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CREATIVE LANDSCAPES 'Elegant Environments for Your Home' |
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Garden Planner: September |
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Even though the temperatures start to drop in September it is still very important to water plants, especially newer plantings, during any dry spells. September through October 15th is your last chance to seed a lawn and have it establish before winter. (Lawns in the shade will take longer to fill in, and these need to be seeded by September 20th, or wait until next March.) Existing lawns will benefit from dethatching, adding lime and over seeding this month. In the third week of September lawns should be cut lower in the 2-3" range. Fertilizer such as 25-10-5 can be applied in mid September, with weed control if needed. As the leaves start to fall they can be cut up and left on the lawn with a mulching mower. Heavy leaf accumulations should be raked or blown off the lawn. Many weeds go to seed at this time of year. It is imperative that throughout the yard weeds are removed, sprayed with 'Round-up', or at the very least cut down, before the flowers turn to seed and make thousands of new weeds for next year! You may have seen the slogan 'Fall is for Planting'. There is a lot of truth in this as you will have to do a lot less watering in the Fall than in the Spring and Summer, and roots develop better in cool temperatures. This means your plants will be much stronger and grow faster next year. The best time to plant new evergreen shrubs and trees in the fall is September through early November. Deciduous (lose their leaves) shrubs and trees can be planted from September into early December. Early fall is also an excellent time to plant perennial flowers. Perennial borders should be evaluated and upgraded in September and October. New borders planted now will produce many more flowers next year, compared with planting in the spring. In the vegetable garden you may have an excess of tomatoes! You can wash and blend these up, and put them into sealable containers for freezing to make sauces in the winter. You may be tempted to prune this month, but it is best to wait until mid November when plants have stopped growing. (Spring blooming plants should be pruned after they bloom in the early summer.) This is your last chance to order bulbs by mail! You can start buying bulbs in the local garden centers at the end of the month. Bulbs can be planted anytime from October into early December. At the end of the month you can start bringing your house plants back inside. Remove dead leaves, hose off vigorously, and then spray with insecticidal soap and horticultural-grade oil solution before bringing plants indoors. Call Creative Landscapes for all your landscaping projects! A list of our services can be found on the What we do page. Check the Garden Planner next month and every month to have the best garden in your neighborhood! Happy gardening from the folks at Creative Landscapes! |
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To set up an appointment with a Professional Designer call 610-565-9910 or Email designs@creativelandscapes.com giving your name, phone numbers, address and a brief description of your project. All photography and articles on this website are copyright Creative Landscapes and may be reproduced, copied or published by permission only. News media may use articles on this website by crediting the source of the article and submitting editorial changes for our prior approval. |