When it comes to your perennials and annuals, keep on dead heading to encourage fresh flowers to continue. Annuals love additional liquid fertilizer keeping them blooming right up until frost.
In the cooler regions, it is time to be done fertilizing your roses now so that they have time to shut down before winter comes.
Please wait on pruning your trees and shrubs at this time of the year. Pruning can sometimes stimulate new growth and it is a bit late in the season to encourage new growth on trees and shrubs in the more northern areas. We want the growth we do have on our trees and shrubs to harden off before the end of the growing season.
Pruning on some plants can be done later in the year. Always remember that spring flowering woody plants should not be pruned in fall (Lilacs, Forsythia, Rhododendron or Azaleas, or Quince to name a few). These plants already have their flower buds hiding on the tips of the branches all ready for next spring. Pruning then off in fall removes the flowers in spring.
When it comes to late summer and fall planting trees, shrubs, perennials, fruit trees and anything that we offer in containers can be planted with wildly successful results as long as you keep your hose handy. The ground is warm so encouraging new roots is a piece of cake! The night time temperatures are cooler allowing the plants the perfect environment for getting established very quickly. Planting now will trick your plants into thinking they have been in the ground for a whole year next spring when they begin to grow, so you really do get a jump on your new plantings by a whole season.
When it comes to your bluegrass lawns…
Now is the best time of the year to weed and feed your lawns if your lawn is irrigated or if you have had enough rains that your lawn and weeds are actively growing and not dormant. If your lawn is very dry, wait for some early fall rains or you can irrigate. If you only fertilized your lawn once a year, NOW is that time to do so. You can thicken up and eliminate weeds and next spring there will not be the weed problems to deal with if you eliminate them now.
Now is an incredible time to establish grass seed too. The ground is warm, and the cooler nights and better chance for additional moisture is better, so the seed germinates fast and even as long as you remember to water lightly mid-day each day until it germinates. Then change your watering to heaver and only once a week. New lawns really benefit greatly from Starter Fertilizer right at the start.
Watch for our tips each week to help with your lawn and gardening questions.
