Well, I can fool myself no longer, summer's really gone. We had our first frost Sunday night. And just like that, everything changes.
When I went home at lunch time yesterday, I took stock of the gardens. The elephant ears that were so big and bold, are now shriveled up and hanging over.


The tall and proud, purple Persian Shield (that I must have every season), is black and crinkled.


The banana plant (Musa Basjoo) that I coddled all summer, which was finally starting to shoot up in height, oddly, this past month, has withered and turned brown almost instantly.


And, as I turned on the bubbler for the fish, I noticed that all the food I had thrown in before leaving for work, was still floating on the top. Which means the water temp has dropped below 50 degrees (the fish stop eating when the water gets too cold).
End of Summer Bummer ... sigh

So now it's time to dig up all the elephant ear bulbs, caladiums, dahlias, cannas and other tender bulbs and rhizomes, preferably as soon as possible. Take off the dead foliage and carefully store them in a cool dark place until next spring.

You can still continue to divide perennials, just make sure to cover any tender new plantings on night's when frost is expected. Just until they have a chance to root in.

Pull out impatiens, roots, dirt and all, and throw them into the compost. This green matter and soil microorganisms are an excellent combination with dry tree leaves.

And for Pete's sake, get those spring bulbs into the ground (that goes for me too)! Times running out. The ground is still relatively warm, but we can't be sure for how long!

Don't forget to water new plantings!

Oh, and if you have one, now's the time to start last year's Christmas amaryllis. That is if you have kept it unwatered for six weeks to induced dormancy. This worked for me the first year. Last year I only got green foliage (no blooms), because I didn't have it out in the sun over the summer. And this year, having left in out on the patio for the season, it got to waterlogged and rotted. So, if you don't have time to go to the trouble, just head over to any nursery or big box garden center, and buy a new one. But get it started soon if you want a big beautiful bloom by Christmas!

Hi everybody, sorry to leave you all hanging for so long, but I've been recuperating from all the cuts I received a week ago, while tying up my ornamental grasses!

Not really, but I did manage to get quite a few cuts, doing this and other weekend chores. You see, I remembered to wear protective gloves while tying up the grasses. However, I did not remember to wear long sleeves! So I must stress to the rest of you, if you're planning to tie up your grasses, rather than cutting them back for the winter, make sure you wear proper protection. The fine blades of the grass can wreak havoc on your skin. And while it doesn't sound that bad, imagine 20-30 little paper cuts all up and down your arms!
Anyway, I choose to tie up my grasses rather than cut them back. Either option will not harm the grasses in any way (it's pretty difficult to kill grass). I like the way they look throughout the fall and into the winter. And as I've stated before, in the spring when I do cut them back, I save the cuttings, tie them together, store them in the shed and viola, come fall I have unique decorations for the front of my house.

As pictured here, they are a economical/ecological way to decorate, instead of buying corn husks.

Over this past weekend, I managed to get a few things on my To Do list done. Like cleaning up the leaves on the patio - this has become a regular chore over the last month. It seems like the dynamics of my patio make for a perfect gathering place for leaves ... so every weekend I go out with my handy-dandy Black & Decker leaf machine and suck them up. With three dogs, I get plenty of leaves inside the house as well, and it all goes into the compost pile with grass clippings from the lawn. The combination of green matter and brown matter makes for a good base for next year's compost. (Of course, I'm still hoping for a good yield of compost, after failing miserably the last two seasons.)
And the leaves don't just end up on the patio ... the pond is full of them too. So Saturday it was time to get the net out! I hate getting the net out, it's my last admission of defeat (that the summer's really over), but it had to be done or the fish wouldn't have any room to swim! Anyway, in preparation for covering the pond, the summer pond plants had to be removed as well. So that means the canna and black taro got taken out to die back from the cold nights, and then placed in the basement to hibernate till next year. The net tends to confuse the frogs too.

Black Taro
And since my neighbors have left for their winter home in Florida and covered their pond already, I have more frogs to tend to. So I can't completely cover my pond, or the frogs wouldn't be able to get in or out. It usually takes a couple of days to figure out exactly where they are comfortable jumping in/out, so I can leave that end a little open. Every now and then over the years, I find a frog early in the morning sitting in the middle of the net, confused, cold and in need of rescue!
Still have to plant the dward rhododendrons my previous neighbors left me when they moved a couple months ago ... time's running out. And I still haven't planted my precious Allium bulbs yet. If you still have any perennials, bulbs or shrubs left to plant, get them in the ground ASAP. Especially since last night we actually had frost.
And most important (because I've been forgetting this one too) WATER! This month's lack of rain has not been kind to our plant life. Especially for any new plantings, get out and water! Just because summer flowering season is over, don't forget your plants still need water ... I can't stress this enough. Water early in the day, if possible, since the temperature has been dipping at night, it's not a good idea to wait until near dusk to water. You wouldn't want to be out there at night all wet ...

OK everybody, it you haven't done so yet, today is the day to bring in any houseplants that might still be outside! A Frost Warning is in effect for the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia tonight and tomorrow night!
So that means, bring it in (houseplants), cover any fresh plantings and get ready to dig up those taro, elephant ear and canna bulbs! You don't have to dig them up today, but if there is a frost, any vegetation will be dead and/or dying tomorrow. You can either cut the foliage off or dig up the bulb and wait for it to turn brown and fall off.
And don't forget to wash those houseplants. Set them in your shower and give them a good rinse. Then examine each individually, removing bugs and yellowed growth. Repotting can wait till spring.

This past weekend provided the perfect weather for some much-needed yard work. So I spent yesterday outside getting reacquainted with the garden and starting the task of dismantling some of my oasis. It was time to say good-bye to my solar tiki torches, the rope light flamingos and my floating parrot boat till next summer :(

But I didn't mind getting rid of my spindly tomato plants at all! Tearing down the vegetable garden almost seemed like a labor of love!

Funny how things seem to run their course each summer ... from first planting the young seedlings, watching them grow, imagining all the fresh vegetables ... waiting and waiting for the first tomatoes to turn red, savoring those first few home-grown salads ...Then a few weeks later, bribing coworkers just to take all the excess tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc. off my hands ... Also, mowing the lawn doesn't seem like such a horrible task anymore, now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There should only be a few more cuts till next year!
I also finally got that Japanese Maple I bought way back in July planted. And I recommend that the rest of you do the same with any new purchases of perennials as well as shrubs. Plant now so that the roots have time to get established before the ground freezes. There is still a little time left to divide those perennials too. I divided all mine last fall, so they get a break this year (I try to leave 2-3 seasons between divisions). Although just about any perennial can be divided, I wouldn't bother dividing any fall bloomers right now. Wait till they start coming up next spring.
Also get any new spring bulbs in the ground now. I'm telling you this, while my newly-bought alliums still sit on the kitchen table. Hey, I couldn't get everything done in just one day!
Now is also the time to transplant trees, evergreens, shrubs and perennials. So if there's anything you didn't like the position of this year, move it! Just make sure to give it plenty of water over the next couple weeks.
And last but not least, I finally got the front of the house decorated for fall, just before dusk ... So I didn't get a chance to take any photos yet, bear with me ...

What a beautiful weekend it was! Just perfect for working in the garden. However, that's not what I did. Even though I should have gotten up to my elbows in dirt, I decided to sit back by the pond with a couple books and magazines and enjoy the last days of summer.
Yes, aside from mowing the lawn, I ignored all the little chores waiting for me, and just enjoyed the sounds of the waterfall, the warmth of the sun and nature, in general.
And now I'm going to have to pay for it.

This morning started out OK, until I let the dogs out and saw that the waterfall (which looked fine all weekend) was now weakly trickling into the pond. Guess I should have cleaned the filter over the weekend. Of course, I barely leave myself enough time in the morning to get ready and get out the door on time for work, so there was absolutely no time to deal with this!

So I plugged in the bubbler, unplugged the waterfall pump and figured the fish would just have to fend for themselves until later. Yet another thing for my "to do" list. All summer long I was going to get around to buying a piece of pond liner to put underneath the waterfall to catch any backflow of water that might develop if the pump and/or filter got too clogged. Of course, I never got around to it. And every time this happens, I think, why do I keep putting this off?
My latest excuse is, "Well, it's coming to the end of the season and I'll be turning off the waterfall soon, so why bother this year. Let it go until next spring and deal with it then."
I also didn't get around to any fall decorating or planting. But I did manage to get some new bulbs last night. We trekked out to Lowe's before dinner yesterday for some household items and I was pleasantly surprised to find a great selection of bulbs just inside the main entrance.

As you may know, I've been eager to get some Allium bulbs and they had two kinds on hand. I opted for two Gladiator Alliums, at a price of $6.97 each! But hey, they get four feet tall and have 7-inch globe blooms. Then there was a smaller variety where 8 bulbs were offered for the same price. These only get to be about 2-ft. tall with smaller globes. Now, of course, I have to decide where to put them!
Oh well, I guess I have my work cut out for me tonight. And on top of all that, it'll be getting dark right after 7 p.m., so time's limited.
So while we still have a couple hours of light after work, time to think about dividing those perennials. It's the perfect time of year for that. More on this later ...

Yes, just when you thought it was safe to relax in the garden ... the onslaught of Fall planting catalogs arrived in the mailbox!!

You know what I mean. You've just finished planting for the summer season, you've mulched, fertilized, watered and, maybe, prayed a little, especially during Tuesday night's storms. And now, just when you wanted to sit back and admire the fruits of your labor -- it's time to think about Fall planting!

And yes, you need to think about it NOW -- afterall, if you don't order soon, everything you want will be out of stock, including the stargazer lilly pictured above. Take heart in knowing, that after you make your decisions and place your orders, you can relax at least until late September, when the shipments of bulbs and bare roots will start arriving. And remember, items must be planted shortly after they arrive!

Here's a rundown of some of the catalogs I get. Fortunately they all have web sites, so you can look online or just go there to order your own catalog. And then take the time to get some iced tea or other cool beverage, find a comfortable seat in your oasis, and peruse the catalogs dreaming of next year's garden ...

Michigan Bulb, www.mibulb.com -- has almost everything you could want, affordable prices. I've ordered from them before with a 50-50 rate of success.

Spring Hill Nurseries, www.SpringHillNursery.com -- currently having a Super Sale on fall planting. I have no personal experience ordering from them, but I'm thinking of ordering Allium this year, and they're also having a sale.

Breck's, www.brecks.com -- They're Fall sale is currently in full swing.

Van Engelen Inc., www.vanengelen.com -- the "Best Dutch flower bulbs at the best prices!" Anything you could imagine, check them out.

John Scheepers Inc., www.johnscheepers.com -- "serving America's finest gardens for 100 years!" Their Beauty From Bulbs Fall 2008 catalog is very impressive.

New Holland Bulb Company, www.newhollandbulb.com -- Tulips, Daffodils and Lillies, oh my! I never knew there were so many varieties, it's hard to choose!

Also many of these companies offer complete garden packages and combination and/or variety packages of fall bulbs/bare roots. Take advantage now and save. Just think how great it will look next spring!

Personally, I'm hoping to add some Allium and Frittillaria (Crown Imperial) to my collection this Fall. But I classically wait too long and they're usually sold out. But, hopefully, not this year ...

Well, I'm a little late this year, but better late than never.
I'm referring to my Giant Elephant Ear bulbs. I just put them in the ground yesterday. They're supposed to be planted after threat of frost has passed, so with the way things were this past week, I don't think I'm too far off the mark.
Pictured here from last summer (with Lexie), Elephant Ear plants are a big, leafy member of the Caladium family. And I'm talking BIG, leaves as big as an elephant's ear, hence the name. And the colorful leaves have a shape resembling an elephant's ear, too.
Gardeners are fascinated by this big-leaved plant that grows 3-5 ft. tall. Originating in tropical and sub-tropical areas, they love sunshine, heat and high humidity. They are easy to grow and will grow in sun or shade. However, I found out last year that they don't grow nearly as well or as high in shaded areas. I primarily bought them for shade, because that's what the ticket on them said they liked, only to find the one single bulb that got sun was absolutely spectacular, as seen here.
Elephant Ears are grown from tuberous bulbs, resembling some kind of prehistoric egg. In our Zone (6), after the plants have died back in the fall, the bulbs must be dug up. Clean and store them in a cool, dark area until planting the following spring.
They can also be grown in large, heavy pots for ease in storing. Pots must be heavy to shoulder the weight of the huge leaves. I absolutely love them! I got my bulbs at Home Depot last spring. They cost $5 per bulb, but they were worth it!

Also don't overlook their close cousin the Black Taro bulb. I like to grow it every year in the pond. This is the first year that I was actually able to winter-over the bulb indoors. Good thing too, because as you can see here, it was awesome last year!

Note: These plants can be poisonous to children and pets. However, the Black Taro doesn't harm the fish.

Up next, our good friend, the Clematis!

Today I was all ready to tell you about how to care for your daffodils after they're done blooming. I was going to share Martha Stewart's braiding method that I've been using for a couple years that helps keep your garden looking nice while the daffodil foliage fades away. Or maybe the bend and tie method, sometimes made easier by just using rubberbands ...

I'm a little behind at home with my own daffs; I haven't taken the time to braid them yet so I don't have any current photos. So I went to the Internet to look for some usable photos to accompany this blog entry.

While searching "daffodil braided foliage," I came across a bunch of warnings about this technique. (So, Martha doesn't know everything afterall ...)

According to Barbara Martin's garden tips on flowergardens.suite101.com, "You may hear or read suggestions for braiding the daffodil leaves or bundling them up with rubber bands and who knows what else, but it doesn't help the bulbs at all to do this and it is a lot of extra work for the gardener, too ... give yourself -- and your daffodils -- a break: Leave the leaves alone!"

"Daffodil foliage needs the sun to make and store energy this year for next year's flower. That concept is alien and hard to accept by some. However, if one follows the daffodil bulb growth, a dissected bulb clearly shows next year's flowers developed in this year's bulbs. It is for that reason that the theory of letting the folliage die backnaturally is so strongly defended," writes Clay Higgins on the same web site.

Easier said than done. I know, I know, who wants to look at those long green leaves now when it's time for all those pretty, colorful annuals? Well, I'm going to give it a shot this year, since it was an especially good year for my daffs! I want to do everything I can to ensure a good showing for next year, even though I had to move my double daffodils to make room for those dwarf rhodies I showed the other day.

Suggestions for "living with" the faded daffs include: Hiding the foliage with taller perennials and planting colorful annuals in front to take the eye away from all that green. At least it will save me some time not having to braid all that foliage this year.