Many bulbs should be planted in the fall. They can be planted with the perennials to avoid perennial root disturbance. They will intermingle without a problem. You might also consider planting some annual seeds in the fall. Some varieties, such as larkspur and poppies, benefit from fall planting. You will be happy you did this when spring comes.

Nurseries are interested in getting rid of their stock before winter comes. You will likely be able now to find some good prices on many plants. It is true that the selection is not as plentiful as in the spring, but the likelihood of survival is greater.

Fall is also the perfect time for aerating your lawn, thatching, fertilizing, and over seeding. If all of that is too much to tackle, at least fertilize your lawn areas. Fall lawn fertilizing is important. It feeds the roots, allowing the grass to winter more successfully and start out on a healthy path in the spring.

As always, it is important to weed and mulch. Keep up with this now and there will be less work to do next spring, and your garden will look good all winter!

Avoid over fertilizing: Aphids prefer tender new growth that appears in profusion with over fertilized plants.  Use slow release fertilizer.

Monitor: Check your plants once a week.  If you see ants climbing up a plant they are most likely harvesting the aphids’ honeydew.  Putting sticky tape around the trunk of plants can stop ants.

Spray with water:  Spraying aphids with water can dislodge them from the infested plant and knock them off where they will be less likely to re-infest.

Natural predators:  There are natural predators such as lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid flies, and various parasitic wasps.  Lady beetles are often available commercially, however they tend to disperse in a few days.

Insecticidal soap:  A mixture of two tablespoons of mild dish soap with luke warm water in a spray bottle is effective in cleaning aphids from plants.  The soap dissolves the aphids waxy protective coating and causes them to dehydrate.  Also mixing three tablespoons of vegetable or horticultural oil with luke warn water and a few drops of dish soap can be effective to clog the aphids breathing spiracles.  Spray once a week and alternate between methods.

These methods only take care of mature aphids, not those in eggs.  Repeated applications should eventually rid your plants of the little pests.

Michal

I recently read an article in the September 2009 Landscape Architecture Magazine ‘Haag’s Edible Estate’.  For those of you who don’t know, Rich Haag founded the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Washington and has designed some very notable places including Gasworks Park here in Seattle and the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.  This article looks at the landscape of his private residence in Capitol Hill, which is an active experiment and example of what he has coined ‘nutrimental horticulture’.  The term is a mouthful but the ideas behind it caught my attention immediately.

Balancing the utility of a food producing garden with a landscape that is also beautiful and welcoming is something that drives many of my designs, including my own gardens.  Gardens are about discovery and activating our many senses.  Showy flowers and an intoxicating smell are great but think of discovering your first ripe strawberry; this evokes a special reaction.  Why can’t all landscapes have this multi-sensorial experience? They can.

One plant that is very easy to utilize in a landscape are blueberries. They are tolerant of a wide range of soil and light conditions (err on the side of shady and moist) and beyond the berries, the leaves have great fall color, changing to a bright red as the plant goes dormant.

If you are looking to create an informal screen, try red raspberries.  They grow into 5-6′ canes which spread through rhizomes over time.  Raspberries can be perfect for obscuring a utility shed or a tall cedar fence.  Many varieties of raspberry will produce fruit multiple times throughout the summer.

Does your garden need a bulletproof ground cover?   Similar to the aforementioned strawberry plant (which is a must) creeping bramble (Rubus pentalobus) sprawls low to the ground and produces bright orange, raspberry-like fruit.

A great way to bring structure to the garden is a trellis.  Trellises allow plants, especially vines, to grow vertically and often with a dramatic result.  They can support garden variety vegetables like climbing beans and peas that can be grown throughout the year.  As an alternative try grape vines or better yet, hops.  This summer I grew hops (Cascade variety) for the first time. They quickly grew to about ten feet tall with pendulous clusters of yellow green hops, a surprisingly good turnout for the first year.  Hop plants grow from rhizomes that mature and increase in size over time producing more and more hops.

Lastly, an edible plant that makes both an architectural statement and is very sought after for its culinary uses, the artichoke.  This plant may not be for everyone but it is dramatic as a focal plant. Mature plants can grow to be 6-7′ feet tall with bold serrated fronds and large thistle flowers (the artichoke).  Tall and conspicuous, I see it as the Palm Tree of the garden.  Unlike the Palm, however, the artichoke is perennial and will die back in the fall to emerge in spring.

I will readily admit that I have had mixed results with some of these plants (especially the artichoke). To me the experiment is a part of the experience.  Try new things alongside successes of the past.  It is a great way to discover what works in your garden landscape.

Zach

What we term ornamental grasses, those plants with long leaves, are actually several categories of plants; sedges, true grasses, and reeds or rushes.

“Sedges have Edges…” The stems of sedges are often triangular and have edges or corners.  The stems are generally solid and their seed heads are not particularly showy.  The Carexs are sedges, and, true to type, do not need trimming.  In the spring and/or fall, simply don gloves and comb through the clumps, extracting the dead leaves.

“and Rushes are round..”: Rushes belong to the family Juncaceae, their stems are typically cylindrical like true grasses, but solid, and they lack nodes.  Not too much to do to rushes except cut out the dead stalks.

“Grasses are hollow and rush all around.” True grasses are from the family Poaceae and have narrow leaves.  They have long veins running parallel to the edge of the leaves.  Their stems are hollow except at the nodes or joints.  They may form clumps or spread by runners.  These can be cut in the fall, or leave the seed heads standing till the end of winter.  Again, don gloves as for the edges may be sharp.  I always wait for a sunny day in February, and then look for the new green shoots, deep in the clumps, as the first harbingers of spring.

Baxter

Mulching: Mulching trees with organic materials, such as wood or bark chips, provides many plant health benefits.  Mulch conserves soil moisture, insulates soil to reduce winter injury and improves the physical condition of soil.  Apply mulch to a depth of 2-4 inches around plantings.  Avoid contact with stem.

Soils and Nutrient Management: Plants should be fertilized in fall or spring following the drought when soils are recharged by rainfall.  Avoid fertilization during droughts because it provides little benefit when water is the limiting growth factor.  Additions of commercially available mycorrhizal fungi to soil will benefit drought stricken plants, especially mature trees.  Mycorrhizae inoculants stimulate root development and improve the absorption efficiency of those roots.

Pruning: Clean to remove dead, damaged and dying branches and to reduce pest problems.  This reduces the demands for water and nutrients.  Thinning must be done judiciously because excessive pruning can weaken the plant.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Moisture stressed plants are more susceptible to insect borers, bark beetles and root, stem and foliage diseases.  Cool season mites are a particular concern on hemlock.  Trained technicians periodically inspect plants and apply treatment for pests and health.

Attracting birds into your landscape can be easy if you know a little about what they like and their habits. Plants are a key part in many birds’ lives because they provide both materials and structure for shelter, and provide food with not only a multitude of fruits, nuts and seeds but also a source for insect eating birds.

Birds are highly visual and are attracted by brightly colored flowers; this is especially true of hummingbirds, so choose plants with red or orange (tubular) flowers to get them interested. The eating habits of birds vary widely. Small non-migratory birds eat almost constantly during daylight hours where as migratory birds need large amounts of food for a day or two.

Different plants have different resources to offer. Deciduous plants bear the most fruit, nuts and seeds. Evergreen plants and trees provide berries and seed-filled cones and can act as year-round shelters and nesting sites.

Here are some locally available plants that provide resources for birds in Seattle gardens:

Trees

Acer circinatum / Vine Maple – Provide seeds eaten by many birds

Crataegus douglasii / Black Hawthorne – Grows in a thicket, provides great shelter, berries eaten
by birds, robins, woodpeckers and ducks

Sorbus varieties / Mountain Ash – Provides shelter and berries in summer and fall

Shrubs

Cornus stolonifera / Red-Twig Dogwood – Provides nesting site, berries eaten by warblers, robins
and flycatchers

Ribes alpinum / Red Flowering Currant – Berries eaten by jays, sparrows, and woodpeckers,
nectar and color attractive to hummingbirds

Symphoricarpos albus / Snowberry – Berries persist into the winter, eaten regularly by quail and
grouse, emergency food for many others

Sambucus varieties / Red and Blue Elderberry – Red variety ripen in early summer, blue variety
ripen in fall, nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies

Lonicera fragrantissima / Honeysuckle – Prolific flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds

Fuchsia varieties – Spring and summer food source for hummingbirds

Perennials

Aquilegia formosa / Red Columbine – Favorite native for hummingbirds, sparrows and finches
like seeds, very adaptable plant and showy flowers

Dicentra formosa / Western Bleeding Heart – Early spring source of nectar for hummingbirds

Crocosmia varieties / Montbretia – Summer food source for hummingbirds

Outside my kitchen window grows a Mock

Winter: Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’, Sarcacocca hookerana humilis, S. ruscifolia

Spring: Choisya ternate, Daphne odora, Wisteria floribunda, Clematis armandii

Summer: Lonicera japonica, Jasminum polyanthum, Philadelphus coronarius

Fall: Cercidiphyllum japonica – the leaves smell of cinnamon and apple, Itea iliciflora

And don’t forget the herbs, especially the old standards: the mints, parsley, rosemary, and the thymes.

Baxter