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Gardening with Terri
Checking out the fall spectacular
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Another perfect weekend and what fabulous fall foliage we have here in Chatham-Kent. While on our Sunday ride, we couldn't help but notice the spectacular show of colours. The sugar maples take first prize with all the scarlet, oranges and reds. Honourable mention than goes to the ginkgo maidenhair with its brilliant yellow fan shaped leaves and we must not leave out the elegant birch with its heart shaped golden leaves shimmering in the slightest breeze.Some of the lesser known or used trees have their place in the autumn parade too. The sourwood or Lily of the Valley tree with is lustrous dark green summer leaves now turning yellow, purple and red. The sweet gum not only mimics the shape of the maple leaf but also takes on the same fall colour characteristics of the maple as well. Then you have the majestic beeches and oaks with their multi coloured leaves that like to hold onto them as long as they can just to give us that one last look before the snows arrive.
Even though I am a spring and summer kind of gal, I have to say that the magic of autumn does make it a little bit easier to accept what lies ahead. So get out there now and take a walk anywhere in this city or go for a ride out in the country and take in the million dollar view while itís here. There's no charge and you won't regret it!
There are plenty of reasons, besides the weather, to be out in the garden this fall. If you want your garden to get a jump start on spring, let's make sure we're working on that "To Do" list. If you want to still see bloom in the garden, then icicle pansies will fit the bill. Pop some into a window box or pot or anywhere in the ground and you could have colour to December. Then cover them with evergreen boughs until early spring and they should be ready to sprout new buds for another show.
Leaves are garden gold. What doesn't go into the compost bin can be spread around shrubs and over exposed soil (remember though, they don't belong on the lawns). With the shrubs and gardens however, between the weather elements above and the worms below, they will be naturally decomposed and returned to plants in the form of a fertilizer.
If you like that natural look, take handfuls of hardy annual seeds and generously sow them where you would like to see more plants and bloom for next year. Poppies, cosmos, larkspur and cleome are good ones to use for success.
If you're a true lily fan, then this is the best time to ensure flower bud set for next year. Bulb chilling is essential for budding and planting in the spring does not guarantee enough chilling has taken place.
Be patient in mulching your newly placed plants. Wait until the soil has frozen and then apply a thick mulch of leaves, etc to keep their root balls safe from the heaving action of freeze and thaw.
Plant that garlic now in a sunny spot. Lots of manure and mulch and your July harvest will be worth the wait.
If you have clematis or honeysuckle that need moving – now is the time.
Those are just a few more errands to consider while the window of opportunity is opened. There are still a few more do's and don'ts which we will address next week.
Meanwhile – "Plant of the Week" is going to be the ginkgo biloba! It really is one of my favourites. We have a two foot seedling we've been nursing for two years now and I am always fascinated by it. This unique tree is also one of the oldest trees growing on earth. Can you just imagine? Millions of years this tree has survived! It has undoubtedly one of the most distinct family history trees known. It's a living fossil.
Now ours is just a spindly little stick but it can grow to 50 feet and it will widen to a two or three foot girth. It loves sun and isn't fussy about the soil. It's insect and disease free and is a great landscape tree. The unique fan shape, bright green leaf is now a spectacular fall golden yellow. The other uniqueness about this tree is that there are male and female trees which both have flowers. The botanical word for this condition is dioecious. Cool eh? Anyway, you want to make sure you get a male tree because the fruit or seeds that are produced on the female tree are extremely messy and really have a strong odor to them. Other than that, the ginkgo biloba is certainly a unique tree that is sure to get plenty of attention in your yard. And rightfully so!
HYPERLINK "http://www.pbase.com/artaacom/autumn" INCLUDEPICTURE "http://k41.pbase.com/g6/96/597696/2/69690186.i...7TYRZRY.jpg" * MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.baileyplants.com/images/Ginkgo.jpg" * MERGEFORMATINET
That's it for now and Happy Gardening!
Terri Dent is home grown from Chatham-Kent. Her roots began on a farm in Raleigh Township. She moved to the big city of Chatham when she married in 1971 but the love of the land and nature has always remained in her blood. Her big push into horticulture started in the 80's. She and husband Ron (with tender persuasion) decided to turn their suburban plot - which their house laid on, into something more than a patch of grass. Through numerous gardening and horticultural courses, Terri harnessed the knowledge to move full steam ahead and hasn't looked back. She has a Diploma in Garden and Landscape Design and believes continuous education is a must in the horticultural world. Terri was instrumental in starting up Garden Tours in Chatham and has won numerous local and regional gardening awards. The Dent's garden has been published in several magazines and is listed as a the number one top area garden in the Ontario's Great Gardens to Visit book authored by a Patricia Singer of Toronto. Terri's past speaking engagements have been to business, church groups, libraries and Horticultural Societies. Terri presently sits on the Board of Directors for the Blenheim-Harwich Horticultural Society.
