Autumn Plants & Planting

I know I should be writing about care of a plant this week, but it’s hot and I’m tired and well… I just don’t feel like thinking about maintenance today. I’d rather talk about some fun autumn plants and maybe I’ll tell you how to take care of one or two.

What I like about Autumn plants and Autumn planting:

• Autumn plants give you an extra pop of color. What a relief after it’s been hot and crackly looking all around you. It feels like it’s never going to end, the hills look burnt (and sometimes they are burning), which makes you feel even hotter then… the cool.

• To achieve your year round California Garden (or anywhere for that matter) it is a great time to take advantage of some of the plants that you couldn’t get when you planted in March.

So let’s think about adding Caryopteris, Helenium, Asters and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ or ‘Brilliant’. The sedum bloom in both spring and autumn and all you have to do is cut them way back after they bloom and let them come back up again – purdy as ever. That’s low maintenance!

If you want to buy some, you can try your local nursery, however my favorite place to buy the sedum family is Worldwide Exotics in Lakeview Terrace, CA. Their Asters are in awesome bloom right now too; pair the dark purple one with a pretty yellow coreopsis or blanket flower and you will have a spectacular accent. Tell Sara, Shelly and Ken that Julie sent you!

• Planting as it cools off during autumn will allow your plants to adapt easily and grow quickly. We are lucky enough to really have two planting seasons (and plenty of fudging in between). Don’t waste your cooler days (when they come).

• My favorite planting times for ground covers are March and October, they establish well and really grow vigorously. Take advantage of October by planning now in September! One of my fav clients and I have a date for ground covering in October – make your own date and keep it.

• Fall Splendor, think of all the decorating opportunities you have. Fresh harvested from your garden, purchased from the Farmer’s Market or local floral shop, there are endless opportunities to spruce your home.
  
  If you are interested in learning more about Fall Harvest Decorating and sprucing your home up both inside and out, please plan to attend next week’s Complimentary Seminar at Green Thumb in Newhall. Here are the details:
  
  
  

* COMPLIMENTARY DESIGN SEMINAR*
Tami Smight, Interior Designer & Julie Molinare, Landscape Designer
September 17, 2011 - 10 am – 12 noon at Green Thumb Nursery 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321

We will present fall harvest inspired design elements to enhance your garden and celebrate the splendor of fall. With proper planning, you will enjoy the fall garden decor through the December holidays.

You don't want to miss this event!
Send an email to: rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net with your name and code GB917. We’d love to see you there!

For more about my designs, please visit my website

Wordless Wednesday - September Splendor

Bougainvillea & Morning Glory

Zinnia & Marigold

Morning Glory Close Up

Chores for your Southern California Garden - September

Labor Day weekend is upon us, so as all of you in Santa Clarita and many parts of Southern California know we have another two months of summer to go (ignore those calendars and pay attention to your internal thermometers!)

I had a few comments last month that you liked the new list format for your gardening chores, so here it is again. I hope that it is easier to read, and more like a checklist for you!



1. Start thinking about your cool season vegetables, for those of you who start your veggies from “scratch” you can begin sowing your seeds. Kale, sugar snap peas, Swiss Chard and broccoli can be started. If you live in Santa Clarita, please feel free to participate in the free vegetable gardening classes at our Central Park Site. Check out the Facebook Fan Page for our fall schedule.

2. It is a good idea to give your trees and shrubs infrequent deep watering, as you have hopefully been doing all summer … remember it is going to remain hot, so you need to treat your trees like it is summer, not yet fall. Deep water every few weeks is a good idea, more or less frequently depending on the type of tree it is. Deep watering with a hose or bubblers to your trees will pay off as you create deep roots that support healthy trees.

3. If you haven’t yet started on them, it is time to clean up those rose beds! Prune your plants lightly, check for pests and diseases and pick up all the old dead leaves that can spread them.

4. Fall rose planters take note: this is a great time to take a cool drink into the shade and peruse the rose catalogs. We live in an environment that is pretty perfect for roses, so we are very lucky to have some great resources nearby. If you like a more hands on approach, a nice ride into Fillmore to visit Otto & Son’s nursery would be an excellent field trip!



5. After your summer blooming vines and shrubs have finished blooming, give them a nice pruning.



6. You can also shop for and plant perennials that are fall or winter bloomers, why don’t you try some aloes, clivia, a few more Echinacea, sedum ‘Autumn Joy’? You’ll be happy you did!



7. Spending some time on a nice cool morning to check and spruce up your container designs and hanging baskets is a great chore for this time of the year. If you prune them judiciously, add some annuals and perennials to spruce them up, and make sure to fertilize them regularly you will have beautiful containers right into the cooler months.

8. It is a great time to take inventory and start thinking about how you might want to spruce up those gardens, containers, and planter beds for the holidays. Keep your eyes open for new plants as they come into the nursery.

Speaking of Holiday decorating, Fall Harvest, Thanksgiving Abundance, and Holiday Beauty opportunities are just around the corner! Please join Tami Smight of Tami Smight Ineriors and me Julie Molinare at Green Thumb when we present:

* COMPLIMENTARY DESIGN SEMINAR*
Tami Smight, Interior Designer & Julie Molinare, Landscape Designer
September 17, 2011 - 10 am – 12 noon at Green Thumb Nursery 23734 Newhall Avenue. Newhall, CA. 91321

We will present fall harvest inspired design elements to enhance your garden and celebrate the splendor of fall. With proper planning, you will enjoy the fall garden decor through the December holidays.

You don't want to miss this event!
Send an email to: rsvp@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net with your name and code GB917. We’d love to see you there!

For more about my designs, please visit my website