Gardening Judith Adam With travel dates moving closer, it’s time tomake strategic choices in gardening commitments. What needs to be done before departure? And which autumn tasks will be most rewarding when you return home in spring? Weed wrangling These unwanted plants are growing strongly in cool and moist end-of-season weather. Common garden weeds such as dandelion and plantain relish cool, moist soil and their roots will grow strongly into the last weeks of November. The surprise comes in spring, when a ‘few’ weeds have become an army. Size matters when digging weeds. Late summer and early autumn weeks are an opportunity to remove mature weeds most likely to invade new territories right up to ground freeze. Smaller weeds are for the moment content to stay in place and thicken their crowns and root systems. If your time is short, then go after the big ones; the little ones can wait for next spring and summer. Weeds like dandelion and garlic mustard have a deep tap root designed to grip dry soil tightly and resist upward movement. (It’s necessary to remove at least two-thirds of the tap root to ensure that the plant won’t regenerate.) Soak the soil with a hose an hour in advance, then kneel on plastic and use a hand trowel to slide vertically down the side of the tap root, nudging it free from the soil. Firmly grasp the plant near the crown and slowly pull it upward, trying not to break the root. Plants such as plantain and goldenrod have a thick tuft of shallow roots. (Goldenrod also sends out underground runners, so watch for those.) Shove the trowel under horizontally and lever them from the soil. This isn’t the last time you’ll be dealing with weeds, but strategic efforts made in fall will prevent a weed explosion next spring. Lawns The most valuable lawn feeding is in autumn, in the weeks of September and first half of October. If you fertilize the turf grass only once a year, now is the time to do it. Garden centres and hardware stores will stock lawn fertilizer with an autumn analysis (less nitrogen). Fertilizer applied in autumn won’t produce an immediate burst of vigorous growth, but is absorbed into the plant crown and used for spring growth. Turf grass loses much of its feeder roots over winter. The lower amount of nitrogen in the autumn fertilizer allows the lawn to re-grow roots in earliest spring, and then put up a flush of green blades (following the plant’s natural growth cycle). Fertilizer applied in autumn eliminates the need for early spring applications, if that’s been a ritual of your maintenance routine. You won’t have to rush home to fertilize the lawn! Spring bulbs Flowering spring bulbs (purchased and planted in fall) are an enthusiastic welcome home greeting; but, depending on your arrival date, youmight have missed them. The many categories and extended blooming season of spring bulbs allows you to pinpoint flower display for your return. If you anticipate a late winter to early spring date, be sure to plant some crocus, small species tulips (such as Tulipa tarda), mini iris reticulata and windflowers (Anemone blanda). Include dwarf narcissi (such as ‘February Gold’) and hyacinths. For tulips, try some of the short-stemmed Greigii varieties such as ‘Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Vanilla Cream’; and Fosteriana ‘Emperor’ tulips. For a mid-spring arrival, try some of the fancy two-tone narcissus such as ‘Pink Charm’ and medium-tall Triumph tulips. The mauve balls of giant ornamental onions such as Allium ‘Globemaster’ andA. ‘Ambassador’, and the mid-sizeA. ‘Purple Sensation’ are highlights you don’t want to miss. If you’re arriving late in spring, plan on a generous display of perennial Darwin tulips that will return for many years. This is also the time for peony-form double late tulips, lily-flowered and fringed tulips, and the exotic parrot tulips. Throw in a dozen big trumpet yellow daffodils such as ‘King Arthur’ and ‘Dutch Master’, and you’ll come home to a terrific show. 44 | www.snowbirds.org
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