Here we are officially in Autumn! This is the time each year when I reflect on how quickly the summer went by. And didn’t we have a lovely summer this year? We could have used a little more rain, but the plants didn’t seem to mind being hand-watered instead of Mother Nature-watered. The winds were also cooperative, and I didn’t notice too many days when it was too windy to work in the garden. That has certainly been the case in past years.
The dryness did have an effect on some of the garden plants. I noticed the Hosta were fading long before usual. I cut those back as soon as they started to brown. Nothing worse than leaving them go until the frost gets them and they get slimy. Some of the grasses started to brown out as well. Those I leave until spring to cut back so the leaves protect the crowns.
The slugs were busy those last warm days of summer. Since slugs are hermaphrodites, they have both female and male reproductive organs. Once they find a mate, they circle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia, seen as a kind of opaque slimy sack between the two slugs. The slugs lay around 30 eggs a few days later in a hole in the ground or beneath leaves or other garden debris. They start looking for mates in late August and into the warmer days of September, so now is the time to get the slug bait out before those little devils find a mate. If you find egg sacks when you are cleaning up the garden this month, dispose of them and your task next spring may be a little easier. Snails will hibernate but slugs can be found above ground any time the temperatures reach about 40 degrees, which happens during most of our winter.
I have found pretty good success by spreading used coffee grounds around the base of my Hosta and other slug-prone plants. Slugs don't like the grit nor the caffeine, and the coffee grounds don't really affect the acidity of the soil, so this is an easy and natural way of dealing with slugs and snails.
Most Japanese maples have lovely fall colors. The normally red-leaved varieties – for example Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’ - turn a deeper shade of burgundy. The greenish-yellows of the coral bark maple (A. palmatum ‘Sanko Kaku’) become orange- yellow instead. A great place to see them this month is at the Japanese Garden in Portland. Their website (www.japanesegarden.org) lists garden hours, special events, membership, and ticket information. Worth a trip into the city during the Autumn. This is my favorite time to see that particular garden in all its glory.
The Sedums ‘Autumn Joy’ have never been lovelier than they are this fall. This salmon-pink bloomer has always been a favorite autumn plant of mine. I periodically cut them back to about 12 inches until the Fourth of July and then let them grow at will. This way they stay a nicer height and bloom longer into October.
The hardy fuchsias are “manna from heaven” for the hummingbirds. My good, old fashioned red fuchsias bloom almost until Christmas, long after the other pollen-producers have packed up shop for the year.
Fall is the time to plant cover crops to restore nitrogen to the soil and help stop erosion. Crimson clover is my personal favorite, but only because it is so pretty. Lots of other choices, too. The trick is to pick cover crops that will do well in heavy rain areas. Don’t forget to till them under in the early spring.
My garden has finally grown to the point that it is easy to care for. A little weeding every day and watering now and then seemed to be enough. So I was able to take time to enjoy my garden this summer. I spent quite a few hours just sitting on the patio with a good book and a glass of iced tea. I found that if I take something to read with me, I am not distracted by seeing all the chores that need to be done. More relaxing that way.
You should try it.
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