The late summer flower garden
can sometimes be a little disappointing.
Many perennials are finished
flowering and the annuals have been
Through the wear and tear of
summer heat and storms. And the autumn perennials,
asters and chrysanthemums,
won’t be blooming for a couple of weeks.
Deadheading the spent flowers
will keep perennials blooming for a
Longer period of time. But
after several flushes of bloom they may be in need
of good pruning. Yarrows,
salvias and coneflowers are good candidates
for this type of pruning. The
brown leaves and stems can be cut back to
green growth. You’ll find new
growth at the base of the plants.
Sometimes the new growth will
flourish enough and the plant will bloom
again in the fall.
Continue to deadhead and trim
the annual flowers as well to keep them
looking their best. Cut back
any broken, leggy or wilted growth to
encourage new strong shoots.
Most of the annuals will reach their peak
size and flowering in
September putting on a spectacular display.
Ornamental grasses are one
group of plants that look great in the late
summer. They have reached
their full height and many of them begin to
bloom in August. The grasses
look great with summer blooming perennials
and most of the species are
deer resistant. It is a good time to select
these grasses and add them to
the garden. They can be planted any time
during the growing season up
until a couple of weeks before the ground
freezes.
Late summer is the time to
think about propagating some of your
favorite plants for next
year. Many of the annuals and herbs that will succumb
to frost can be grown in the
home during winter. And taking cuttings at
this point in the season can
propagate many shrubs.
The tender herbs such as rosemary
and lemon verbena will need to be
over-wintered indoors. If the
plant is a manageable size it can be
potted up and readied for its
move inside. Gradually decrease the
sunlight exposure by moving
the plant into the shade. When the plant is
brought into the house a few
weeks from now it will be less likely to
drop leaves from the change
in light exposure.
Taking cuttings is the best
way to save tender plants that are
semi-woody and too big to
move inside. Select healthy shoots that are
3-4” long. Remove the leaves
from the bottom half of the cutting. Dip
the cut end into rooting
hormone and plant it into sterile media that
has been pre-moistened.
Vermiculite, sand or a soil-less seed-starting
mix is a good choice for
media. A mini greenhouse can be created around
the cuttings with a clear
plastic bag. Keep the potted cuttings in an
area with indirect light. The
media should be kept moist and the
plastic
vented. After several weeks
the cuttings should start to root. Once
rooted the cutting can be
moved to bright light and the plastic
removed.
As the plants grow pinch the
tips to create well branched specimens.
Plants without woody stems
can be rooted easily in water. Basil, mint,
and coleus are easy to root
in water. Remove the lower leaves of the
cutting so that only the stem
is in the water. Change the water
periodically to prevent any
algae growth. After a few weeks roots will
grow. Pot up these cuttings
when the root growth is at least equal to
half of the leaf growth.
Sometimes you will find
seedlings of a favorite plant near its parent.
These too can be potted up or
moved to another part of the garden if it
is a hardy plant. Dig up the
entire root ball with soil when you
transplant these seedlings in
the yard to reduce transplant shock.
Water the seedling after
planting and mulch to keep the soil moist.
September is considered the
best time to plant grass seed or renovate
the lawn in our area. Prepare
the area for seeding now. Eliminate any
weeds removing them by hand
or with an herbicide. If you choose to use
an herbicide let the product
completely kill the weeds before you rake
or pull them out. It will
take at least a week for the product to do
the job.
Beth Nardone, botanist, is a
resident of Hillsborough and is the
Nursery
Manager at the Belle Mead
Co-Op. Questions and comments can be sent to
bethtanical@patmedia.net
<mailto:bethtanical@patmedia.net>
<mailto:bethtanical@patmedia.net>