My son, Christopher, was hospitalized recently. While any hospitalization is concerning, when it is a child and involves a two-hour ambulance ride in the middle of the night, it can be particularly frightening. On the second day of the hospitalization, between sitting by his bedside, running to Starbucks for some caffeine, and texting worried family members, a message popped up on my phone: ‘Everything is OK.’ My first reaction was that of anger. Everything is most certainly NOT OK! As I continued to text, used Google to search various pieces medical information, and occasionally tried unsuccessfully to relax by watching Netflix, each and every time I looked at my phone the message ‘Everything is OK’ was visible on my home screen. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that perhaps I should interpret this as a message from God and accept that this inanimate object was right. Everything was OK.
The fall is a wonderful time to enjoy the outdoors by admiring the beauty around us. While admiring your yard, you may want to ask yourself, “Is everything OK?” Hopefully the answer is a resounding “Yes!” There are some gardening projects, however, that can and should be done now. Here are a few suggestions:
Want color next spring? Think ahead and plant bulbs now. Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth, Dutch Iris, Siberian Squill and of course Tulips can all be planted from now until the ground freezes. Their burst of color in the spring is always a welcome sight.
Please make sure that your plants go into winter with the correct amount of moisture. Even though the days are getting cooler and the nights longer, continue to water your plants. Water them, especially the evergreens, until the ground freezes.
Fall is a great time to plant. If you have been considering adding some new plants to your landscape you may want to do it now. Fall is also a great time to divide existing perennial flowers. Transplanting is also often done now.
Annual flowers planted in containers have given us months of gorgeous color and can be replaced now with fall blooming plants. Asters, Mums and Fall Rudbeckia all look beautiful now. Fall blooming perennials can also add color and interest. Sedum, Plumbago and ornamental grasses add interest when incorporated into planters.
Perennial flowers can be cutback in the fall. I usually recommend waiting until we have had a hard frost and then evaluating the foliage of the perennial flowers. If the foliage looks bad, then cut it back or rake it up. Hostas and daylilies would be two examples of plants that are usually cutback to the ground in the fall. If the foliage still looks good after a hard frost, then I would leave the plant alone. The foliage on perennial geranium and dianthus usually falls into that category.
Spreading mulch in the fall helps to insulate plants throughout our sometimes harsh winters. Although all plants can be mulched in the fall, Hydrangea and butterfly bush are just two examples of plants that may need the extra insulation.
As time passed and I became more assured that Christopher really was Ok, I asked him to please figure out how to remove the message on my home screen. He was unsuccessful. Apparently it is tied to some sort of program that screens my phone for viruses. I didn’t tell him that I thought it was a message from God. That will be our little secret.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., a garden center and landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
