Ten Minute Gardening

There are times when working in Landscape Design and Maintenance are, well, dare I say it? Boring! There are high points and challenges, but during the hot summer months when new garden installations are halted because of the weather, and all we seem to do it maintain existing landscapes, I become so bored that I feel my imagination and passion for gardening is turning to compost. Just in the knick of time, fall arrives and new garden plans that have been in the works since spring can be implemented. Then, the sheer pleasure of this career sprouts new growth, carrying me through to snow’s arrival.

September is always a busy planting month, as we race to beat Mother Nature’s closing bell. In our area (Zone 5b or 6 depending on which map you look at) we have until the second week of October to get our plants in and established before frost hits and plants begin going dormant. As a rule (my rule), after October 7^th, planting and transplanting are taboo. Last fall I broke that rule and planted right up to October 20^th. This spring, I paid dearly for taking that chance and had to replace a good many shrubs planted near the end of the season. Lesson learned? Do not allow yourself to be pressured into taking a chance that you know from experience doesn’t work. You will lose.

Fall is also a fabulous time to begin renovating existing gardens. Cooler temperatures make the tasks of removing shrubs, dividing perennials, re-shaping beds or making new gardens, so much more pleasant! Quite often, I will prepare a bed and leave it fallow until spring. That gives the soil a rest from supporting plant life. In the spring, it is easier to clean up, weed and work up the bed before new plants are installed.  And I’m all for making life easier!

Perennials, with a few exceptions, take well to being divided and transplanted in the fall, although I do prefer spring for this task.

Here at home, we are taking advantage of cooler weather to completely renovate our water feature. We are going low maintenance with the new and improved water feature, turning the pond into a covered reservoir for the pump. The existing rock formations are being dismantled, and re-arranged, with more rocks and boulders added. We are building a waterfall that will splash onto a bed of rock and stone that will cover the reservoir with the aide of a wire screen. The water plants that were in the pond have been relegated to the compost pile. Instead of water plants, marginal plants and perennials will be tucked in and around the stone works. Should be fun!

Some green fingered think fall signals the end of the gardening season. I prefer to think of fall as the closing chapters. There is still lots that can be done, and still some time to do it if, you plan, and don’t push Mother Nature around too much!