooms as late as January.

It is a hardy plant that can survive low temperatures that are found in Zone 5 and it does well in shade. It has small shooting star-like flowers that come in several different colors; pink, white and rose-purple. The stems are usually between 2 to 4 inches, which make them an excellent plant for the front of a garden. The leaves are two toned and provide ample color throughout the fall and winter.

Lastly, this is a plant that can be brought inside, and you will often see it at Florist’s or the garden section at the grocery store. All you need to have success with this plant indoors is to provide it with enough humidity and a cool temperature (the recommended temp is about 55 to 65 degrees).

So if you are looking for a beautiful fall bloom, I would suggest the Cyclamen.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit 1

Photo Credit 2

Photo Credit 3

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2. Plant of the Week: American Holly
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