Welcome to a partnership between Rutgers Gardens and the New Jersey Flower & Garden Show, a monthly newsletter giving you up to date and timely information on gardening in the Garden State. Let us introduce our new addition with a new season – autumn! Not just autumn, but October, filled with color and autumnal beauty.
Dahlia and Canna, with a tuberous root system can be dug after a strong frost, wrapped in newspaper, and stored in a cool (50°) basement. Collect seed from species like Solanum, Asclepias and Amaranthus and store in the refrigerator.
Container care. Bring in, empty and clean any valuable containers to prevent damage from freeze-thaw cycles of winter. Plant chrysanthemums, ornamental cabbage and kale in weather resistant containers for autumn color.
Keep those lawn mower blades sharp. Shred fallen leaves that fall on your lawn weekly with the lawnmower. They make ideal mulch for flowerbeds.
Remove tired annuals. Replace with an attractive bed of pansies. During the winter, lightly mulch the pansies with straw.
Plant deciduous trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm, and most species will produce roots into December and be better prepared for next summers’ stresses!
Autumn harvest. It is time to harvest potatoes, and remove plants that are no longer productive. Bare areas can be mulched with compost, manure (fresh or composted) or seeded with winter rye. The winter rye is turned into the soil the following spring and is a great source of organic matter.
Perennials. Tattered ones such as Filipendula and Phlox can be cut to the ground prior to frost. Continue dead heading and as soon as the early blooming asters have completed their show and cut them to the ground to prevent excessive seeding.
Our experts are always on hand to answer any of your gardening questions, please submit them to
rugardens@aesop.rutgers.edu or visit the Rutgers Gardens web site at
www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu for additional plant information.
Make sure you have the 6th Annual New Jersey Flower & Garden Show on your calendar for February 14-17, 2008. Up to the date information discount coupons can be found on
www.njflowershow.com.
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