Bulbs have priority in October gardening activities in the Northwest. Plant spring-blooming ones, and lift and store those that have finished their summer bloom. Cleaning up and composting, preparing for spring planting, and eliminating pests are important to your list. The Cascades divide the area, killing frosts already a danger east of the mountains. But … Read more
A greenhouse will furnish the climate to order. In a warm house, the pattern of the tropics can be followed. Near the edges and in the “toe” of a lean-to, cacti and succulents will flourish in the heat and develop their beauty in form and color. The larger epiphytic bromeliads, aloes, and euphorbias are happy … Read more
Now that we’ve finished planting daffodils, crocus, scillas, camassia, and snowdrops and enjoyed the spring beauty they will bring, we must consider these bulb plantings’ appearance when they bloom over. Their dying foliage is not a pretty sight. Therefore, we should plant seeds of annuals this month to hide the bulb beds next summer. Annuals: … Read more
Have you reached the point where you can’t devote as many hours to your garden as you would like to? Do you have other commitments which consume a major portion of your time? Or must you, for some reason, be away from home for several months? If this is true, then it’s time to start working … Read more
If it is the middle of September, there is still time to order tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths for forcing on the window sill, or in your greenhouse. Potted from mid to late October and left outdoors in a cold frame for a rooting period of eight to ten weeks, they may then be brought indoors … Read more
Strawberries benefit from mulching with clean straw. Place, the covering over the plants so it settles to a depth of about 3” inches. If the wind blows strong in winter, hold the mulch with a chicken wire covering. Put mulch on strawberries after the first light frosts in fall, but before severe frosts. Applying mulch … Read more
Something about October hires one to the woods. It is the best time to dig native ferns. Although the fronds may be dry one can still tell the kind it is. Native Ferns Grow Under Trees Since the native ferns usually grow under trees a hatchet will cut mats of roots so that the whole … Read more
Clear warm days and crisp cool nights promote superb color and quality to roses and annuals that flower until cut down by hard frosts. Petunias, pansies, snapdragons, verbenas, lobelia, alyssum, annual asters, ageratum, cosmos, salvias, scabiosa, and browallias put on a final burst of bloom; dahlias do the same. The garden chrysanthemums practically alone among … Read more
Like the popular pachysandra, ivy, and myrtle which carpet the bare ground with green, there are indoor-style ground covers that serve the same purpose in a diminutive manner. To the lover of terrariums, dish gardens, and similar small-scale replicas of outdoor plantings, they are indispensable. To anyone who loves the miniature, the delicate, the modest … Read more
Irrigation You can expect little rainfall in the Southwest this month, so irrigation is important. Most deciduous trees and shrubs have not yet dropped their leaves and should not be allowed to dry out. Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, laurel, and other hardy broad-leaved evergreens will show ill effects toward the end of a warm, dry season … Read more