Garden Solutions - September 2014

 
            There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. There are many simple tasks you can do now, that will save time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

            The kids are back in school and off to college. That makes it a good time to get back to work in the yard and garden. Especially if you have put your outdoor living projects off this summer because of bonding, vacations and sports programs.

            With the hottest month of the year now behind us, there is no better time to renovate and reseed than during the month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for lawn growth is August 15 - October 15. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards.

            The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal (2-3 inches). Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area.

            After the aeration process is completed, you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer (a starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best). For a 50% stand of grass or less, you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, sun, part-shade and sun, etc. Check with your local independent garden center for special grass seed mixes that are specially blended for your region for the best performance.

            Once you have sown the grass seed, you can apply a starter fertilizer. Then, add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature does not cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well. 

 

NOW PLANT, PLANT, PLANT

            Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. Plus, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants so you don’t have to do as much. During this time, there is also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

            Planting trees in the fall of the year is perfect timing to get better results. Choosing varieties for that special spot should be given some thought. The Washington Urban Forestry Council has developed a “Tree List” that can be found on the City of Washington’s website (http://www.ci.washington.mo.us) under City Departments, Parks & Recreation, and Urban Forestry Council. The list is broken down into different categories that make choosing a tree variety very easy. So plant a tree this fall. You will help the environment, lower your electric bills, and enhance your property value.

            Now turn your focus to Fall Decorations….and change the Curb Appeal of your yard by giving it a face-lift for fall. Change out those summer containers and flowerbeds with fall bedding plants that work long into the fall season, which in our case here in Missouri can be thru mid November. You should be able to find such plants as pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale, Fall Magic annuals, ornamental grasses, hardy garden mums and MUCH more. Don’t forget to add in straw, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds to give it a complete look. Extend the look of your outdoor room and enjoy the extended season.

            Fall bulbs are available now and should be considered for spring color in your garden! So start thinking ahead to next year and get in on the action now.

            *For additional information about fall gardening and tips, check out the following website: www.hillermann.com.

 

Time to go………..See you in the Garden

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

 

Garden Solutions - October 2012

 

             Trees, trees, trees, now is a great time to talk about trees and how valuable they are to us.  Many of us remember growing up, lying under a shade tree with our back against the bark chewing on a piece of grass, reading a book, or playing games like hide and seek around them.

            In addition to great memories, trees bring a true beauty to all landscapes. The right tree in the right place provides shade to your home, creating a cooling insulation from hot summer days. 

            Fall is the best time to plant trees. Fall’s cooler temperatures and adequate rainfall ease the tree’s transition into its new home and decreases transplant shock and stress. Are you looking for an excuse to plant a tree? Well look no further, as the following statistics reveal just how important trees are to us in a community setting:

“Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home.”- American Public Power Association

“If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%.” - Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center of Urban Forest Research

“A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.” - Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers

“In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a strong or moderate impact” on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%” - Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests

“Trees properly placed around buildings can save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating.” - USDA Forest Service

“Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent.” - The Arbor Day Foundation

“In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.” - Dr. Roger S. Ulrich, Texas A&M University

“They look pretty”- Mike Smith (WUFC) and Bernie Hillermann (Co-Founder of Hillermann Nursery & Florist)

            So whatever reason you want to use…..now is a great time to plant a tree!! Start making your memories today!! Plant trees for energy conservation, home improvement, curb appeal, or better yet, to get your new memories started!! Check out the tree selection suggested by the Washington Urban Forestry Council by logging onto this website: http://www.ci.washington.mo.us/, then go to the City Departments/Parks & Recreation Menu to find the WUFC link. Their suggested plant list is on this site. Check it out!! There are many great varieties to choose from in local garden centers as well. Ask for proper planting instructions as you purchase so you can have guaranteed success. Enjoy your time under the trees!

Here are additional Garden Solutions for October:

• Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15^th this month to insure germination and plant growth yet this fall. Choose a seed mix for your specific lawn area: sun, shade, sun/shade, play, drought, etc. Fescue mixtures are best for durability for our area.
• Be sure to aerate and renovate your yard when over seeding for BEST results. Without these steps, it is like throwing grass seed on to concrete because our soil is so hard now from such a dry summer.
• Keep leaves raked or blown off of lawns to prevent smothering new grass plants, especially in shady areas.
• Winterize your lawn mowers before storage, by draining gasoline from the tank and the gas line.  It is also a great time to sharpen the blades so you will be ready for spring!
• Put a Winterizer type fertilizer on all lawns from mid October through November to promote early spring green growth, and have the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood.
• Now is a good time to apply lime if your soil tests indicate the need. (Acidic soils require lime, a pH of 6.8 or below.) Use the recommended rate of 50 pounds per 500 square feet per treatment.  Free pH testing is available at Hillermann Nursery & Florist.
• YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL can be enhanced with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums, pansies, kale, and the great selection of other fall plants that are grown for the fall season!! Ornamental grasses add a lot of texture as well. Let your imagine run wild!
• Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied to control cool season weeds, such as chickweed and henbit now.
• The average first frost usually arrives about October 15^th to October 20^th. A few degrees of frost protection can be gained by covering tender plants with sheets, newspaper, burlap or lightweight fabric row covers. DO NOT USE PLASTIC; this tends to “draw in” the cold temperatures.
• Cannas, Dahlias and Elephant Ears can be dug when frost nips their foliage.
• Plant bulbs now for spring bloom (Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocus, etc.). Plant bulbs into groupings for a massed effect of spring color. To fertilize them, use bone meal or a complete bulb fertilizer at planting time.
• Bulb container gardens can be planted with a lasagna type planting arrangement (layering of bulbs in potting soil). Check with your garden center for ideas and recipes on this feature.
• Continue to water your plants, especially evergreens, since soils are dry. Until the ground freezes, they need moisture for root growth even if they are going dormant. Once a week should be sufficient.
• After perennial and flower beds have been cleaned and raked for winter preparation, refresh them with a bark mulch for the winter months at a depth of 2-3”.
• Towards the end of October, trees should be fertilized and tree spikes at their drip line are a perfect choice. Use one tree spike per one inch of tree trunk diameter. This will make for beautiful foliage next spring!
• Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
• DON’T take hummingbird feeders down before mid October. The bird’s biological clock tells them when to migrate south. THEY ARE NOT dependent on us removing the feeders at a certain time! Hummingbirds who have started their migration will appreciate finding your feeders along the way.

See you next month “in the garden.”

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - September 2012

The Best Time of the Year is NOW!!!

When I was a kid, I loved summer - no school, warm sunshine and lots of fun and mischief to get into. Now that I am a Grandma, my season preferences have also matured. Over the years, I have come to enjoy all the offerings of fall. The cool, crisp mornings that gives way to warm days and starry nights. Fall color in Missouri is exceptional with the turning of leaves on trees - colors so vivid and alive that they jump out of the landscape. Driving past fields of pumpkins gets the kids excited that Halloween candy is yet to come. The treat of eating sweet grapes fresh off the vine and juicy apples plucked from the trees. And of course, fall sports begin soon.

There is no better time of year than this abundant season to catch your bearings, reevaluate the year, enjoy the harvest and relax. It is also the best time to take a few moments to invest in your home. You can do many simple tasks now that save you time in the spring when you are twice as busy.

Our yards definitely DID suffer this summer. Thank goodness, the hottest month of the year is now behind us. Well, there is no better time to renovate and reseed than this month of September. In fact, the perfect window of opportunity for yard growth is August 15th- October 15th. Even though it may be hot and dry, it is the perfect time of year to aerate and over seed established yards. The process should be done as follows: Cut the lawn a little shorter than normal, 2-3 inches. Then run over the yard with a core aerator (this machine pulls plugs out of the ground about the size of your little finger). This whole process works best after a good rain or a deep watering. The core aeration process helps with the soil aeration, lessens soil compaction and makes for better, stronger grass root systems. Now, run a renovator over the area. This machine slices the ground with many little teeth and will break down the dirt clods from the core aeration process and bring up any dead thatch in the area. Now you are ready to sow your grass seed (use a 50% spread rate for a 50% stand of grass) and add fertilizer (a starter type fertilizer that is high in phosphorus is best). For a 50% stand of grass or less, you will not need additional cover such as straw. If you are over seeding bare areas or new lawn areas, you will need to straw these areas to hold moisture for seed protection. For the specific grass seed type, shop for seed specific to your area of need: shade, sun, part-shade and sun, etc. There are special grass seed mixes made up for our Mid-Missouri region that perform beautifully here so, make sure you check that out for guaranteed success.

You can then re-fertilize and add a Winterizer fertilizer to the entire area in late October or November. This whole process will “promise” you a beautiful strong lawn for spring of next year. Water is, of course, essential for this growth if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. New lawn installations are also best at this time of year as well.

You need to continue thinking about watering during this month … and remember that there are ways to make it economical and easy, just ask the experts. The wildlife in your yard, as well as all new and established plantings, needs our help this year as we have experienced several exceptionally dry summers. Fall in Missouri is the ideal time of year to plant all kinds of things from cool-season vegetables to turf grasses, and especially shrubs, evergreens or deciduous trees. Yet, when it comes to planting, many gardeners only think of the spring. Why is fall such an ideal time to plant? First, the warm soil in the fall helps encourage root growth. The roots continue to grow through our mild winters becoming well established by the spring. This makes fall plantings much better equipped to handle our heat and drought once summer finally arrives. In addition, our fall and spring rains help do the work in establishing your plants, which reduces the care responsibilities and increases your success rate. There are also fewer pests and disease problems to attack your plant while it is young.

When fall arrives, I want to see bright oranges, vibrant yellows, and fiery reds. These fall colors bring life back to our landscapes after the summer sun has faded most of the blooms. The natural turning of leaves into their disguised color of glory brings a new energy to our yards and awakens our senses. Right now, you can find selections of trees and shrubs especially bred for fall color. There is no reason to have humdrum containers and flowerbeds during fall when there are Garden Mums and Fall/Winter Pansies to replace our burnt out summer annuals. Fall cool season plants known as Fall Magic are also great additions to beautiful fall containers, and we have a great selection.

Fall bulbs are another planting option you should consider at this time. You will find the best selection now, and you have until Christmas to get them into the ground for spring blooming. Bulbs need 10 weeks of cold weather to create their magnificent show. Many varieties and colors are popping up in this category of plants as well. I will talk more about bulbs in the October article. Enjoy the cool crisp air, and I will …...See you in the Garden.

Sandi Hillermann McDonald

Garden Solutions - October 2011

Wow! What a welcome feeling to have cooler days and lower humidity. This is truly a beautiful time of year. It is a time of year we want to get back outside, reclaim our yards and gardens, and enjoy the fresh air. It is time for fall barbeques and bonfires and hayrides. Fall is the perfect time to evaluate the garden for improvement to your curb appeal, and it is the perfect planting time. The cooler crisp days of October are great for these following garden tips:

• Lawn seeding should be finished by October 15th this month to insure germination and plant growth yet this fall. Choose a seed mix for your specific lawn area: sun, shade, sun/shade, play, drought, etc. Fescue mixtures are best for durability for our area. Fescue blends are spread at a rate of 5 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on bare ground and 2-3 lbs. per 1,000 sq ft on a lawn with a 50% stand of grass.
• Be sure to aerate and renovate your yard when over seeding for BEST results. Without these steps, it is like throwing grass seed on to concrete because our soil is so hard now from such a dry summer. Have questions??? Ask the experts at your local garden center.
• Keep leaves raked or blown off of lawns to prevent smothering new grass plants, especially in shady areas.
• Winterize your lawn mowers before storage, by draining gasoline from the tank and the gas line. It is also a great time to sharpen the blades so you will be ready for spring!
• Put a Winterizer type fertilizer on all lawns from mid October through November to promote early spring green growth, and have the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood.
• Now is a good time to apply lime if your soil tests indicate the need. (Acidic soils require lime, a pH of 6.8 or below.) Use the recommended rate of 50 pounds per 500 square feet per treatment. Free pH testing is available at most independent garden centers.
• YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL can be enhanced with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, mums, pansies, kale, and the great selection of other plants that are grown for the fall season!! Check out some of the great new selections available today! Ornamental grasses add a lot of texture as well. Let your imagine run wild!
• Pre-emergent herbicides can be applied to control cool season weeds, such as chickweed and henbit now. You can apply either a granular or liquid application to an established lawn.
• The average first frost usually arrives about October 15th to October 20th. A few degrees of frost protection can be gained by covering tender plants with sheets, newspaper, burlap or lightweight fabric row covers. DO NOT USE PLASTIC; this tends to “draw in” the cold temperatures.
• Cannas, Dahlias and Elephant Ears can be dug when frost nips their foliage. Before storing them, allow the plants to dry under cover in an airy frost-free place, such as a carport. Store them in a cool, dry area such as a basement in paper sacks packed with peat moss. Drying bulbs thoroughly will keep them from rotting.
• Plant bulbs now for spring bloom (Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocus, etc.). Plant bulbs into groupings for a massed effect of spring color. To fertilize them, use bone meal or a complete bulb fertilizer at planting time.
• Bulb container gardens can be planted with a lasagna type planting arrangement (layering of bulbs in potting soil). Check with your garden center for ideas and recipes on this feature.
• October is an excellent month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials. This gives the plants a great start in the warm soil and cool weather of fall with plenty of moisture in the spring to become established before the harsh summer heat and drought arrives. The plants’ roots will continue to develop under ground until frost in the ground literally stops them!
• Continue to water your plants, especially evergreens, since soils are dry. Until the ground freezes, they need moisture for root growth even if they are going dormant. Once a week should be sufficient.
• After perennial and flower beds have been cleaned and raked for winter preparation, refresh them with a bark mulch for the winter months at a depth of 2-3”.
• Towards the end of October, trees should be fertilized and tree spikes at their drip line are a perfect choice. Use one tree spike per one inch of tree trunk diameter. This will make for beautiful foliage next spring! (The diameter of the tree is a measurement found at a cross section of the trunk 12” above the ground)
• Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
• DON’T take hummingbird feeders down before mid October. The bird’s biological clock tells them when to migrate south. THEY ARE NOT dependent on us removing the feeders at a certain time! Hummingbirds who have started their migration will appreciate finding your feeders along the way.

Enjoy your yard and garden in every season!

Time to go……….See you in the Garden…………..
Sandi Hillermann McDonald