Preparing for Fall

The weather has become cool and damp, our community Country Fair is this week, I have a sweat shirt on, and the windows closed. So I know fall is coming soon.
I have been procrastinating as always about starting cuttings to over winter plants, bringing in house plants that have summered outside on the deck. My petunias in my hanging baskets are starting to look tired, I could start to add them to the compost. But I keep telling myself that we can have a few more warm, even hot days, in the near future.
I would like to devote this thread to preparing or procrastinating for fall. Maybe we can inspire or just complain about putting our gardens and plants to bed.

I think I love September best. although it has a melancholy feel. If I can sit in the sun for a few minutes it feels like summer but never gets my toes tan. Too late for cute tan toes this year , again. But some days do get darn hot so you can't put the shorts away yet.
Too late for some struggling plants to make a big comeback, so it helps me bite the bullet and put them out of their misery, like your petunias.
Yesterday I was looking at the summered houseplants and starting to choose who will come in and in what form. Sometimes the big ones get made into little ones by cuttings. I pulled a chunk of good old swedish ivy and just saved two cuttings in water. In its place went the hawaiian spider that grew so much over the summer - now theres a a hanging pot of spider, purple tradescantia and small leaf green wandering jew. I got two copper pots at Lowes last week (clearnce) so was picking plants for them. Then found my potting soil was full of ants!!! so I got stuck.
Then I do get antsy to clean up some things. I'd love to rip out all the gourd vines but they say you must let the gourds ripen completely on the vine so I better wait. Bushels got about six nice ones that seem to be drying well already--soccer ball size--what are they for? for fun I guess. . Botlles- got just one huge one for all the vines.

I LOVE this time of year. Haven't had to wear any winter wear yet, but did have long pants on 1 morning to take my son to school, still had a t-shirt on, though. There are a couple of plants I want to try to save for next year, elephant ear, begonia and my first try at coleus cuttings. I do have bulbs to plant that I got at the NE RU and I'm still working on 1 bed that I'm putting lilies in. I want to till up the area where I'm doing my first veggie garden next year. I want to get my fall decor done too ya know the scarecrows and pumpkins, etc. I just couldn't bring myself to do them yet since it was still so warm but fall starts on the 22nd!

ladygardener........So, how is the fair this year. I'm not sure if I'll get there or not. I've been busy cleaning out flower beds and finishing up my summer project. I made a fenced in sitting garden out of a pile of old treated stockade fence a coworker gave me and a bunch of stone I collected..

early_bloomer

Another angle.......

early_bloomer

Hi Early! Boy you have been busy! That's a very interesting garden even without flowers.
Fair is pretty good, not much has changed. I visited the flower building tonight. They had a display of several old scrap books of the garden club, I found some old pictures of me when I belonged and was president and chairwoman of several of our flower shows.
Not as many flowers and plants on display as when I belonged, I guess it is like everything, people are just to busy. Myself I am getting to old to drag things down there and go back Saturday night to get them.
Had a buffalo burger which was very good, and snacked on a large platter of Loaded Fries, then brought home a package of sugar waffles. Oh! the joys of Fair food!!

Speaking of having a few more hot days- Its really steamy out there today! I actually stayed in. Incredible.

It has been pretty warm here to day too.We had rain Friday and Saturday, last day of the Fair, but that is nothing new, it always rains on our Fair. LOL
Some years more then others, nothing like watching people walk right out of their shoes when they get sucked off by the mud.
Today is treasure hunt day, all the folks with metal detectors go down to see if they can hit pay dirt !

Early, Great job on the fenced in area. Love the color of the fence and the windows.

I, too, am waiting on some bulbs from a co-op. Did dig up a huge hosta to make room for a couple more. Now, where to put the dug-up one?

Now you move two other things to make room for the hosta- Then those things need a spot so you dig another thing....ad infinitum

I hear ya. I need to sit down and do some planning before those bulbs come. There's a nice breeze today, maybe I'll sit under the tree with some iced tea and plan after Mom goes down for a nap.

I had cleaned out the bush green beans a few weeks ago, and been piddling with the area. I dug it up, amended some, today planted spinach seed in advance of the perfect gentle soaking we are getting, right right?!?

potted caladiums, they will be this year's experiment. Will they stay nice, or get nasty, in which case I wil just let them dry out.
And been watching my plumeria leaves get bigger and bigger--and that too, will it live or have to go dormant? I am limited on prime wondow space--aren't we all?? LOL

Just me, ya'll. What are you doing with your Caladium this year Sally? I have several pots full that I need to soon be making a decision about. I have never tried keeping them over the winter, but since I have so many this year, I would like to not have to buy them again next year. I brought in most plants a couple of weeks back. Again, they are taking up the majority of the floor space in my spare bedroom. I have been in there this morning trying to get things a bit better organized. There might be room for one pot of Caladium, but no more than that. If you have heard some good tips on keepiing over winter, please let me know.

John has been working himself silly planting and transplanting Iris. I had another surgery on September 12, so no digging for me yet. His plans for the afternoon are to dig us some Sedum Autumn Joy that has grown more than huge. When the three clumps of Sedum is up, I will have space to plant the25 or 30 Gladious bulbs that I have waiting for me.

I started a written list during the summer months of things needing attention this fall. We are slowly but surely getting most of the things done. Oh, what is best time to prune a huge Butterfly Bush? Yesterday I spent some time pulling up Rose Campion stalks to save the seeds from. I have them on the screen porch in a box and after they dry a bit more I will harvest the seed.

I am patiently waiting for my Celosia seed to be ready. I have been checking it for a week or so and things aren't quite ready yet. The Celosia is gorgeous as we speak. There are still a few die hard Day Lilies blooming. Another question for you more experienced folks. How about chopping off the stalks of Gladiolus, when should that be done?

We finally are almost ready to begin using some of our two year old compost. I have one particular bed that is in poor soil and I can't wait to give the area a few shovels full of compost. John spoke with our cow manure supplier yesterday to see if we can get a truck load of manure. That along with the compost ought to have us growing some really gigantic things.

Speaking of gigantic, Sally, the Red Canna that I got from you at Hart's swap is huge. It might be transplanted from front deck bed to along a privacy fence that John has had to put some of the other extra tall plants that we have. It was gorgeous this year. The Tropical Canna that you so kindly sent me grew very full and lush this year, but no bloom. The no bloom may be my fault for planting it in a pot. That too needs to be transplanted to the privacy fence area. There is also a small piece of the Tropical that I will be giving to my niece Angela when we visit her later this month.

I could probably sit and write a few more hours on the the things that need to be done, but need to get up and finish my bedroom organization project that I am in the middle of.

I hope that some of you will be able to give me ideas for the pruning of butterfly bush, when to cut glad stalks and ideas of how to save my caladiums. Thanks in advance.

I hope that everyone is gearing up for a good weekend.

Ruby

Wow- been saving up the writing! Hope all's well after surgery.
I am no caladium expert. This year, I have taken them out of outside pots and downpotted for my bedroom. I'm going to wait-see how they like that. They lost some leaves, but still have a few huge ones. So cool-looking, if thye make it. I'm going to be sort of careful with water, and if they don't look like they'll stay pretty- stop the water and stick the pot on a warm dark place to dry out for winter.

Had to take my littlest (12 ) one's borthday cake out-- Butterfly bush- I deadhead some, then major trim in early spring, down to a foot or two.
My few glad stalks are dead and gone long dried off and broken.

This message was edited Oct 3, 2008 1:22 PM

Hi Ruby, I can't give you any advice here, but I've been longing to hear the next episode in the goat rental saga.

I gave one of my Butterfly Bushes a really hard prune last spring and it didn't hardly grow at all over the summer. Right now the baby Sungold Buddleiah that I planted this spring just started blooming.

My Caldiums still all look beautiful. I think that I'm going to dig them all up, sort them by variety and store them in brown paper lunch bags all in a cardboard box in my unheated basement.

The best time to prune butterfly bushes is in late winter, February or maybe early March, before they start their new growth.

one gal's earl spring is another's late winter LOL- Anytime mid Feb or on, when you get a really nice day and can't stand not getting in the garden one more day!!

I prepared for fall today by planting two sixpacks of maroon pansies in front of my blush pink knockout roses. I "Learned from my mistakes" by planting them a little close--I want a full row look in spring. Oh, I also had put a bucket of coffe grounds and one of horse compost mixed in there too before planting. and a pack of Starwbery Candy (or something like that) Pansies on the other side of the sidewalk, near my Euphorbia from rcn, and variegated liriope.

Then found a spot for a clearanced Verbena bonariensis, by moving a blackeyed susan that I got at Becs under the guise of unknown coreopsis.

Pulled up the purple perilla--since flowering it lost all the nice maroon color and got scraggly. I tossed those plants in a patch in th lamiastrum.

And cleaned up some scraps of paper and found a note saying I replanted my one White Lion daff bulb somewhere and hoping that when the perennnials die down I find a tag in there.

something like that, indeed-dyslexic typing- the pansy name is Dynamite Strawberry

This message was edited Oct 4, 2008 10:29 AM

Thanks for input all. I appreciate the help. Today ought to be another busy day here in terms of working in yarden.

Ruby

Sally, Planting Pansy's now for next spring? I see people putting them in for fall color but didn't realize that they would still be good for next spring. Wonder if that would work in my Zone 6? I love Pansy's and my attempts at seed starting them hasn't been a great success. I can get them to grow but they are such small plants. This year I will try starting them earlier. Been thinking about trying to grow them in a cold frame.
I have a couple hundred bulbs to plant too and I still haven't gotten around to it. I was thinking about putting a few bulbs aside for forcing. My Grandson Jr will be here for most of the day. Wonder if he wants to help Grams plant bulbs?
Ric and I spent the last 3 full days at Josh's house. weeding and working on his garage, it's still not all done. As we were getting ready to leave yesterday we were going over our to do list and laughing that with all our work we were on our way down to his house for the third day. LOL
Ruby take care of yourself and do overdo.

Yay- I'm glad you remembered my fall-pansy campaign. Around here zone 7, in a warm bed they'll bloom almost all winter. In a cool bed, they'll live but not bloom until spring. I was shocked to have some last winter in a cool spot, fall planted, that bloomed all spring and parts of them hung on until late summer.
If you use the cold frame, I would use it like a warm bed- be sure they get enough water, and don't let them fry on a sunny day. Err on the cold side, they'll take that better.
LOL working on Josh's house. Change of scenery, excitement for your kid, degree of need?

The lady who does all the public plantings for a local town here told me a few years ago that a little side dressing of fertilizer will make pansies much more likely to come back in the spring. She always had the prettiest banks of pansies in some of the medians.

A little of all of that with Josh. I promised him landscaping as a house present same as I did for his sister Jen. Although Jen's house and yard were in much better shape when she bought it. Josh's place is a real project but it will be a stunner when he is finished with it. RIc's motive is a little more suspicious. The back wall of Josh's garage is out and a section of the roof is missing. So Josh can't move the stuff out of Ric's garage until his is fixed. Although he would go and help anyway. LOL
We also had a little bit of a time crunch Josh was off of work for several days that gave him and Ric some full days to work on it together.
Here is a "before" shot of the back of the garage.It's alittle hard to see but what looks like an open door is actually the wall that is out and the roof over that area is pretty much gone. I'll post an after shot when I get back down there. They set the wall back up, replaced that section of the roof. Ric pressure washed the wall and I primed it yesterday. After 2 days of weeding I wanted a stand up job. LOL

Here is a picture of just one of the areas I needed to weed. We are really whipping his yard into shape. If you look real hard you can just see that there is a brick patio under some of those weeds.


This message was edited Oct 17, 2008 3:26 PM

I can see the bricks! LOL Now I can't wait to see the 'after' pics :) The heat earlier this week really knocked me down and I didn't get much accomplished other than helping Rick with his tree planting project. Now that it's cooled down again hopefully I'll have more energy! I did get a lot of the plants cut back at the nursery in preparation for the frosts this weekend. It was so hard cutting back all of the Jap Anemones - they were late to flower this year and were all budded up and ready to explode with flowers. All I could think of was I should be planting these in the gardens so I could enjoy them this year! Oh well, I'll plant them anyway and just have to wait until next year for the flowers :( A quick trip through town yesterday after the rain and it looks like we'll be "preparing for fall" by collecting leaves next week!

I turned my large pot of coleus into 3 jars of cuttings yesterday. I think I may dig up my Brug today just like Gita told me. Maybe it's time to dig the cannas also.

I started a thread for Josh's House. Quite a few before and after pictures, you can see what I have been doing down there and maybe give me a few suggestions for next spring.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/915724/
Here is the back of Josh's garage that we have been working on. We need to put on the red top coat next and then they are adding a covered area for fire wood storage against that wall.

Jiminy christmas, new years and easter. What you guys do in weeks takes us years, if ever. I'll go slink upstairs now and do one load of laundry.

Sally, LOL I need my 30yr old body back. We had a lot of errands to do today and stopped by my parents house to visit and plant some extra bulbs that I saved for their yard. Half way up I realized that I didn't bring the bulbs. Well at least I pulled her cannas mine are still out there. I still haven't gotten them out of the ground yet. But I have been collecting all the yard art from around the yard. Things are comming together slowly but surely.

I have a caladium question. Last year I planted some caladium in the ground (mostly I grown them in pots). But when I tried to dig out the tubers, they were extremely healthy but soft, and so I destroyed most of them. Do any of you have a technique for prying them out of the dirt without mangling them, or is it best to plant them in pots?

WooHoo, Finally dug the Cannas. I didn't think I would ever get around to that job. I've cleaned out the deck and window boxes, dug up the cannas and tuberose. Started pulling down all the morning glory vines. I still have a few plants waiting for me to get them into the ground. I need to take care of the small ponds and the veggie garden needs a good cleaning.

Sorry, can't help with the Caladium question Happy. Maybe someone else will know. I have never tried digging up from ground.

I have the same feelings as you do Sally in regards to how long projects take us to get done here. We seem to be on the same schedule as you say that you are. ha-ha Yep, years for most things is what it seems to take us. Of course, you also need to add in the several years that you/we talked about doing the project to that number also.

As if I really needed more bulbs, I purchased several bags of them last week while visiting New Jersey. I haven't finished unpacking my luggage, much less my shopping bags yet, so the bulbs will be a while before getting put in the ground.

Today is a very ugly day weather wise. Looks as though it is trying to rain, but haven't seen any wetness yet. While buying the bulbs last week I also purchased a lightweight container that I can drag around with me in the front yard as I continue to tidy the garden for winter. I probably already have enough debris laying around to fill it a couple of times already. I am looking forward to using it for taking debris to compost pile. Speaking of compost, we have one of our large piles ready to use. There are several areas that the soil is especially poor and I can't wait to begin mixing in some of the compost with it.

If I looked, I know that there are many many things left to do to prepare for the winter. I am just not going to go and look today.

I hope that everyone will have a very good and productive week. Take care.

Ruby

Happy I plant my Caladiums in pots and window boxes, too. We did plant a couple in the ground at my Mom's house but she pulled hers out while we were traveling.
Ruby hope you enjoyed your trip to N.J. My compost pile is so big we need a front end loader to turn it over. LOL
Ric and I have tons of jobs both big and little that have been waiting years for us to get around to. Just seems like we do a lot since we are both retired and with no kids at home we do have a lot more time to get things done, finally. LOL
Sounds like the weather is getting colder sure glad I got my cannas out when I did. Still need to get some more work done in the veggie garden and the ponds.

The weather here is not cooperating for me get outside for any length of time. Yesterday's dreariness kept me inside all day and today it is way too windy for me to try and do anything. You know, all of these things will be waiting for us when we finally find the time and right conditions.

I also have things indoors that I want to get started on too. I would love to wake up one day and the gardens would all be put to rest and the house was de-cluttered. Is that wishful thinking? Yep, each and everything will require putting one foot in front of the other and just doing it. Sometimes the motivation is lacking though.

I am hopeful when I hear that others too are in the same predicament as myself in terms of having a lot to do. I am ever so thankful for Dave's Garden and the wonderful people that I have met here.

Ruby

Ruby, You are right about that. What wonderful people and good friends here at DG. Including you!!!! Holly

Yep, some mighty fine people are to be found here.

Hi All...Does anyone a know a homemade spray for plants that have to come into the house for the winter? I have a plant that something is eating the leaves, must be small because I can't see anything, but there are very tiny webs. Thanks for any help.
Peg

Have you tried insecticidal soap ?
Insecticidal Soap Spray
1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap
1 quart water

Thanks..I'll try that right away.

Could be spider mites. I have a few nastiest that came in with my plants too. I took a bunch of them outside a couple of days ago and gave them a good spraying. My Brazilian Plume Flower still has scale. I have got to get some Neem Oil maybe that will finally get rid of the scale. All in all they made the transition from outside to inside pretty well.

I was just reading something but forget the details...ugh. some home spray...
Spider mites can be tough- I had a few plants really plagued, I used Bayer systemic. I took most of the plants back out for the last few super days and final bug check- had aphids on oleander and then found some on umbrella plant Shcefflera.