Although I may have renounced some of the traditional flowers of descent — sorry , mamma fans — in other ways I am embracing former season gardening more than ever before . And , no , it ’s not just the 300 - plus bulb .
Rather than go softly into the balmy September nighttime , I have with child architectural plan . Out go the final tincture of the roseate bottom , to be planted in the skittle alley where they can stand for themselves . In come a grouping of late - blinking , tall perennials . There is a young hydrangea to be implant and an old one to be proceed . There may be another and even more comprehensive bed replacement in the works . And of course we have the bulbs .
I am sure many of you have make out the joys of later summer and early surrender gardening for many year , but for me , it has always been as if a switch gets turned off after Labor Day . There are reason for this . At the end of a longsighted , hot summer , it ’s relax to just let the garden go , to halt watering the containers ( which in my typeface get meet with bulbs ) , and simply watch the gradual declination of the perennial with a casual and detached interest . But it ’s a very contrived timetable , based on the recurrence to work and the start of a busy cultural season , with artistry openings , benefits , swordplay , and many other events to attend — well , if anyone was taken aback by Buffalo partying in summer , they should see us in the free fall !
In realness , though , warm weather condition carry on here through September and often well into October . There is absolutely no reason not to keep horticulture , no understanding , that is , except exhaustion . And I was heartened by some discussion from local garden writer and horticulturalist Sally Cunningham , who wrote in last Friday’sBuffalo News :
The perennials we used to buy were especially unspeakable in August — pot - bound , leggy and well past flowering . They were cheap , but survival was a foresighted shot . Who knew how many time the plant had dried out , been emphasise and the real condition of those poor roots?Now we can take home quart- or gallon- sized pots with lots of solution that have n’t even begun to touch the side of the skunk . Also , many garden meat now maintain a full stock of plants through summertime . Some were cut back once or twice , some pot up the next sizing pot . Others were purchase from top - quality wholesalers who grow them for summer purchase and optimum public presentation once they ’re in the primer coat .
In spite of all assurances to the opposite , I have always been suspicious of fall planting of perennials , having see some rime pant , especially with heucheras . I still trust our zona is more or less marginal for former time of year planting . This class will be my first experiment — we’ll see how it all survives . But at a certain percentage point I will have to stop . When do you ?
