September is an “ in - between ” calendar month when daytime temperatures still feel summery but cooler nights signalize the commencement of autumn . As long as the weather continue to be mild , weeds will go forward to grow , plants will need to be watered , and the garden will need to be keep tidy .
Weeding – Summer dope are coming to the end of their normal growing season now , but nerveless - season weeds such as henbit deadnettle ( Lamium amplexicaule ) and common mouse eared chickweed ( Stellaria media ) are starting to appear . If not removed this fall , they will overwinter in your landscape and re-start growing next saltation . A few minutes spent weeding now will importantly dilute the turn of weeds facing you next saltation .
Watering – If there ’s no rain in the approximate - terminus forecast , proceed put up supplemental piddle to your perennial , shrubs , and trees , particularly those newly imbed this year .
Tidying – In accession to weeding , a general spruce up up can make a big difference in your garden ’s appearance this calendar month .
AUTUMN - particular GARDENING TASKS
With cooler temperature on the view , the timing is perfect for dissever perennials and planting trees and shrubs , among other autumn - specific task .
Divide Perennials . September and other October are ideal times to divide plants due to the combination of strong grease , cool temperature , and a greater hazard of rain . Technically , a plant may be divide any time during the growing season , but you ’re likely to have better success if you divide spring- and former summer - flower plant in the fall and fall - flower plants in the bounce . beak a nerveless day for this undertaking . Water the divisions well when you plant them and continue to keep them water so that they become well established before the priming coat freeze .
While most perennial gain from being divided every 3 to 5 days on average , some plants , such as asters , may need to be separate more often . Others , such as peonies , may not necessitate to be divided at all . take care to the plant for clues that it needs to be separate such as :
Not all plants can be easily disunite . For example , false Indigofera tinctoria ( Baptisia ) , milkweed ( Asclepias ) , Aconitum napellus ( Aconitum ) , and balloon efflorescence ( Platycodon ) have taproot that are difficult to separate without severely injuring or killing the plant .
For more information on this topic , seeGuidelines for separate Perennialsin the March 2021 issue ofThe Garden Shed .
Make Stem Tip Cuttings . While you’re able to certainly dig up and overwinter wax begonias , geraniums , coleus , and other bedding plant , they do n’t always react well to the transition indoors . It ’s usually more effective to rout raw plant life from base cutting . The press cutting do n’t take up as much room indoors and they ’re generally light to keep alive over wintertime than a full - size works . Here ’s how to propagate a plant life from a fore cutting :
Propagating Hyssop fore tip cutting . Photo : Pat Chadwick
Save seeds . One of the great pleasures of horticulture is develop flora from seeds collected in your own garden . If you are Modern to saving seeds , annuals and biennial are maturate from seed . Some perennial species may be grown from seed(such as coneflower , rudbeckia , and primal blossom ) but most are maturate from cuttings or variance . Be sure to save seeds fromopen - pollinated or “ heirloom ” speciesrather than loan-blend . This ensures the progeny will resemble the parent flora from which the seminal fluid were collected . Plants maturate from intercrossed varieties often revert to equipment characteristic of earlier generation and are not probable to resemble the parent industrial plant .
To learn more about saving seeds , see the article onGrowing Plants From Seeds You Collectin the September 2017 issue ofThe Garden Shed .
Cut and uphold flowers , such as globe amaranth , marsh rosemary , strawflower , and other plants that dry well , for utilisation in dry out flower transcription . A simple method for drying them is to bundle them loosely and hang them upside down in a dry , well - ventilated space off from lineal sunlight . Purdue University Cooperative Extension service has good information on how topreserve plant material .
Direct sow seedsthis fallof coolheaded - time of year annual , such as calendula , California poppy , larkspur , love - in - a - mist , snapdragon , and sweet alyssum . These species require a period of inhuman , dampish weather condition ( a process called social stratification ) to weaken down the seed coat so that the seed can bourgeon . While technically these semen may be planted very too soon in springtime , enceinte germination success may be achieved by plant them in the twilight .
Got deer?Install credit card fencing , crybaby wire , or other barrier around shrubs and tree , peculiarly young or newly planted ones , to forestall harm this fall from deer browsing and antler detrition . Another approach is to install 4 or 5 tough metallic element fencing wager around vulnerable plants .
Buy bulb for fall planting while provision are still rich . As you design ahead for next year ’s springiness garden , expand your purview and experimentation with lightbulb other than daffodils and tulip . Invest in some of the early - blooming minor bulbs such as Anemone quinquefolia ( Galanthus nivalis ) , starflower ( Iphieon ) , squill ( Siberian sea squill ) , crest iris ( Iris cristata ) , glorification - of - the - Baron Snow of Leicester ( Chionodoxa ) , and other well-situated - to - domesticate hardy bulbs for planting this fall . As extra inducement to you , the deer , hare , voles , and other wildlife broadly speaking do not bother these early bloomers .
TREES AND shrub
Fall is traditionally the best time of year toplant woody ornamental species in the landscape painting . Newly implant trees and shrubs are glad when soil temperatures rove between 55 ° F and 75 ° atomic number 9 . Without the stress of hot summer weather , they can concenter on developing good root systems before the onset of winter . antecedent development barricade once soil temperature drop below 40 ° F . To give those planting the best possible fortune for success , keep them well watered . Do n’t trust on rainfall alone to maintain adequate moisture level . Also , be sure to assert a three - inch bed of mulch over the ascendant ball domain , but not up against the proboscis of the plant , to help hold in moisture and to moderate the soil temperature . For suggestion of shrubs and Tree to plant , check out the Virginia Cooperative Extension ’s publication 450 - 236,Problem - Free Shrubs for Virginia Landscapes , and The Virginia Department of Forestry ’s publishing onCommon Native Trees of Virginia .
Do n’t become alarmed if theneedles on white pines(Pinus strobus ) start to show some yellow around mid to late September . It ’s dead normal for the older , midland acerate leaf to disgorge .
HOUSEPLANT CARE
Remember – you bit by bit acclimated your plants for their conversion to the sunny outdoors this springiness . Now that it ’s meter to bring the plants indoors for the winter , you need to invert the process .
Acclimate terrace plant such as tropic Hibiscusfor winter indoors . Before you move a tropic Hibiscus indoors , cut it back to about 6 ” magniloquent and inspect it for louse . This plant is particularly prone to white-hot flies . Once the plant is indoors , position it near a bright windowpane where it will get plentifulness of light . light irrigate it over the wintertime months .
SEPTEMBER CREEPY CRAWLIES
Banded Woolly Bear Caterpillar – According to a vulgar urban myth , the color bands on the harmless woolly bear cat are a forecaster of just how mild or severe the winter will be . If the black bands on either end of this bristly - look cat are longer than the midway reddish ring , the winter will be harsh . Conversely , a wider substance circle purportedly indicates that the wintertime will be mild . Neither is true . In fact , the immensity of the centre of attention circle has more to do with the age of the cat than its power to predict the weather . Woolly bear , also call “ lanate worm , ” become very participating in fall as they explore for protected place to spend the wintertime . They may be handled but the bristles covering their bodies are burred to the tinge and may make a rash on sensitive skin . This amazing small puppet produces a cryoprotectant in its tissues , which allows it to survive harsh winter weather even when frozen solid . In leaping , it becomes combat-ready again and briefly resumes feeding before pupate . After about 2 calendar week , it finishes its metamorphosis and egress as an grownup Isabella Tiger moth ( Pyrrharctia isabella ) , which is autochthonous to the United States and parts of southern Canada .
Spiders – acquaintance or Foe?The mountain of sunlight scintillate on early morning dew is uncommonly beautiful at this time of year , particularly when it let on a surprising telephone number of spider webs glistening in the landscape . On the one hand , spiders entrance us because of the fragile looking at yet solid and graceful web they spin . On the other hand , spiders are chilling looking . They have eight eyes , eight legs , and are related to tick and soupcon . Although most spider are harmless to humans , two spider in this surface area of Virginia are poisonous — the contraband widow wanderer and the brown recluse wanderer . A bite from either one of these dangerous species can make serious symptoms requiring prompt medical attending . To learn more , see the Virginia Cooperative Extension ’s publication onSpiders of Medical Concern in Virginia . Spiders are very effective predators and feed in entirely on other insects or animals that are small enough for them to catch . In fact , they play a significant role in helping to control many pest insects . For that reason , give them a wide place if you are afraid of them , but give them credit for the beneficial function they playact in our garden .
INVASIVE ALERT
Porcelain - Berry(Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)iseasy to spot in September and Octoberwhen clump of different colored berries ripen tobright turquoise blue . This invasive vine is a quickly growing woody perennial vine with a huge hard - to - drink down root organization . Herbicidal foliar treatment is most effective for eradicating the vine when applied between midsummer and early fall . It is the only feasible option for treating big infestation . edit out back the vine and spraying the regrowth is a good manner to scale down the amount of herbicide needed . Another method is tocut the largest stems down near the land ( curve stump method)and apply a concentrated , recommended herbicide immediately to the cut . A third method is touse a basal bark software if you could hit the largest stems in the snarl . This requires applying a concentrated , recommend herbicide mixed with horticultural oil to the downcast 12 ” of the stems ; no cutting is ask . For additional selective information on Porcelain - Berry , see the Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management ( PRISM)Factsheet .
Many invasive flora species are easier to identify in downslope because of their brightly color berries , fall leafage , or both , and Porcelain - Berry is just one example . To learn more about other incursive species in this area of Virginia and method acting for check them at this time of year , see theBlue Ridge PRISMwebsite . See also theInvasive Plant Control Calendarin the May 2022 issue ofThe Garden Shed .
PESTICIDE WARNING
Pesticides ( which admit herbicide , insecticide , rotenticides , etc . ) are venomous . Always learn and cautiously follow all guard and safety recommendations given on the container label . Store all chemical in the original labeled containers in a locked console or shed , away from food or provender , and out of the compass of children , unauthorised someone , pets , and livestock . Consult thepesticide labelto square up active ingredients , signal words , and right protective equipment . pesticide practice in your nursing home and landscape painting can move andcontaminate creeks , lakes , and rivers . Confine chemicals to the property being care for and never allow them to get into drainpipe or creek . ward off drift onto neighboring properties and untargeted field .
FEATURE PHOTO : New England aster ‘ Violetta ’ with rough - stemmed goldenrod ‘ pyrotechnic ’ . Photo : Pat Chadwick
reference
The Perennial Care Manual(Ondra , Nancy J. , 2009 )
The Well - Tended Perennial Garden , Third Edition ( DiSabato - Aust , Tracy , 2017 )
“ Indoor Plant Culture , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension ( VCE ) Publication426 - 100
“ Planting Trees , ” VCE Publication HORT426 - 702
“ Porcelain - Berry , ” Blue Ridge PRISMFactsheet .
“ Spiders : An Undeserved Bad Reputation , ” VCE PublicationENTO-393NP .
“ Wooly Bear Caterpillar : Winter Predictor or Not ? ” National Weather Service Article , www.weather.gov / arx / woollybear
Virginia Tech Weed Identification WebsiteVA Tech Weed Identification list .
