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September may be an important month for gardeners

POST-SUMMER GARDEN CARE & PLANTING



POST-SUMMER GARDEN CARE & PLANTING Will this be a bad winter? If your carrots grew deep, onions have more layers, the sweet potatoes have tougher skins, apples have matured early, while the hickory nuts have a heavy shell, then ancient wisdom warns that to prepare for a worst winter. Or perhaps you place your faith in the weather wonks, global warming and plain luck.
Diversion No. 1 Erik Hess, 45 and the owner of Hess Tree Company, even has East End clients who take their prized trees with them to Florida each season. "I'm not kidding. In the summer they will plant palms in the Hamptons, but when the season is done, we put them on trailers and ship them back," he told The New York Post Perhaps you've admired new hosta or ornamental grasses. Garden centre fall sales are in full swing. Why not take advantage? The stresses and strains of summer now much reduced make fall an excellent time to introduce new herbaceous plants, shrubs and even trees. Even after the foliage has died back, leaves and flowers fallen, the soil will not freeze for several more weeks and root growth continues. In fact, some specialist rose nurseries will only sell in autumn. One of the few cautions is to assure that the plants have not become root-bound in their containers. Spreading coarser roots out by hand is advisable or, in the case of fine-rooted specimens, a slash either side of the compact mass. Diversion No. 2 From mint to rose: the top seductive scents to use in the bedroom revealed. When it comes to sexual attraction, our sense of smell is heavily responsible for who we are magnetically drawn towards, writes Alice Murphy, The Daily Mail in Australia. According to science, these are the five most sensual scents: chocolate, rose, citrus (lemons, limes, oranges), mint (peppermint or spearmint), vanilla. However, she cites no science sources but does recommend commercial products. Worldwide, its been a tough season for lawns, the carpets of the garden. Many have become thin, open to invasion by aggressive weeds. (How come weeds always seem to survive the droughts?) Warm days, cool night and fairly assured rains make for an excellent time for overseeding. Prepare the lawn by vigorously use of a gravel rake. Remove dead grass and work up a tilth in the compacted soil below. Having spread the seed, walk over the area to press the seed into contact with the soil. If there is not rain water lightly for an hour each day for a month. Avoid walking on it during that time. If it appears too much trouble, consider the observation of Sir Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, English philosopher, statesman, scientist: "Nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn."

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Diversion No. 3 A calmer horse is just a sniff away. Research from the University of Arizona shows the calming benefits of lavender aromatherapy for horses, scientists suggest in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Sciences. A perfect perennials planting: menage a trois . . . cinq . . . neuf . . . in fact any odd number combinations. Why? When it comes to gardening its odds on rather than evens for a natural look. Rarely do pairs work well together (at least when it comes to plantings). Then there is the question of how close. Too close and crowding results in poor growth, risks of pests and pathogens, general untidiness. Too far apart and it will likely be many seasons before the flower beds take on a mature appearance. And wide spacing means more weeding . . . Diversion No. 4 A Brit mystery of 'plastic' cabbages: Shoppers complained about their 'suspiciously stiff' vegetables that had a strange smell--and one woman even set hers on fire to prove its not natural, reported The Daily Mail. Tina DeMille, of Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, says she was suspicious of the fresh Redmere farms cabbage she bought from a Tesco supermarket because it was 'rock hard' and didn't look real. Weston-Super-Mare--wasn't that where John Cleese grew up? September may be an important month for gardeners but not, apparently for those who care for daily horticultural commemorations. Isabella Preston, one of the first women to become a professional plant hybridist was born on the 4th in 1881 and died in 1965. French naturalist Michael Sarrazin, after whom pitcher plants are named, was born 8th 1659 and died in Quebec 1734. 16th September is International Apple Day and, ten days later, Johnny Appleseed Day. The last day of the month is celebrated as Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day, produced from fruit that never even thought about being squeezed. And in passing, 2nd is International Turkey Vulture Day--known to keen bird watchers as TVs. Talk Like a Pirate Day, matey is on 19th and the 22nd Hobbit Day (we've terrible hobbits). More queries? Save them for 29th--Ask a Stupid Question Day


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Wes Porter -- Bio and Archives

Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.


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