Dear Gardening Friends:  Where did this year go?  We kept busy adding new gardens and trying to keep our plants looking good during the recent hot spell.  We have seen more butterflies this year hanging around the butterfly bushes.  We added bird and hummingbird feeders and have had great fun watching their antics.  (If I knew how much they could eat in a day and how much birdseed cost, I might not have done this.) John went shopping this summer and as usual came home with new plants.  As always at this time of year, I like to remind you that fall is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs.  80 percent of root growth occurs in the fall before the ground finally freezes.  This way, your plants get a head start for next year.  Be sure to check out the hints for winter watering in the newsletter.  If you are unable to drop by this September or October before we close, have a safe and happy winter season and we will see you next spring. 

 

FALL COLOR

Growing up in Kentucky, my childhood memories of fall are filled with visions of golden fields of drying corn and tobacco, cut and staked; narrow country lanes bursting with native plants such as goldenrod, asters, grasses, bittersweet, ivies and sumacs against a background of native cedars.  Every yard had at least one variety of maple that revealed their striking fall display of reds, gold, browns and purples. All over the state, communities celebrated with harvest festivals.  Orchards sold fresh non-filtered ciders, farm stands made and sold sorghum molasses along with mums, dried ornamental corn and bittersweet, gourds and pumpkins.  After living through the oppressive heat of late summer, it was wonderful to be outside again, enjoying breathable air and the flush of new colors in the garden.  The sights, sounds and smells of fall remain some of my most vivid childhood memories.  Years later, as I joined the mad rush of the thousands of drivers looking for the perfect view of Colorado's fall colors, my initial response was one of disappointment.  Where were all the vivid colors I was seeking?  I now have learned to appreciate the subtlety of what Colorado has to offer in the way of fall color and scents.  However, to some degree, our gardens are representations of the dearest times and places in our memories. It is probably for this reason alone that when I select shrubs, flowers, and trees for us to grow, one of the many assets I consider is fall leaf color along with ornamental berries and winter interest .  Summer's winding down, fall's around the corner, and if you're by chance looking for plants to add to your landscape that start to shine late in season, I've got some great ones for you to consider. There's Japanese Anemone. All summer these perennials have given us their great foliage for the shadier parts of the garden, and now they get ready to finish the season with these wonderful white or pink flowers.  Caryopteris, also known as Bluebeard or Blue Spirea. Again great silvery green foliage all summer, and now coming on with it's blue and purple flowers that have a light fragrance and attracts bees and hummingbirds. The Knockout rose.  I mention these because even then though they do provide us with spring and summer colors, Knockout roses really come on strong late in the season.  Low maintenance, an easy to grow flowering shrub, Knockout roses are available in the raspberry red Knockout, the light pink Blushing Knockout, and the newest (which is the one we have this year), Pink Knockout, with its solid pink flowers. This is an oldie but goodie; fall blooming Sedum. All season we enjoy the succulent foliage, and by late summer, these broccoli like flower heads turn pink and mature to a rosy red…which, by the way, lasts well into the winter season.  Check out this new plant:  Tiger Eye's Sumac. Brilliant yellow summer foliage, maroon red stems, and a bit later this fall will begin to turn brilliant oranges and reds for spectacular fall colors. It differs from other sumac in a number of ways; the most obvious being it’s small size, reaching a manageable height and width of just 6 feet.  Another major difference is that it spreads slowly and should not be considered invasive. It prefers full to part sun, is not particular about soil type and best of all, is quite drought tolerant once established.  Its bold Architectural quality lends itself to a wide variety of garden situations. The branches angle upward while the deeply cut leaflets drape downward giving the whole plant a rather elegant, oriental look. This is my new favorite plant.  No fall garden is complete with out the addition of ornamental grasses. The blades provide an array of color from gold, yellows, reds to purples. The beautiful plumes open in the fall and stay throughout winter.  We are offering garden mums this year as well as asters, ornamental cabbage, goldenrod, burning bushes, as well as Russian Sage, Apache Plume, Chamesia and Winterfat. I cannot even begin to list all the shrubs and trees with fall color and ornamental berries.   Fall is the best time to plant, so get out and add some late season color to your landscape. Although it won't look like much right away, in a couple of years it is going to look fabulous.

 

Fall Planting Guidelines

1.  Dig the hole 3 times wider than the root ball and at least as deep as the container.  (In really heavy clay, dig deeper to loosen the hardpan.)

2.  Mix a combination of peat moss, cow manure and compost with your soil.  I recommend at least 1/3 amendment to 2/3 soil.

3.  Before placing the plant in the hole, score the roots with your pruners or knife.  Loosen the roots so they can spread.  (Roots growing in a circle will continue to do so and the plant will not thrive and might eventually die.)

4.  Place the plant level with the soil surface and back fill the hole with your mixed soil.

5.  Water thoroughly.

6.  Do NOT fertilize.  We do not want to encourage the plant to produce new above-ground growth that might not have time to harden off.

7.  Once the ground freezes, you can apply 4" mulch to      those plants you feel might need extra help.

 

Winter Watering

We typically have little or no moisture from October-Febuary. Trees, shrubs and perennials can be damaged if we do not apply additional water during dry periods.  The result of these long dry spells can be injury, sometimes death to the plant's root systems.  The weakened plant may actually produce spring growth then die when temperatures rise.  The weakened plant may be more subject to insect or disease problems.  To avoid these problems, we need to winter water.  Water when it is above 40 degrees and only at midday so that the water can soak in before the freezing night temperatures.  Monitor the weather conditions and water 1 to 2 times a month during those periods with-out snow cover.  Remember that the south and west side of the house or windy sites require additional water.  By being aware of our environment and applying water during the winter, we should be able to celebrate the coming of springwith little or no winter damage to our trees, shrubs, and perennials.