September
We finally got a break in the heat and dry conditions, with much needed rain almost statewide. Some areas got more rain than others, and it helped green things up. The northern half of the state was not as dry as the central and southern regions. Let's hope it will rain periodically through fall. It is important to monitor the rainfall (or lack thereof) in your yard and water as needed. Lawns tend to be more forgiving when going without water than shrubs, perennials and annuals.
• Speaking of annuals, if you still have healthy and blooming summer annuals, continue to fertilize and water. If yours have seen better days, start adding fall color with dianthus, ornamental peppers, petunias, calibrachoa and sweet alyssum. Dianthus should overwinter, while the others will linger through the first killing frost. In a mild winter, petunias and calibrachoa may overwinter, but don't count on it. In a few weeks you can begin to add violas and pansies into the mix. Violas are more adaptable to fluctuating temperatures. Pansies will stretch and get leggy if they are exposed to too much heat, so let it cool off before planting them. Mums are also at garden centers. Unless you need instant color for a party or event, choose a mum that is just showing color and loaded with buds. Don't let it get too dry or it won't last very long.
• Now is the time to plant your fall vegetable garden. Fall vegetable seed is readily available, but folks have been scrambling trying to find transplants. They are finally beginning to hit the market, so check with your local nursery or garden center. Continue to harvest your summer crops, but start planting for a fall and winter garden. If you don't have a stand-alone garden, consider planting edible kale and cabbage with your pansies instead of the ornamental varieties. Parsley and cilantro are a great addition to the fall garden as well as Swiss chard, bull's blood beets and purple mustard. All of these are as showy as they are good to eat.
• By now your camellias, azaleas, dogwoods and other spring bloomers are loaded with flower buds for next spring. Don't prune these plants now. Don't fertilize either. Just water when they are dry.
• Fall is not a good time to prune. Light shaping or shearing of evergreens grown just for foliage is OK, but heavy pruning is not recommended for several reasons. If these plants don't get the energy to grow back this late in the season, they look less attractive and are more susceptible to damage from winter conditions. If they do put on a flush of new growth, that new growth will be tender heading into winter, and could be more susceptible to cold, so hold off on heavy pruning until winter is over.
• Leaves are beginning to fall -- especially in yards that got overly dry -- but some leaf shed is normal. Mowing on a regular basis should handle the leaves for now. If you have not fertilized your lawn all season, you can put down one last application of fertilizer, but get it done within the next two weeks. Just as we don't want to encourage our shrubs to put on a lot of tender new growth in fall, the same applies to lawns past September.
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Goldenrod is a wonderful late summer/fall perennial. Solidago is the genus of this member of the aster family. There are numerous species and many new varieties on the market. This perennial plant is loaded with bright yellow blooms for months in late summer through fall. It often gets blamed for the hay fever that many suffer from in the fall, but it isn't the culprit. While goldenrod is out there showing off its beautiful yellow blooms, the true culprit is ragweed, which has greenish white blooms. The pollen on goldenrod is too large to fly, so it won't cause allergic reactions. The main species we see blooming along the highways and byways of Arkansas is the tall Solidago canadensis or Canada goldenrod. It is probably a bit too large and aggressive for most home gardens, but try some of the newer ones like "Fireworks," "Golden Cascade," '"Golden Fleece" and "Goldrush" or some of the more compact species like S. caesia (commonly called wreath goldenrod), or Solidago arguta, known as cutleaf goldenrod.
Not only will these plants provide you weeks of yellow blooms, they are good for bees and butterflies while in bloom, and the seeds are a food source for birds in the winter. Most species prefer full sun, but wreath goldenrod is actually a good woodland plant as well. They are drought-tolerant and fairly pest-free. So if your garden needs a splash of fall color, consider planting some goldenrod.
Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
HomeStyle on 08/29/2015