The autumnal equinox occurs during the third week of September. It is the time when the sun crosses the equator making day and night of equal length on all points of the earth. After the equinox in Autumn, the days grow shorter. In September we stop fertilizing plants, but we continue deadheading our fall bloomers, as we want flowers to continue coming until frost. The purpose of cutting off the spent flowers is so the plant won’t produce seeds. Once seeds are set, a plant shuts down because it has completed its primary purpose, which is to reproduce itself. When we deadhead, we snip the spent flower off right above a leaf axil where the topmost leaves join the flower’s stem. When deadheading roses, cut just above a group of five leaves on the stem, as this stimulates the development of new growth. Carry a bucket around the garden to collect the flower heads as you cut them off the plants. Then set the bucket of spent flowers in a cool dry spot out of the sun, and when the flowers are completely dry, place them in an airtight container and add some fixative such as orris root to which you have added a few drops of perfumed essential oil available at hobby shops. Your potpourri will be then ready to use this winter.
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Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums have been grown and hybridized for many centuries it is difficult to determine their parentage. It seems though, that they originated in China. Confucius wrote of them in 500 BC. The ancient Chinese valued plants for their symbolic and moral associations, and the chrysanthemums which blooms in autumn, when other plants are dying off, was esteemed as a life-prolonging herb. Chrysanthemums went to Japan in the fourth century and became its national flower. They were introduced to Europe in 1688 and arrived in America in 1798.Pots of flowering mums are now widely available for fall planting in our gardens for an instant display of autumn color. Not all will survive, however, because these flowering transplants may not have time for their roots to settle in before winter. Those that do, should be pinched back the next spring and summer to keep them compact, and fertilized to maintain their vigor. They need a sunny spot and regular watering but should not be in soggy ground.Their variety of colors is glorious and their flower shapes include pom pom, spider, daisy, and spoon.If you want mums to be reliably perennial in your garden, look for small plants next spring and pinch and feed them through mid July. You will then have bushy plants strongly rooted in your garden for bloom next fall and for years after.
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The Fairy Rose
Greek frescoes from the second millennium B.C. show what is believed to be the earliest known representation of a rose. The name, according to legend, is because a woman of exquisite beauty, Rhodanthe, was turned into a beautiful rose.Roses grew abundantly in medieval gardens where the rose petals were compressed to make rosaries.Roses have been loved since antiquity, and today there are countless species, hybrids and cultivars represented in the genus "rosa." Those with the showiest blossoms are often difficult for the weekend gardener to grow. However, one polyantha rose "The Fairy" is low maintenance, and therefore an excellent choice for home gardens.It blooms throughout the growing season with clusters of small pink flowers which though they are not perfumed, last well in a vase. It can be planted in the spring or fall, preferably in full sun, though it will tolerate light shade.It prefers moist but well drained soil with plenty of compost mixed in. It is a low spreading plant and needs about an inch of water each week.Each spring prune off any dead canes, and fertilize monthly until august. This is a lovely informal rose bush that rewards your minimal attention to its needs, with a luxuriant and continuous display of flowers.
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Gladiolus
The name "gladiolus," is from a Latin word meaning "little sword" because of the shape of the plant's leaves. They grow from corms, which are planted flat side down, two inches apart and at least 4 inches deep. They look best if planted in clumps rather than rows, and they must have full sun.The vertical flower spikes that open from the bottom up are used by florists to provide height in large formal arrangements. They have been hybridized extensively to produce all colors except blue.A wild miniature variety was found near the Victoria Falls in Africa. The plants grew where there was spray from the falls and the local people called it the "The Maid in the Mist." Although this is not substantiated, some believe that gladioli were "the lilies of the field" that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount, for they grew wild in the Holy Land.Gardeners in mild climates find them to be perennial, but in colder regions, the corms must be planted every year. It is best to leave some foliage on the plant when the blossoms are cut, so that food can be stored in the corms for the next year's growth. They can be dug in the fall and stored in paper bags for replanting the next spring.
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Dedicated Beds
I am lucky to have a large garden space and so I have the luxury of being able to dedicate some of my beds to a single perennial species.Dianthus, alone in a small bed, can be pretty as the foliage is neat and forms a weed- suppressing mat above which the pretty, little flowers are held aloft.I have a bed of only pure white German iris that I love for its purity and conformity. And one year my pink Japanese anemones took over a whole bed on the side of my yard, outside my fence, so I just let them have it. The foliage is neat and suffocates most of the weeds, and in bloom, that bed is a sea of pink and looks like the garden of a princess.In some of my other beds, more by happenstance than design, I have let different but equally vigorous plants duke it out. Monarda, commonly known as bee balm, nearly engulfed the other perennials in one bed, but now when it has bloomed, I just pull it all out after a rain so the roots come out easily. There is always lots left to return the next year. The wild asters and golden rod then fill in for a fall display without any more work on my part.Around my fountain, where the water splashes and the soil remains wet a lot, I have Japanese, Siberian and Louisiana iris that enjoy moisture. They bloom at slightly different times, which adds to the appeal, as does the fact that all of the blooms are in purple/lavender shades, and they seem to float above their clean erect foliage.
New Zealand