A Taste of September

August 27, 2024

Margaret A. Swenson

There is a taste of September in the air.

Soft, cool breezes on my face and sunshine on my back.

The skies are bluer and the yellow grass is greening.

Unexpected falling leaves float gently on walkways and paths.

Mornings come later and evenings earlier.

And I marvel at a new season ready to replace the old.

It is time to clean and fill hummingbird feeders for the hummers before they depart on their long journeys.

They will need energy to fly sometimes hundreds and even thousands of miles. The Rufous Hummingbird travels 4,000 miles to winter in Mexico from it’s breeding places in Alaska and Northwest Canada.

Hummingbirds that visit our feeders, besides Rufous, include Anna’s (though this one stays mostly on the West side of the Cascades), the Black-Chinned and the Calliope, which is rather rare. Remember to use only one part sugar to four parts water. It is recommended to boil the solution and cool it before filling the feeder. Artificial products that contain red dye are harmful to the hummingbirds.

Some perennials can be divided and shared or transplanted now. Iris and peonies are good candidates. Cut back flower stalks of Lamb’s Ear for a soft gray accent in your garden.

Dahlias, and cannas need to be dug and cleaned immediately after the first frost. Cure them in a dimly lit, warm, dry place in peat moss at about 45 to 50 degrees.

Gladiolus, too, need to be dug and cleaned and loosely stored in mesh bags. Be sure and mark the cultivar, color, or other notable quality on the bulb with a felt-tip marker.

Pulling weeds after the rain or irrigation is more productive than using a weed-eater as the short cut weeds are only encouraged to grow.

A good raking to your lawn and a final application of fertilizer will encourage grass to show off before winter dormancy sets in.

It is time to enjoy the antics of the blue dragonflies as they feed on the mosquitoes that survived the hot days of summer.

Yellow jackets are now the bane of camper and picnic goers. I found it interesting that when I placed a Yellow Jacket Trap within twenty feet of a nest, within a few days the trap was nearly full. Another trap I had placed randomly in a tree had but a few wasps in it.

I plan to take a Yellow Jacket Trap or two with me for Labor Day picnicking next week.