Margaret Swenson
Labor Day has passed and I am ready to put my white slacks away until next summer. Well, maybe I’ll wear them one more time.
Trees and shrubs have already begun to change the color of their frocks. Linden and some Poplar varieties such as Cottonwood and Quaking Aspen are taking on a yellow glow. Varieties of spirea are teasing us with yellow, orange and red leaves amongst their green ones. And a walk in the woods will treat you to native plants with vibrant reds, carmine, bronzes and buff colored grasses.
As temperatures moderate new found energy finds us scurrying to finish outdoor projects.
Nurseries and garden centers will be having fall sales so show up early to get the best plants on the shelves.
It isn’t too early to transplant shrubs and divide perennials. Just make sure to water their new home before and after transplanting and don’t plant any deeper than where the plant was in it’s previous location.
If your lilac and peony leaves look as they have been decorated with pinking shears, fear not.
The culprit is most likely Root Weevils. The snout nosed beetle lays its eggs in the ground and the larvae feed on the roots sometimes even girding stems and branches. When the adult beetle emerges it climbs the plant and chews on the leaves. It is difficult to see them because they are night feeders but a soil drenching of nematodes usually kills the larvae. Several applications may be necessary. It is extremely important to read the product label carefully and follow the manufacture’s instructions.
This wasn’t the best year for vegetable gardening. The relentless hot days and dry air combined with unusually cold conditions in the spring seemed to confuse most of the things I planted. Even the strawberries and raspberries suffered and were pitifully small.
You were wise to fool Mother Nature with shade cloth and drip irrigation. Techniques I will definitely incorporate next year.
Though my garden did not do well, I am grateful to local Farmer’s Markets where my dreams of perfectly formed lovely orange carrots and cucumbers and tomatoes so sweet and fresh off the vine they taste like candy, enabled me to enjoy the vegetables I was not able to grow.
The only thing that is proliferating in my neck of the woods is rabbits. Cottontail rabbits. There are big bunnies, middle size bunnies and baby bunnies running around in my yard. I hear the coyotes at night and see owls flying around in the early morning but they must be interested in other treats for their snacks.
Rabbits are another reason my garden didn’t have a chance. Measures I have tried and obviously were minimally effective were fencing and invitations to my “Granddogs,” I noticed the rabbits didn’t eat chives, garlic or other plants of the onion family so I incorporated a border of chives and rows of onions and garlic. They grew well but the bunnies must have hopped over the alliums because the rows of lettuce and cabbages were GONE! Products listing natural deterrents including the urine of predators such as wolf and bobcat are available.The mere thought of these measures makes me shutter.
As for color in my garden, all too soon the plants will be wearing white.
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