For those of you, like me, who haven't gotten around to your fall decorating yet, I just received an email from my favorite greenhouse, Glick's, in Oley, stating "Last Chance for Mums."

Yikes, is it that time already? Am I actually that late ... I mean, I haven't even gotten the chance to get down to Ott's Exotic Plants yet to see the Mountain of Mums in the parking lot. (If you've never been, it's really something to see.) Ott's is on Route 29 in Schwenksville. A quick search of the Internet didn't turn up a website, but there are directions available on various map sites.


Back to Glick's: Beginning today, fully blooming mums are being discounted to $3.50 each or 3 for $10. Purple Fountain Grass is only $5 a pot and the dollar sale remains in place for 2-qt. and 1-gallon perennials. 1-qt. perennials are only 50 cents! Now's a great time to stock up on these, get them in the ground immediately and reap the benefits next Spring!

However, don't plan on planting any mums after using them for display this fall. They won't have enough time to get established before the ground freezes.

Of course, they're still offering partially blooming mums for $4.25 each or 5 for $20and ornamental kale/cabbage for the same prices. Icicle pansies, blooming now and again in early winter, are $4.50 per 6-pack. For more information on this attractive winter flower visit http://www.iciclepansy.com/



So get on out this weekend and get those Fall bargains! Even if you don't want to make the trip to Glick's, I sure all the local greenhouses and nurseries are full of things to decorate your landscape with.

Glick's Greenhouse is located at 57 Fisher Mill Road in Oley. For information visit www.glicksgreenhouse.com or call 610-689-9856. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.

Sorry to have left you all hanging for a few days, but I'm having a hard time finding uplifting garden topics to write about. Unlike my sister, whose favorite season is Fall, I tend to spend the beginning of the season mourning the loss of yet another summer (my fave).
And I'm still trying to recoup things after my extended vacation. (And to be honest, I'm still a little absorbed by that darn Twilight Saga. I read thru it the second time while I was away.) I think the only thing that might get the pond straightened out is a partial changing of water along with a vacuuming. Definitely a job that'll have to wait for the weekend.

In the meantime, a bright light has shown on me in the form of an email from my favorite greenhouse, Glick's in Oley (www.glicksgreenhouse.com) .
Along with tips on gathering and storing seeds from summer, there's lots going on at the greenhouse in the form of Fall colors.
Chrysanthemums are now available, 9-inch for $4.25 each/10 for $40 and 5-inch for $2.95 each. The .99 cent perennial sale is still on for what's left, and flowering cabbage and kale (9-inch) are $4.25 each/10 for $40.
Purple fountain grass, which looks great through November, is on sale for $7.95, while Icicle Pansies, which bloom now and again in late winter are $4.50 per 6-pack. They're also offering pumpkins, cornstalks and more for all your fall decorating needs.
And besides Glick's, I'm sure all of our local nurseries and greenhouses are gearing up for a great Fall season, so take the time to check them out. Also, now's the time to start looking thru all those Fall catalogs that clogged your mailbox last month. Ordering now is best to ensure you get what you want ... more on that later.
PS -- And with the nights getting longer and gardening time getting shorter, why not check out my new blog "On the Set"? You can access it thru this blog or thru The Mercury's website www.pottsmerc.com for information, updates, reviews, previews and my general musings on what's happening on television.

I'm going away for a few days, so I'm trying to get in a little garden maintenance before I leave.

First up is staking the lillies. Now that the peonies are finished blooming, I can use the peony cages to give the towering lillies some support. Nothing more disappointing than having a big beautiful lilly stalk hit the ground because the stem can't support the weight of all the blooms. A few of my lillies have gotten so big over the last couple years, that I need to tie them to metal fencing stakes to give them enough support. But it's worth the extra effort when they bloom.

Something else to keep in mind is tying up some of your taller grasses. My zebra grasses are having a great season so far, but their great size is taking its toll on the smaller plants around them. After it rains, the grasses hang over the annuals, blocking out the sun and causing them to wither. So, it's my "magic ball of twine" to the rescue! I can't tell you how much I rely on this gardening rope.

Each year, as I dig out the gardening stuff, I look for the magic ball of twine. The longer it takes to find, the more anxious I get. This year I splurged on some new twine and was thrilled when I found it in the color of green!! (Surprising, the older I get, the odd things that excite me.) But you fellow gardeners know what I mean ... when you find something that works, you stick with it.

Anyway, it doesn't hurt the grass at all to tie it up. My zebra grass along the path gets tied right to the fence. This photo was taken this week. Just look how big it is already!

The zebra grass around the pond just gets twine wrapped around it twice for extra support. I always seem to underestimate how much the grasses will grow, and grow, and grow. When I first put it around the back end of the pond, I made a little foot path between the grasses and the pond edge not only for enjoyment, but so I could get back there for maintenance. Well, the grasses are hanging pretty far over the path, the dogs can still get thru, but, as you can see, tying them up was the only option for the humans.

Moving on, now is also the time to cut back those mums. Actually you should have cut them back at least once by now, and be sure to do it again on or before the 4th of July. That will keep the blooms back until late summer-early fall. Also cut back your daisies, phlox and bee balm. I know it sounds crazy, but cutting them back will encourage them to branch out and ultimately lead to more blooms.

And now that the irises are pretty much done blooming, you can cut all that green foliage back to 6-8 inches if you desire a cleaner look in your flower beds or just to make more room for upcoming flowers. Also, cut back your Columbine, they should be done blooming by now, and it's goodbye to the bleeding hearts till next spring. And yes, I've relented and cut back my daffodil greens. I'm willing to take the chance that they've had enough sun to build up they're blooms for next year.

And make sure you get those tomato cages out on the tomato plants. It's a lot easier to put them on when the plants are small, rather than wait till you actually need them. You can usually find tomato cages at your local nursery or big box garden center (Lowes/Home Depot).

So have a great weekend and enjoy the great weather in your backyard oasis!!

P.S. - This Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. is your final chance to get to the Oley Valley Perennials Open House Sale, 675 Covered Bridge Road, Oley (one mile north of Yellow House). For information check the Garden Gal archives.