Warren's Garden Club Newsletter Online
SEPTEMBER 2002
Do you Remember Where You Where
Look for Your Name in the Newsletter
DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE ON SEPTEMBER 11?
Over the many years of my life I can remember where I was when historical events happened.
Even though I was only nine I remember when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941. It was on a Sunday and my Dad was visiting with some neighbors when we heard the radio reports, my mother gave me specific instructions not to bother my dad but of course I had to run and tell him.
I remember where I was when VJ day announced. When President Roosevelt died, President Kennedy's assassination, the Murrah bombing, and the September 11 attacks.
Sometimes we wonder why awful things happen. Where was God when these tragedies took place? Stop and think. He was in the same place as he was 2000 years ago when some religious fanatics killed his only son. In the future there will be some events that will make us wonder why but if we remember that although men may do evil things God is still where He has always been.
I also remember a poem by Robert Browning I read when I was in High School that has always had special meaning for me and now even more so.
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn.
Morning's at seven:
The hill-sides dew-petaled,
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his heaven -
All's right with the world!
Remember not what has been bad this year but the many good things that have been brought out in our one nation under God.
LOOK FOR YOUR NAME IN THE NEWSLETTER
We have put four names in the newsletter again. Find your name for a $25 gift certificate.
FOLLOW THE CROWD TO WARREN'S LABOR DAY SALE - 20% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!
Greenhouse, and garden shop from August 31st through September 14th. Come early for best selection.
We have a lot of bird baths, tree rings, stepping stones, bird feeders, and many other nice items. If you need a trellis, we have several sizes of some real nice ones. This would be a good time to stock up on some fertilizer, potting soil, pots, and grass seed. It is time to put down your fall weed control and we have several kinds.
All trees, shrubs, perennials, house plants, and any other plant are included in the sale. Many plants in the greenhouse are on sale at 1/2 price.
As you can see, we have set up a web page on the Internet. We are just getting it installed so it is not complete. We have several other horticultural links, plus e-mail so you can ask us questions or give us suggestions. The horticultural links have lots of information that we don't have to repeat. The OSU location has lots of up to date info for Oklahoma. The Dr. Perry location has lots of links to horticultural web pages all over the world. It also gives lots of perennial information.
If you are a gardener then fall is the beginning of the second gardening season. With the warm days and cool nights plants perk up and start to look fresh and a lot of them will have a good fall bloom. Also this is a good time to check your plants and give the ones that look a beating from the summer heat a little extra care.
First make sure your plants are well watered, especially plants planted this year. Soaking thoroughly once a week will be sufficient until hard freezing weather then once a month is okay.
Feed shrubs and trees in early September with FERTILOME TREE AND SHRUB FEED to make sure the plants go into the winter well nourished. In the extreme heat plants don't pick up nutrients from the soil very well and so may be low in the starches and minerals that help them survive cold weather. A feeding with a slow release plant food like FERTILOME TREE AND SHRUB FOOD will allow the plant to replace these nutrients quickly and survive the cold better.
Use according to directions. Any tree or shrub planted in the last three years should be fertilized this fall. Fall fertilizing will not make plants grow too late and be hurt by the winter. Growth is almost entirely controlled by temperature and moisture. If we have a warm October and November, the best action is let the plants go a little dry between watering.
If some of your plants didn't make it through the summer this would be a good time to put in some replacements. If you need to move some perennials or small shrubs the cool days of late September and October would be a good time do this. Bonnie Atwood.
Set your lawn mower a little higher as this will help the grass store nutrients and stand a cold winter better.
Put down a good pre-emergent weed control like FERTILOME ALL SEASON WITH BARRICADE. I believe this is the best pre-emergent available. The commercial lawn care companies have used this for many years but it only became available for homeowners use about two years ago.
It lasts longer than most so that two application per year will give good weed control.
It is safe around trees and other plants in your yard We have been using it around some of our small plants for weed control.
It is quite economical because of the above reasons. We are having a lot of repeat customers on this.
Don't use a quick release nitrogen fertilizer on your lawn (such as Ammonium nitrate). It is better to use a slow release type like ALL SEASONS or if you need a fertilizer without weed control FERTILOME LAWN FOOD WITH IRON as it has a slow release nitrogen that will feed your grass until it goes dormant.
If you had big grown spots in the lawn last spring then you may have grubs in lawn. Use a soil insecticide like HI-YIELD KILL-A-BUG II in September and you will have no grub worms and no spots of dead grass where they have eaten the roots.
At this time of year the grubs are very small having hatched out in the summer and also are close to the surface of the soil where they will come in contact with the insecticide. Using the KILL-A-BUG will also get rid of the last crop of fleas and helps on other noxious insects like spiders and scorpions. Susan Mayberry
If you need a shade grass now is the time. Shade grasses need cool temperatures to germinate and get rooted well to stand either cold or heat. Plant in September or October for best results. If you have Bermuda or other vegetation in the area you want to plant, spray with Hi-Yield Kills all to kill the unwanted growth. Then rake the area to remove any loose material such as leaves, etc.
Sow the Fescue seed at about one pound per 200 square feet on new lawn area. Water daily until it starts to puddle. If the weather is in the nineties you may need to water twice per day.
In about two weeks use FERTILOME NEW LAWN STARTER according to directions. Mow when it gets tall enough. Some experts recommend using new LAWN STARTER when you sow which works o.k. I just have a personal preference to use it when the grass is already growing.
If you need to thicken up an established Fescue lawn the directions are the same except you don't spray to kill the existing grass and you only need to use a pound per 400 square feet. Water and fertilize the same.
If you are seeding Rye or Blue grass the directions would be the same. We find Fescue much easier and more drought tolerant.
Flowering SHRUBS, AZALEAS, MUMS, PANSIES, BULBS, HARDY PERENNIALS, GROUND COVER, AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER HARDY PLANT.
Many plants do better planted in the fall than any other time of the year. Fall planted plants have time to make some real good root growth before cold weather. As long as the ground isn't frozen most plants will make new root growth. Here in Oklahoma our hardest season on plants is usually our hot summer months; fall plantings have several months to get ready for the heat and drought of next summer.
Many flowering shrubs will bloom well next year if planted now. These include Lilac, Spirea, Forsynthia, Flowering Quince, and mockorange to name a few that will do great planted this fall.
Trees like Chinese Pistache, Lace Bark Elm, Redbud, Dogwood, Bradford Pear and Crabapple, Weeping Willow, and most other kinds do well planted this month. The cooler than average summer has made our shade trees and shrubs look really good.
We have an unusually good assortment of container grown trees that will transplant very easily this fall and they are on sale during our Labor Day sale.
If you have roses I would use FERTILOME ROSE FOOD, but most other trees and shrubs would be okay with the FERTILOME TREE AND SHRUB FOOD. Feed your trees now or before Thanksgiving, again in the spring (before Easter). These are the best times I think to feed.
Watch for blackspot and mildew on roses; when the nights get cool this will start to show up. Spray with either FERTILOME ROSE SPRAY as it controls diseases and any insects or if you don't have an insect problem I would use FERTILOME SYSTEMIC FUNGICIDE, as it is a long lasting spray.
Winter protection of roses should be done in October and early November. I will remind you in the October newsletter.
GET YOUR POTTED PLANTS READY TO COME BACK INSIDE
HOUSE PLANTS that are outside need to be made ready to come inside. If they need any trimming or shaping do that now. Also if you are going to repot any it is better to do it now while the weather is warm and they are still in their summer location. Remember only use a pot that is one to two inches bigger. Too big a pot is hard for most plants to handle at one time. Be sure to use a good potting soil as this makes all the difference in the world. We think our Warren's Potting Soil is one of the best all purpose soils you can use. During the Labor Day sale it will be 20% off.
Check for insects and spray while the plants are still out doors as this is much easier than doing it inside. Even if you don't see any insects it is sometimes best to spray a good insecticide as a precaution before bring in the plants inside. FERTILOME WHITEFLY AND MEALYBUG SPRAY is a good choice to cleanup any stray insects. After trimming, spraying, and repotting move into a shade area such as a covered porch to condition them for the lower light levels inside. This helps them to make the transition from the bright outside to the duller inside spaces.
If you wish to root some cuttings this is a good time to do it. Use ROOT ONE ROOTING POWER and WARREN'S POTTING MIX for best results.
If you have plants such as Gernaniums, Begonia, Chinese Hibiscus, etc. planted in the yard that you wish to dig and put in pots to keep inside this winter, do this in September or early October using a good potting soil like Warren's, let them stay outside for a few weeks in a sheltered place such as the porch, then bring them inside before the nights get below 45 degrees. Water them with a good liquid fertilizer like Miracle Grow at ever other watering.
Dividing of hardy plants can be done at this time. The cool days of late September and early October are just right to divide plants like: Shasta Daisies, Daylilies, Iris, Phlox, Hosta and many others. Hardy perennials planted now will make a much better show next year than waiting until spring. We have a very large selection of most perennials.
Can't prune most shrubs severely this month (especially roses) as this causes late growth than can be damaged by the winter. You can prune needle evergreens such as Pine, Spruce, Juniper and Arborvita from now until new growth starts in the spring. Jann Abbott
With the cool nights the hardy Chrysanthemums or mums are starting to show their colors.
Plant mums this month and you'll have some nice bushy plants when they start blooming in October and November. We have several sizes and all the colors. At this date our Mums look great and should be just right to plant this month. Remember they will be 20% off during our Labor Day sale.
Plant Pansies in late September or October for bloom this fall and early winter but also for a gorgeous bed in the spring. Many long time gardeners are still surprised by the thought of putting out pansy plants in the fall. If you have a south or east bed try some this fall. If we have a mild winter you will have blooms off and on all winter and then have a glorious bunch of blooms in March.
Even in a bad winter the plants get rooted in real well and are full of bloom buds when March gets here and explode into full bloom with the first warm days.
There are several different ways to grow beautiful pansies. Some people swear by blood meal to obtain the best in pansies. This is a good fertilizer. It has the added advantage of keeping away rabbits that sometime nibble on pansy leaves.
My best recommendation is to put an inch layer of BACK TO EARTH SOIL CONDITIONER on the bed plus FERTILOME GARDENERS SPECIAL fertilizer at the rate of a pound per every 100 sq. ft.
FALL FIELD TRIP TO OUR TREE FIELDS
We will have our first field trip October 11, 12, and 14. You can go out to our tree fields and select your tree and we will hold it with a deposit until it is time to plant it in the dormant season. We also give a 10% discount on all trees selected from our fields. We will have another trip in November.
REMEMBER EVERYTHING IN NURSERY, GREENHOUSE, AND GARDEN SHOP IS 20% OFF AUGUST 31 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14TH. COME EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION. THIS INCLUDES FERTILIZER, TREES, SHRUBS, HOUSE PLANTS, POTTERY, PEAT MOSS, POTTING SOIL, SEED, AND EVERYTHING ELSE WE SELL. SOME GREENHOUSE PLANTS WILL BE 1/2 PRICE. ----NO RAIN CHECKS---
