Flowering kale, gourds, chrysanthemums and Michaelmas daisies. Photo by Amanda Jarrett
The Garden Website for September
September Introduction - September Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog -September Garden Chores - Job Postings
September Garden Stars - Plant Police - September Lawn Care – Fall Containers - Preparing Beds for Winter
Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs - Planting & Transplanting - Naked Beds Cry Foul – Mystery of Seed Collecting – Fall Pruning Tropicals & Houseplants – Winter gardening – Harvest Baby, Harvest – Tomato Troubles – Cutting back Perennials – Saving Tender Bedding Plants – Geranium Cuttings – Fallen leaves
September Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Autumn Crocus
September Garden Stars - Plant Police - September Lawn Care – Fall Containers - Preparing Beds for Winter
Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs - Planting & Transplanting - Naked Beds Cry Foul – Mystery of Seed Collecting – Fall Pruning Tropicals & Houseplants – Winter gardening – Harvest Baby, Harvest – Tomato Troubles – Cutting back Perennials – Saving Tender Bedding Plants – Geranium Cuttings – Fallen leaves
September Arrangement - Need Help? - For the Tropical Gardener - Plant of the Month: Autumn Crocus
A bountiful harvest.
September Intro
Aster flowers covered with morning dew.
As fiery August ends, September brings sweet rain, serene temperatures and hopefully less smoke from the forest fires. There’s no time to rest, it’s fall; time to harvest, deadhead, prune, clean up garden beds and prepare new ones, if needed.
With the cooler temps and the onslaught of inevitable rain, northern plants will start to perk up and put up new growth. Fall’s flora begins to take centre stage with starry blue asters, pink and white Chinese anemones, conical flowers of the butterfly bush and sparkly yellow coreopsis. Meanwhile tomatoes and other heat loving plants will start to decline and will show their displeasure by getting all buggy and disease ridden. Harvesting is at earnest now, with many crops coming to an end. Daily visits to the garden are warranted so produce is picked at its peak and not left to rot. I’ve had many zucchinis and tomatoes become a mushy mess seemingly overnight. Depending on where you live, autumn may hang on for a few months, or it might be gone in the blink of an eye. For those of us that live in more temperate climates, we have a couple of months to prep the garden for winter. For those that live up north, this is your last month to get the garden ready before it becomes impossible to do so. I hope wherever you live, the beginning of your autumn is a glorious one. Cheers, Amanda 
Garden ClassesGaia College and the Burnaby School District offers many garden courses for landscapers and avid gardeners. Classes start soon. For more information click here.
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Amanda's Garden Blog
A skeletonized seed head of an oriental poppy resembles a crown.
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A pollen covered bee enjoying a Michaelmas daisy.
Job Postings
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White Glove Lawn & Property Services, Abbotsford, is hiring lead hand, drivers, assistant manager and crew. Experience an asset. Salaried and hourly positions available. Read more...
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Heartwood Gardenworks, South Surrey, is expanding and looking to hire landscapers and non-professionals willing to work hard and learn. On the job training is provided and enrollment to the RLT program or Organic Master Gardener Program available. Read more..
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For landscapers looking for work and landscape companies looking to hire.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings.
September Garden Stars
Chrysanthemums, herbaceous perennial, 1 -3ft, sun, part sun, Zones 5 - 9.
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Autumn Joy sedum, herbaceous perennial, sun, 1 to 3 ft, Zones 3 to 9.
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White Fountain bush clover, Lespedeza thunbergii ssp. thunbergii, deciduous shrub. Zones 4-8, up to 6ft x 12ft, full sun part shade.
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Sweet autumn clematis/virginsbower (Clematis terniflora), deciduous vine, 15-30ft, fragrant, Zones 5 to 9, sun to part shade.
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Goldsturm black-eyed susans, (Rudbeckia fulgida), herbaceous perennial, 2 ft, sun, part shade, Zones 4 to 9.
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Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis), herbaceous perennial, 3ft, full sun part shade, Zones 5 to 9.
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Mango Tango cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa 'Mango Tango), deciduous shrub, 2 to 3 ft tall and wide, Zones 3 to 8, full sun, part shade.
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Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) are broad leaf evergreen shrubs, Zones 6 to 9, 4 to 6 ft tall, 5 ft wide, full sun to part shade.
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Golden Sceptre pompom dahlia
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Kanika Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria 'Inticancha Kanika', herbaceous perennial, Zones 8 to 9, full sun to part sun.
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September PLANT COMBO
An effective annual duo, Pink Zazzle Gomphrena and crimson fountaingrasss, Pennisetum setaceum.
Preparing Beds for winter
Fall bed clean up doesn't mean stripping the beds bare. The prunings from this peegee hydrangea are being used as a mulch around the mother plant. This chop & drop technique returns organic matter to the soil, which provides food to plants and improves soil.
While we prepare the garden for winter at the start of fall, plants are also girding their loins for the months ahead. They do that by garnering all their sugars and storing it in their roots. Weak plants, sickly plants, starving plants and thirsty ones will have a tough time as they lack the internal resources.
Water plants if they are suffering from drought: planters, raised beds, under the eaves and anywhere that’s protected from the rain. Replenish soil fertility with an inch or two of compost, composted manures, SeaSoil and/or triple mix. Feed hungry plants, sickly plants and new plants with a winterizer fertilizer high in potassium (the last number). Although winterizer fertilizers are associated with lawns, it is perfectly acceptable to use them on all garden plants, especially newly planted ones. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizers (first number highest) this time of year as it promotes lush, tender growth that’s susceptible to winterkill. plant police
Removing the tops from trees disfigures trees and makes them unsafe as suckers replace the branches.
Pruning trees is a science that requires skill and education. If you want your tree pruned go to the professionals with the correct training and credentials, not a guy with a pick up truck and a chainsaw. Look for arborists with ISA certification (International Society of Arborists). They should be fully insured and covered by Worksafe BC.
Lawn Care
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September Garden Chores
Freshly plucked apples are ripe and ready to turn into pies.
Plant: Trees, shrubs, vines, roses, perennials, and fall/winter hardy veggies.
Cover Crops: Plant cover crops on veggie beds or mulch them, don’t let them be bare for winter. Spring Bulbs: Plant spring flowering bulbs and autumn flowering crocus. Harvest: Keep harvesting crops and discard those that are diseased and buggy, including infected plants. Seed Collecting: Collect seeds from desirable plants when they are brown and mature, not green. Save Leaves: Rake fallen leaves from the lawn into beds for a free and effective organic mulch. Prune: Prune fall flowering plants if needed. It’s too late to prune spring flowering ones. Hydrangeas: Remove flowers just above plump green buds. Cut off really old branches, spindly and dead one at their base. Deadhead: Keep removing dead flowers from perennials and annuals to further their blooming. Lawns: Mow often and mow high at 2.5 to 3 inches, apply Dolopril lime, corn gluten to control germinating seeds (don’t use if seeding lawn), repair patchy lawns, and plant new lawns with sod or seed. Apply a winterizer fertilizer, high in potash. Perennials: Cut them back to a few inches above the ground once they begin to die back. Divide perennials: coral bells (Heuchera ), lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria sp.), primrose, violets, lenten rose (Helleborus sp.), Brunnera sp., peonies and any other plants that have overgrown their spaces. Weeds: Apply corn gluten to kill germinating weed seeds, such as shepherd’s purse and chickweed. Do not apply where you have recently sown desirable seed. Containers: Fix up tired planters by removing spent plants and adding new ones and add fresh compost. Winterize: Apply a winterizer fertilizer (high potash), to newly planted plants, hungry and sickly plants. Garden Beds: Apply compost and mix in and apply organic mulch. Raspberries: Cut back raspberry canes that fruited this year to their base. Cuttings: Take semi-hardwood cuttings from trees, shrubs and vines. Cuttings: Take cuttings from tender annuals to grow inside to use as houseplants and for stock plants next spring: coleus, impatiens, fuchsias and geraniums. Houseplants & Tropicals: Bring them inside well before they decline, and before frost. Cold frames, Greenhouses: Clean out and disinfect all flat surfaces, especially if diseases and insects were present. Disinfect: Use bleach, soap & water to sterilize pots, starter trays, cell packs, flats and drainage trays so their ready for spring. Weed: Remove them now to prevent extra work in spring. Don’t add seedy weeds into the compost as it probably will not be hot enough to kill them. Compost: Turn weekly and water when needed. Avoid adding plants that have gone to seed, are infested with bugs and/or diseases. Add fall leaves for the carbon (brown) layer. Save some to add later. Pictures: Take pictures of the garden and make entries into your garden journal regarding successes and any learning experiences, while it is still fresh in your head. Fix up Sad Looking Planters
Rejuvenate a tired planter by replacing spent plants with hardy flowers and plants for fall and winter.
My once lovely planters that were overflowing with petunias, impatiens and such, have seen better days. They are obviously in need of new colourful plants that will last through fall and into the winter: winter pansies, primroses, a dwarf aster perhaps and some winter flowering perennials, like a lovely lenten rose (Helleborus). The hardier the better.
Scrounge around the garden and the woods for interesting twigs and branches to add to the arrangement. Or add an ornament of your own. Throw in some tulips, narcissus and other spring flowering bulbs too. Use a long narrow trowel to slide them in so you don’t have to dismantle the whole thing. Remove the old plants and a few inches of soil from the top of the planter. This provides more room for new plants and fresh soil. Add compost, potting soil, triple mix, Sea Soil and bone meal and mix well. Arrange the plants on top of the soil in a pleasing manner, then plant and water. Keep out of direct sun for a few days until plants have perked up. 
The Mystery of Seed Collecting
Individual seeds from a mature hollyhock seed capsule.
I love expanding my burgeoning plant collection by gathering seeds from my favorite plants. It’s cost effective, extremely rewarding and very mysterious yes – mysterious… read more...
Harvest Baby, Harvest!
This bountiful harvest includes, potatoes, cucumbers, red and green basil, scarlet runner beans, Purple Prince eggplant, rosemary, fennel, feverfew, garlic. Tomatoes: bush beefsteak, yellow pear, Oregon Spring and Tasmanian Chocolate (yes, that's the name!).
Ruby red tomatoes, bright orange peppers, plump deep green cucumbers are ripe for the picking, but what about those that are past their prime or are diseased and riddled with insects? Don’t leave them in the garden to rot as this brings disease, unwanted insect pests and maybe even a few critters to the garden. If left on the ground, they will overwinter to contaminate next year’s crops. It is best to pick them off the plant and the ground asap and toss them out. Don’t compost them, unless you have a hot compost, 50 to 66° Celsius (122°-155°F) for a few days.
For more information on the best stage to harvest specific crops, click here. Still having tomato troubles?
Late Blight.
Click here for:
Quickie Tomato Troubles Table Happy Tomatoes - Late Blight - Cracked Tomatoes Blossom End Rot -Verticillium Wilt Early Blight - Preventing Diseases Cutting Back Perennials
Cut back perennials after they start to die back, leaving 4 to 6 inches.
Cut back ornamental grasses in spring, not now.
Saving Tender Bedding Plants
This Black Lace Martha Washington geranium is three years old.
Geraniums (Pelargoniums)
Geraniums make great houseplants, even ones that have been grown outdoors during the summer. A sunny window or supplemental lighting is essential to keep them beautiful throughout the winter. Before frost, bring in potted geraniums, and lift ones that were planted in the garden and plant them in pots just large enough for the roots. Use a good draining potting soil. Add sand and/or vermiculite to aid in drainage if it’s too peaty. Cut stems back to 6 to 8 inches, remove all flowers, dead, buggy, diseased and dead plant parts and water. Save a few stems for cuttings as they root easily. Keep in a bright location, out of direct sun, for a week when new growth should emerge. Cool conditions are best, 10° to 16°C (50° to 60°F, but I find they do fine on my sunny kitchen windowsill. Don’t overwater. Allow the plant to wilt slightly before watering. Another way to overwinter geraniums is to remove them from them the ground and shake off as much soil as possible. Hang them upside down or place them in paper bags and place in a cool, dry, frost free area. Mist their roots weekly. All their leaves will fall off, but their stems should remain intact. Remove any shrivelled stems. In late February or in March, remove any dead parts, shrivelled sections and discard any dead plants. Soak their roots for a few hours before potting them up in potting soil that drains well. Add sand and/or vermiculite if soil is too peaty. Water well. Place in a bright location for a week, then give them full sun. They should start to sprout new leaves in no time. Geranium Cuttings
Geranium cuttings should have numerous leaves, nodes and be healthy.
Remove the lower foliage, buds , flowers and pinch off the top. Cut the bottom of the stem just under a node.
Fallen Leaves
Their is no need to bag all those fallen leaves. Just rake them from the lawn onto the beds.
Although raking leaves is not the most favorite autumnal activity for most people, it is necessary to keep them off lawn, but there’s no need to rake them out of the beds. It is better for the soil and the plants to keep this leaf litter in situ. They protect the soil from erosion, weeds, and fluctuating temperatures as they also insulate the soil. As they break down they also provide free and exceptional nutrition to the plants. So instead of bagging all your leaves and placing them curbside, rake them off the lawn and into the beds.
September Arrangement
Pink dinnerplate dahlia, Mystery Day dahlia,Goldsturm black-eyed susan, Bobo hydrangea, mophead hydrangea, peegee hydrangea, Audrey Michaelmas daisy, alpine Michaelmas daisy, Blue Lace delphinium and pink garden phlox.
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Plant of the month
Autumn Crocus, Colchicum autumnale
A bee exits an autumn crocus.
Autumn crocus multiply quickly, but make a beautiful splash in fall.
Autumn crocus are called 'naked ladies' as their flowers emerge without foliage.
A single autumn crocus surrounded by petunias.
Their leaves emerge in spring and the leafless flowers bloom in the fall.
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Common Name: autumn crocus, meadow saffron, naked ladies
Botanical Name: Colchicum autumnale Form: low, spreading Family: Colchicaceae Genus: Colchicum Species: autumnale Plant Type: perennial corm Mature Size: 6 to 10 inches Origin: Great Britain, Europe Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8 Foliage: 5-8 dark green, strap-like leaves up to 10" long, appears in spring then dies back during the summer. Flowers: showy lavender-pink to lilac-pink cup shaped flowers that open into stars, appear in August, Sept without any foliage Fruit: small brown seeds form in capsules Exposure: full sun, part shade Soil: rich, well drained soils Uses: woodlands, mix borders, fall colour, naturalizing Propagation: divide corms, sow seeds Pruning: cut back foliage once it turns yellow Problems: as their abundant foliage yellows in summer, it becomes unsightly, they also multiply quickly Comments: Each corm grows an abundance of foliage in spring that yellow and dies back in summer. In August and September, multiple flowers emerge from each leafless corm, hence their common name ‘naked ladies’. Avoid locations where they take center stage during the summer as their yellowing foliage is abundant. Grow in containers so you can place them where you want when they are in flower. Reduce water when the foliage starts to yellow. Although their common name implies they are a crocus, however, they are not related. 
Since their foliage dies back in summer, fall crocus look best when tucked in with other plants or just plant them in containers.
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Need Help?
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Need help figuring what to do in your garden? Make an appointment for Amanda to come to your garden to show you how to grow food, sow seeds, prune, design beds etc. Need help trying to figure out how to get the garden ready for spring? Get Amanda to teach you the ropes by making an appointment here.
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THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX
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Container Growing 101Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction Mulching & Types Introduction |
for the tropical Gardener
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here.
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