• Northwest, and Northern
  California Gardens
• Southwest, Desert &
  Southern Cal Gardens
• Northeast, Midwest &
  Central Plains Gardens
• Southeast &
  Mid-Atlantic Gardens
• Rocky Moutains &
  California Mtn Gardens
• Tropical &
  Sub-Tropical Gardens

Gardening Tips for September

Northwest and Northern California Gardens

• Tackle your less-than-desirable lawn. (The wait is over!) Cooler temperatures and the hopeful return of fall rains make this an ideal month to start seeding a new lawn or repairing a damaged, established one.
• Fertilize the lawn (always following package directions). After a long, stressful summer, your cool-season grass is beginning to enjoy the return of cooler weather, so give it a much needed boost!
• Retire your tired-looking, heat-exhausted summer plants to the compost pile (without any guilt). They've served you and your garden well, but now it's time to bring back the pizzazz with fall-loving beauties like pansies, ornamental cabbage, kale and snapdragons! These cool-weather annuals (and more) are naturals for fall-themed containers, as well as in landscape beds and borders.
• Continue to harvest your homegrown vegetables as they ripen. Store extra produce for future enjoyment, or donate it to a local soup kitchen or food pantry.
• Plant onion sets and garlic now for harvest next summer. Growing these bulbous crops is fun - and nothing to cry about!
  • Onions are not only essential in many recipes, they take up little room in the garden.
  • Garlic also grows in small spaces and can even help keep some pests away.
• Create some privacy for your property. After a long summer of open views to your neighbor's back yard, now could be the ideal time to create a privacy screen so you and your family can enjoy an isolated outdoor space. Try planting a few evergreens - the cooler temperatures of fall are ideal for these types of plants. Rhododendrons, hollies and yews (and more) should all be available at your local garden center for instant results. (Remember to always water all new plantings well!)
• Continue watering your plants when needed. (Remember, September can still be a dry month!) Water early in the day, and don't water foliage - use a soaker hose to get water to where it's needed most: at the roots. Avoid daily dousings, which only encourage shallow, poor root systems. Proper watering helps establish self-sufficient plants.
• Create new interest in your perennial garden with ornamental grasses for fall. Color, texture and sound are a few of the wonderful attributes that grasses bring to the landscape. The show won't end in fall either - grasses continue their attraction during the gray winter months by adding color and winter respite for small wildlife.
• Divide perennials that are overcrowded or not blooming well. Astilbe, Paeonia, Coreopsis, Geum, Helenium, Hemerocallis, Lychnis, Rudbeckia, Stachys and Veronica can be divided and replanted in the garden. (Take the time to amend the soil with organic matter like compost or aged manure before replanting.)
• Prepare your outdoor-summering houseplants for their return indoors. Before you bring houseplants back inside, do a careful inspection of each one so you don't bring any unwanted multi-legged pests inside your home!
• While homegrown veggies are still fresh in your mind (and on your table), assess your vegetable garden for successes and failures. If you keep a garden journal (and you should), make notations on what worked and what didn't, so you'll be even more prepared next year. Remember, a picture's worth a thousand words - grab the camera and capture the good (and the bad) in your garden!

• It's still not too late to plant a fall vegetable crop. Choose cool-season plants like cabbage, kale, broccoli, mustard and collard greens, lettuce, spinach, radish, carrots, beets, cauliflower and kohlrabi.
• Buy your bulbs early! Remember all those daffodils that you admired in your neighbor's garden this past spring? Experienced gardeners buy their spring-flowering bulbs - like daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths - now for planting later in October and November. Avoid having a disappointing selection come planting time by buying what you want now, while the selection is good. Not sure how to pick the best bulbs? Select ones that are firm, not soft or mushy.
• Pay close attention to the weather forecasts for predictions of early frosts, and be prepared to adjust your gardening practices accordingly. The typical first frost of the season is an average date - it could be surprisingly earlier or even later. Don't get caught with your plants down! Harvest your remaining produce and protect tender plants before that first frost hits.
• Come to The Garden Party and share your gardening adventures and ideas with other green thumbs in your region, as well as nationwide. Post pictures of your garden, write a blog, or ask expert gardeners for more help, tips or suggestions on how to enhance your outdoor living experience.