Have you noticed? The weather is changing. It’s subtle, but when you walk out in the morning the air feels just a bit more comfortable.
We experienced our longest day of the year in late June, and since then, the days have been getting progressively shorter. We’re beginning to feel the effect. In early to mid-September, we often begin to notice that the sun is coming up a little later and it gets dark earlier.
Labor Day is often touted as the traditional “end of summer.” Maybe it is up in Maine. But still, if you squint just right, you can almost see the end of our long and brutally hot summer.
According to the calendar, fall will officially start on the fall equinox on Sept. 22. For us, though, the traditional fall period is not a time of harvest, falling leaves and winding things down in the garden, but of revival and renewed effort. Finally, we can get back into our gardens and enjoy ourselves as the debilitating heat eases.
For the next two months, we will experience a gradual shift to milder weather. There will be cool spells followed by decidedly hot summerlike weather. But as we move into late October, cooler weather will begin to dominate.
Not until mid- to late-November do we generally experience the nippy weather and changing leaves that tell us fall has finally arrived. It is now, however, that we begin to see the first hints of what is to come, and much of what we do in the garden over the next few months is influenced by the coming changes.
Getting their second wind
First, you might notice an increase of vigor in your warm-season bedding plants. Even heat-tolerant flowers, like salvia, impatiens, begonias and zinnias, do not always look their best in August. But shorter days mean fewer hours of intense heat, even though the daytime highs may stay about the same, and plants begin to experience less stress.
This encourages a “second wind” in the flower garden that may last well into late October and November. Watch how the leaves seem greener, the flower colors brighter, and the plants overall just seem to feel better.
It’s too late to prune fall-, winter- and spring-blooming trees and shrubs, including hydrangeas. They’ve already set flower buds.
By JILL PICKETT | Staff photographer
Warm-season bedding plants may linger in good shape well into November. Enjoy them. As long as they are attractive, there is no hurry to remove them and put in cool-season bedding plants. However, by late November it’s time to pull out the warm-season plants that brightened our summer gardens — even if they still look relatively good — and put in the cool-season bedding plants that will provide color from fall to late spring.
Grooming do’s and don’ts
Now, near the end of the summer growing season, it might be a good idea to impose some order on those overgrown flower beds. In addition to cutting back plants where needed, groom the planting to remove dead flowers and unattractive foliage. If plants are leaning or have fallen over onto neighbors, prop them up or stake them so they will stand upright.
When it comes to pruning, don’t forget that it is too late to prune fall-, winter- and spring-blooming trees and shrubs, such as sasanqua, camellia, azalea, Indian hawthorn, gardenia and hydrangea. These plants have already set their flower buds, and any pruning done from now on will diminish the floral display.
With glossy, dark green foliage and nonstop flowers in shades of pink, yellow, orange, white, lavender or scarlet, hibiscuses are very popular. Plant them now.
RUSTY COSTANZA / THE TIMES-PICAY
What and when to plant
If you intend to plant tropical plants in your landscape, do so as soon as possible. These plants are damaged by temperatures below freezing. It is important to give them as much time as possible, while the weather is still warm, to grow roots and establish themselves in the ground before freezing weather arrives in late November or December.
It’s still early to plant hardy trees, shrubs, ground covers and vines in the landscape. Daytime highs in the 90s will likely still occur in the next few weeks, and this continues to be stressful for new plantings. Wait at least until the cooler weather of late October. The ideal planting season for hardy trees, shrubs and ground covers is November through February.
That makes this an excellent time to start planning landscaping projects, like adding a shade tree or flowering tree, dressing up the front of the house with new shrubs or planting a ground cover under a tree where grass won’t grow.
For spring tulips, buy bulbs now for a good selection, but wait until mid-October to December to plant them.
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
Spring-flowering bulbs also become available this month at area nurseries and garden centers, but there is no hurry to plant them. Purchase early while the selection is good, but plant bulbs into the garden from mid-October through early December. Refrigerate tulips and hyacinths for six to eight weeks before planting. If you intend to mail order spring bulbs, do so as soon as possible.
Although generally not known for blooming this time of year, azaleas that bloom during seasons other than spring are becoming more available and popular. Particularly notable are some of the Robin Hill azaleas such as Watchet and the popular Glen Dale cultivar Fashion. The Encore azaleas bloom from August through November and again in spring, and include many wonderful colors.
So, let’s anticipate the soon to arrive milder weather, and enjoy the delights of gardening over the next few months. But when the fall equinox arrives next week, don’t get carried away. For us, summer will still be lingering for a while after.
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