September Gardening In Soperton

Written By Soperton's "Gardening Guru"

We still have a few more weeks of summer's heat, but there are some cool mornings to help get you up and out in your garden.

Now is a good time to remove any rotted fruit from underneath fruit trees as well as any rotted fruit remaining on the branches.. unless of course you have deer that come in the dark of night to do this for you.! I have a crabapple tree in my back garden and the deer keep the fallen crabapples cleared away. This is one of the "good" things deer do for my garden.

It's a good idea to clean up your garden this fall. Many insects and diseases can survive the winter months in plant debris; so remove spent plants from your garden. Although it's good to add spent plant materials to your compost pile, do not add any that may contain insects, diseases, or mature weed seeds!

If you set out pansy plants now, you will be able to enjoy their flowers before frost. When temperatures begin to rise in late winter, the plants should put on new growth and provide you with another showing of flowers in spring.

Feed roses for the last time this month to help prepare them for blooming this fall and to allow plant growth to taper off before cold weather arrives. Also continue regular pesticide and fungicide sprayings according to label directions. If you have trouble with deer and rabbits eating the new tender leaves and buds, Kenny Barrick of Kenny's Nursery here in Soperton says to try planting society garlic around and among your roses. This tip has helped in my rose garden and the society garlic is hardy and blooms repeatedly, adding color when the roses are resting.

All Southern gardens must have a camellia bush or two. Keep these well watered to encourage proper bud development and prevent bud drop.

Chrysanthemums are a mainstay in the fall garden. Feed them every two weeks when their flower buds begin to form and continue feeding them until they are in bloom.

Try planting ornamental kale to add some color and interest to your garden. These cool-weather annuals have either pink or white centers surrounded by a green edge. They also look stunning in planters.

It's a good idea to purchase spring flowering bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, as soon as they are available so you will have a good selection from which to choose. Store them in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator until it's time to plant them in November.

A parting fact...did you know that one hour of gardening chores (cultivating, pruning, weeding) burns about 300 calories?

See you outside!