Warren's Garden Club Newsletter Online
OCTOBER 2002
Warren's Garden Club Newsletter Online
OCTOBER 2002
If You Are Starting a New Shade Lawn
Cool Weather Makes Good Fall Planting
Plant Them Now and They Will Bloom Next Spring
If you woke this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million that will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation.
You are blessed more than three billion people in this world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, or spare change in a dish some place, you are among the top 8T of the worlds wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.
If you can read this, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.
If you take the time to thank God each day for His blessings that he has given us in America, good for you because most people don't.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS ONE BY ONE.
This summer was one of the nicest I can remember. Not only did we not have many hot days but the rains were spaced out almost perfectly. We usually water about 40 times each summer in our growing fields, but we only watered about 10 times this year. The grasshoppers were a big problem this year. If you had a problem with them this year then make a note to use the Nolo Bait as soon as you see them next year. It works great if used when the hoppers are small but when they get full grown it is not as effective.
Almost any hardy plant will benefit from a feeding of a complete fertilizer this month if it hasn't been fed yet this fall. The cooler fall temperatures give the plants a chance to take in some good nourishment that will help them stand up to the rigors of the cold days just ahead. Plants will take up the nutrients and store it until spring then it is available for some good growth and profuse blooms on plants like Crepemyrtle, Althea, and most of the summer bloomers.
Feeding with an appropriate fertilizer will not only help the plants survive the winter but give more blooms and growth next spring. We have several good quality fertilizers made by Fertilome.
Fertilome Shrub and Tree food is a very good fertilizer that has all the minerals and nourishment that any tree or shrub needs. It is formulated to be slowly released and be available for several months. Use this on any hardy shrub and tree. This is especially good for any young plants. If you have planted any shrubs or trees in the last few years and haven't fed them this fall now would be a good time to do it. (Carrie Behymer)
If you haven't fed your roses this fall a good application of Fertilome Rose Food at the rate of about one or two full cups to each plant according to the size of the bush. In the cooler weather fertilizer becomes available much slower, so feeding now will last a long time. This will not cause late growth, as growth is almost completely dependent on temperature and moisture not on amount of fertilizer.
FIELD TRIPS ARE OCTOBER 11th, 12th AND 14th, AND NOVEMBER 8th, 9th AND 11th.
ALL TREES IN THE NURSERY ARE ON SALE THRU OCTOBER PRICED $75.00 OR MORE
We are again taking groups to our growing fields to look at trees and pick out one for your yard. We will tag it and you will get 10% off the price. We will hold it until the proper planting time with a 50% deposit. We will start at 10 o'clock and go until about 4 o'clock each day. Also, we will have another trip in early November, give us a call if you miss the one this month.
If you don't want to wait we still have a good selection of trees in our sales yard and we have them on sale during October for 10% off any tree priced over seventy-five dollars.
We are getting several items in the greenhouse, garden shop, and nursery to put on sale during October. We won't have everything on sale like our Labor Day sale but we will have many items in all areas. If you hare wanting to do a little fall planting check us out during this sale.
We have hidden four names of our customers in the newsletter. If you find your name in the newsletter you will get a Twenty-five dollar gift certificate.
Don't heavily trim Roses, Crepe Myrtle, Magnolia, Pomegranate, and other cold sensitive plants until early spring. Don't use high nitrogen fertilizer such as ammonium nitrate 34-0-0 on shrubs and trees. Wait until early spring. Don't move shrubs and trees until they are dormant. Late November and March is usually the best times.
If you have Bermuda lawn and haven't done any weed control or feeding this fall there is still time to do a lot of good.
If you had any weeds last spring then use a weed preventer FERTILOME ALL SEASONS FERTILIZER WITH BARRICADE is still a good product to use this month on Fescue or Bermuda grass.
FERTILOME WINTERIZER PLUS WEED CONTROL can only be used on Bermuda grass.
It not only will control unwanted grass and weeds but will promote stronger roots even in cool weather. This product will even kill some small weeds after they have germinated. If you set your mower a little higher for the last few mowings it will also help the grass store up more good for the winter. If your lawn needs some help but you don't have a lot of weeds just use the FERTILOME WINTERIZER. (Katherine White)
The cool season grasses have entirely different growing cycle than warm season grass such as Bermuda. The cool season grasses grow in cool weather and go almost dormant in the heat of our summers.
My Fescue really took a beating this summer, as I can't keep up with the watering. I have just reseeded and have gotten some good rains so I have not had to water very much. When it gets up about an inch tall I will put on some FERTILOME LAWN FOOD WITH IRON and I expect to have a great looking lawn again by November.
That is the great thing about Fescue, if it gets to looking sparse, rake it to get rid of any loose leaves and debris, sow at the rate of a pound per 400 square feet and water every day for about ten days or until you see the new grass seedlings.
Even if your Fescue or Rye is still in pretty good shape I would still overseed with about a pound per 400 sq. ft. to fill in any open spaces and then use FERTILOME LAWN FOOD WITH IRON to promote growth of the established grass as well as the new seedlings. If you reseed be sure to water every day for about ten days if it doesn't rain.
If Fescue lawns are kept thick, weeds are not normally a problem. Some grass researchers seem to think Fescue gives off some type of chemical that retards broadleaf weeds from germinating. If you need a weed control then I would use FERTILOME ALL SEASONS WITH BARRICADE. If you use weed control you can't reseed until spring.
IF YOU ARE STARTING A NEW SHADE LAWN
October is the time to plant the cool season grasses like fescue and rye.
There are at least 20 kinds of fescue on the market and most of them are quite good. OSU does an extensive amount of research on the different kinds of grasses and so we rely on their results plus our own observations to determine which Fescues we recommend. CROSSFIRE II, REBEL 200, AND TULSA are the three of the top five varieties in their tests. They also recommend a mix of fescues and we also stock that one. I have observed all these varieties and cannot see much difference in them. I believe any of these will make a good lawn. Make sure you get them planted this month. You can plant in November but you won't have a lot of growth until spring. Plant in October and have a great lawn in 30 days.
COOL WEATHER MAKES GOOD FALL PLANTING
The cool weather makes it a good time to do fall planting. Fall is a good time to plant hardy plants because the cool days allow plants to develop a good root system and be able to stand our hot summers. This last summer was unusually cool with rain almost all summer but next summer may be a different story. If you lost some plants or just have an area that needs sprucing up with some landscaping, then consider doing it this fall. Evergreens flowering shrubs, trees, perennials, spring flowering bulbs and of course pansies are some of the ones that do well planted this fall.
The new Altheas varieties bloom profusely all summer. I planted two of the variety HELENE in an area in my front beds and they have had blooms all summer and still has lots of color on it as I write this in late September. APHRODITE is another pretty one. Check them out if you need a very colorful flowering shrub that needs little care.
Many of the spring blooming shrubs such as Forsynthia, Lilac, Bridalwreath Spirea, flowering Quince and Wiegelia will bloom more profusely if planted in the fall then if you wait until next spring. (Delores Everett)
PLANT THEM NOW AND THEY WILL BLOOM NEXT SPRING
One of the easiest flowers to grow are the spring flowering bulbs such as Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, and Crocus to name a few.
Spring flowering bulbs will grow in sun or shade, good or poor soil and with little or no care. They will not grow in a wet area. If you get over a half day shade they may not bloom well the second year.
Crocus are on e of the first ones to bloom even pushing up through a March snow. We have them in several colors. Plant them in a group close to your doorway so you can enjoy them as you come and go on your daily business. Crocus can be planted in your Bermuda type lawns and will come up and bloom before the lawn needs to be mowed. The foliage is so small that it blends into the lawn and can be mowed without hurting the bulbs.
Tulips are the most popular spring blooming bulbs. Tulips come in many colors, sizes and shapes and will make a great show any place that you plant them.
We have the popular varieties plus some of the unusual ones.
One of my favorites are the Fosteriana or sometimes called Emperor tulips. We have these in red, pink, yellow, and white. These are some of the largest of the tulip blooms and are on short sturdy stems that stand our windy springs better than most.
BRINGING WHAT'S OUTSIDE BACK INSIDE
Last spring it was a relief to be able to put your houseplants outside under the porch or a shady tree, but now they are going to have to travel back inside.
It is good to start now rather than wait until the weatherman says its going to freeze tomorrow.
If the plants that you want to bring in are planted in the ground, it is really good to dig them and pot them so you can leave them out for a few weeks before bringing them inside. This way they have a chance to adjust to the shock of being uprooted before having to adjust to the inside conditions.
No other plant will make as much color for your money as pansies will. Planted in October or November, pansies will bloom until hard freezing (about Christmas and then start again in early spring. We have a lot of colors in both mixes and straight colors. If you are going to use some bulbs go ahead and plant the bulbs, then plant your pansies as usual and the bulbs will come on up.
This is easier than trying to work the bulbs in after the pansies are planted.
The last few years we have had a tremendous explosion of the different colors available in pansies. There are Antique shades with pastel oranges, yellows, and two tone pastels. The other combination are really outstanding. (Ann Torres)
Hardy blue Plumbango will grow in light shade or full sun. It should be in bloom most of this month. It makes a great border or solid bed. It has hundreds of a bright true blue that is hard to find in other perennials.
HARDY HIBISCUS would be a good one to plant this fall because you would get a lot more blooms than if you waited until next summer. We still have all the good varieties. We have a coupon on these.
