Park Seed Garden Journal

You still got a few weeks before the holidays to find that perfect gift for the gardener in your life. Gardeners don’t just love plants, they also need garden accessories and tools for taking care of those plants. Somethings, like spades and gardening gloves, gardeners can never have to many. Gardeners who garden often will go through a good pair of gardening gloves in less than a year.

Also consider some holiday themed gifts. It’s still not too late to get those amaryllis bulbs to force for holiday decorating. But hurry, most varieties need at least six weeks to bloom. Other house plants and container plants also make great gifts. I’ve often found that the more exotic plants, the citrus trees and tropical plants that aren’t typical houseplants make the best gifts because they are more interesting.

I may try to focus on more specific gift ideas as the holidays approach. But if you are planning on ordering your gift online, you should order soon to ensure that your gifts are in stock and ship in time for the holidays.

Cleaning Flower Beds
Take advantage of the cooler climate of October and November–clean up your flower beds and vegetable garden to prepare for next spring.  Remove all of the dead leaves and loose plant material from your garden, all of this stuff can be recycled in your compost bin.  Your garden will now be neat and clean through the cooler months, and ready to go next spring.

Weeding In The Fall
Weeds are tough plants – the roaches of the plant kingdom. They produce thousands of seeds and they have a germination period that  lasts for months giving parents plants an opportunity to produce multiple batches of viable seed. They plants are abnormally cold tolerant- but the seeds are even more so, tolerating long cold winters and popping up all over your yard the next spring. Many weed seeds can stay buried underground for decades and still germinate if the conditions become favorable. So the Fall is a great time to pull or cultivate weeds before they have a chance to go to seed and flower again. Remember weeds are hosts to many insects and diseases so it is important to keep them under control.

The fall season is quickly slipping away–as it gets colder, it will no longer be safe to ship some plant items to the cooler zones. Here in the south, we still have a few more weeks of good planting weather, and we should take advantage of it.

This is the perfect time for planting flower bulbs or wild flower seeds for next season, adding new shrubs or trees to your garden, and getting those roses into the ground. planting now will give all of your plants time to establish over the winter and really shine next spring. Fall reall is the best time for planting–it’s cool, there are fewer pests, and your plants perform better in the spring.

Also, be sure to order your amaryllis for the holidays very soon. You want to give them about 6 weeks to bloom if you are going to decorate with them this holiday season. Live decorations are also great gifts–give an amaryllis today.

Amaryllis is hardy to USDA zone 7b. It prefers a warm temperature (70 degrees to 75 degrees F) for best growth. If you live in a warmer area, you may even want to buy Amaryllis bulbs specifically for your garden–you can usually get them anytime in the spring or fall.

Plant new bulbs outdoors in late September or early October for spring flowers. If you are transplanting an Amaryllis that was grown indoors over the holidays, be careful not to shock it. Gradually acclimate the indoor plants to brighter light by moving them to a porch or patio area for a few days before planting them in the garden.

Ideally, you should plant your Amaryllis where it gets bright sun early in the day and shade in the afternoon. Avoid placing the bulb where it will dry out excessively; i.e., areas exposed to wind and prolonged sunlight. If you plan on leaving your Amaryllis in the ground all year, add a good organic mulch for insulation, especially during the fall and winter months.

Many of the most popular trees for gardeners are also some of the fastest growers. Red Maples and Weeping Willows are sold bare-root, about two or three years old, and not more than a few feet tall. But, often, after being planted in your yard, they will grow 3 to 5 feet in one year. These trees are popular because of their interesting foliage and habit, but, because they offer such quick return on your investment, they have become indispensable in landscape design.

Fruit trees are always popular–but often it takes several years before a tree will produce a substantial amount of fruit. But there are a few fast-growing fruit tree varieties that will allow you to be growing your own fruit within a couple seasons. Dwarf citrus trees are small, and mature very fast, but you can only grow these in containers unless you live in a very warm place. Trees from the genus Prunus, like cherries, apricots, plums, and peaches all grow fairly quickly and, they are so diverse that any gardener will be able to find exactly what they need.

For many of us there is still a few good weeks of fall planting weather left. This is a great time for planting those flowering shrubs, trees, and flower bulbs. Planting them now will give them plenty of time to establish a strong root system and really show out next spring. There are a couple things you need to keep in mind if you want what you do now to pay off next year.

1. Remember, the sun is in a different place in the sky at different times of the year. A place that has good morning sun now may be in complete shade in the spring. Know your yard, you where your seasonal sunny and shady spots are and plant accordingly.
2. Moniter the moisture level in the soil around your new plantings. Before they have a strong root system they will not be able to take in a lot of water, and it’s cooling off–that excess moisture will not evaporate as quickly as it did a few weeks ago. Moniter the moisture levels depending on the needs of your plants–you don’t want them to die with root-rot before they ever get to see spring.

It is best to plant irises before the end of September or October in warmer areas, giving them plenty of time to become established before winter. Most irises, except bearded irises, can be transplanted during the late summer and early fall. If you have irises from containers, they can be put in the ground in the spring.

Most iris, especially bearded iris, will need full sun for most of the day. In extreme heat, some shade in the afternoon is advised to keep flower colors from fading.

Most Irises love very moist to wet soil, but they may be prone to fungi and other moisture-loving pests. To prevent this you should plant your iris in an area with good air circulation to help prevent disease problems.

If you have saved your amaryllis bulbs from last year, and you are not sure how to make them bloom, dont worry, it’s very easy.

At the end of the summer, start watering a little less as the plant enters dormancy. The plant will need to brought in before frost–it is a tropical and will be killed by the low temperature. You may want to dig the bulbs up and store them in a cool, dry place during dormancy, but it is OK to leave them in the container as long as they stay dry and cool (less than 60 degrees F). The bulbs will bud when they are ready to bloom again, if they have not done so by the end of the dormancy period, putting them in a warm sunny place and giving them a little water should bring them out. The bulb needs to be store for at least six weeks before coming out of dormancy, but some varieties may need a lot more time. You also want to allow your plant six to eight weeks to bloom after dormancy.

Given the proper care and timing, you should have a beautiful display through the holiday season. Nothing creates that cozy feel in your home like live decorations–the huge star-shaped amaryllis flowers will illuminate your holiday decor.

If you are planning on sending someone a flower arrangements, why not send a live plant that can be enjoyed indefinitely. Cut flower arrangements are beautiful but very temporary–you can send a potted plant from Park Seed that will last a lifetime. Your gift will come professionally packaged with a personalized gift message from you.

This is perfect for the Holidays because Park Seed is now shipping amaryllis bulbs that, if ordered now, will bloom inside just in time to make the perfect holiday center-piece. Along with Amaryllis, you should check out the great lie of houseplants and garden accessories. Garden tools and accessories, like birdhouses and seed-starting kits, make perfect gifts for any gardener on your holiday shopping list, but I believe a houseplant is a great gift for anyone, if you pick the right plants. College students and friends and family members who work in offices are always looking for something to make their drab surroundings a little more cozy.

Japanese Maples love moisture – during the warmer months, especially for the first few seasons, make sure you give your tree a good deep watering about twice a week to help it establish strong roots. An all-purpose slow-release fertilizer is perfect for Japanese Maples.Just work the fertilizer into the soil around the tree at the beginning of the season, and that should be plenty for the rest of the year.

Some varieties, especially the dissectum varieties of Acer Palmatum, have very fine dissected leaves. These varieties will probably need a little more water and a little more attention to ensure that the leaves do not dry up and scorch in the summer or freeze in a late frost and scorch. If you suspect a late frost is headed your way, just go ahead and cover your Acers and any other delicates in your garden.