TIME TO PLANT EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS Fall is a good time to plant and transplant evergreen trees and shrubs. This transplant season extends through the winter months. In selecting evergreens, be certain to allow space for maturity. A common mistake is in placing a large or fast growing evergreen in a position where there is not enough room for full height and spread.

PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED FOR THE WINTER – Prevent many of next year’s insect and disease problems by thoroughly cleaning debris out of the garden. Pull out all annuals that have completed their life cycle. Cut away all tops of perennials. Remove debris from beneath all plants including shrubs. Get your soil tested. A nematode assay may be useful to vegetable gardeners.

ROOT CUTTINGS Most flowering shrubs can be propagated by means of hardwood cuttings. Make cuttings of mature wood 6 – 8 inches long. Dip basal ends in a rooting hormone. Set them in well amended garden soil, leaving about 2 inches above ground. Or, place cuttings in large nursery cans. Keep cuttings moist till rooted.

FLOWERING QUINCE (Japanese quince) bears fruit which can be made into preserves. Pyracantha and eleaegnus are also edible.

PRUNING – It is always the right time to prune out deadwood or diseased wood from shrubs, roses, shade trees. To insure quick healing, never cut beyond the bark ridge.

BEARDED IRIS – For success, have good drainage, good soil, sunshine, clean cultivation (weed and grass free) and frequent resetting for larger and finer blooms.

STORING BULBS – Five common flower garden plants – dahlia, canna, caladium, gladiolus, and tuberous begonia – may not overwinter – so to save the plants, dig roots, tubers, or corms of these about the time of our first killing frost. They may be dug just after foliage dries. Dig deep enough so that part of the plant will not be snapped off when lifted out of the soil. Leave soil around dahlia tubers, canna, and caladium roots.

Store in a garage or other building until soil dries and falls away from plant parts. Shake soil off roots and tubers, and cut away dried stem. Discard immediately any plant parts that show soft spots or disease.

Place tubers and roots in old sawdust or peat moss – in a flat box or plastic bag with holes for ventilation. Store in a dry, cool place such as a basement. Do not store on back parch or in garage. These plants cannot withstand freezing. Also, store away horn danger of being eaten by rats, squirrels, etc.

HOUSEPLANTS – Bring houseplants indoors when temperatures dip below 50 degrees F. Give them a good bath in soapy water or spray with Safer soap. Bring herb pots indoors.

SET POINSETTIA in a dark place for blooms by Christmas.

HARVEST SUNFLOWERS when back of heads are yellow. Leave a foot of stem on each head and hang to dry in a bird-insect free spot.

SOW SEEDS OF hardy annuals (larkspur, poppy, Drummon phlox, cornflower, etc.) where they are to bloom.

OCTOBER IS A PERFECT MONTH to get construction done. Build walks, arbors, terraces, and fencing during the fine Indian summer weather.

CONSIDER COMPOSTING YOUR LEAVES for your garden. (See April for compost bin diagram)

SELECT AND PLANT TREES AND SHRUBS for a permanent home landscape. Don’t scatter plantings at random, it’s much better to have a planting guide. A simple map locating trees, shrubs, and yard features will do. Do a thorough site analysis.

Spend some time browsing at the County Library for landscaping ideas. You will find many excellent gardening books in the library. Consider a planting plan from a landscape designer.

HELP LANDSCAPE PLANTS ESCAPE COLD DAMAGE. In order to aid plants in escaping cold damage, it is wise to keep in mind that a healthy well-fed plant will stand the most cold weather. Plants should enter winter free of diseases and nematode damage.

Be sure not to feed plants too late in the season, as this often forces tender growth that is subject to winter kill. Never fertilize with quickly-available nitrogen in late summer.

Select varieties that are hardy to Forsyth County area.

Protect plants from prevailing cold winds. A fence or tall evergreen hedge of trees or shrubs gives good protection to tender landscape plants.

Use hose sections on guide wires of newly planted trees, so the wires wi11 not damage the trunks in windy weather.

During severe freezes, plants that freeze and thaw slowly will be damaged the least, thus the north side of a building, with a lot of shade, is the best for tender plants. Consider a wind screen of burlap or cheesecloth for tender plants.

WHEN YOU PRUNE, keep n wind that shearing destroys the natural shape of many shrubs. To reduce size and produce more compact growth, cut out undesirable longer limbs from inside the plant. Do not cut all limbs at the same height.

AFTER THE FIRST KILLING FROST, it is time to mulch shrubs, perennials, and herbs for winter protection. Winter mulch should not be heavy or dense.

BRING IN GERANIUMS BEFORE FROST. Overwinter them in pots or bare root in paper bags. They should be allowed to become somewhat dry before being watered.

PLANT SPRING FLOWERING BULBS. Use a bulb fertilizer in the bed.

COOL DAYS are excellent times for landscape construction projects like decks, walks, and fences. Avoid soil contact with untreated wood.

COLLECT SOIL for testing. Kits are available at the County Extension Office and some local garden shops. Reports return promptly when mailed to the lab in the fall months.

APPLY lime to vegetable garden if needed.

COLLECT unusual twigs for dry arrangements.

APPLY lime to lilacs.

WINTERIZE YOUR MOWER by first disconnecting the spark plug wire. Drain out all the gasoline and oil, and replace the old oil with fresh oil. Spray paint under the clean deck to prevent rust remove and clean the air filter. Pull the spark plug before storing for the winter. Check for carbon build-up, and replace it needed.

KEEP YOUR SHEARS AND LOPPERS in good working order. Wipe them with a rag dipped in paint thinner to remove sticky resins. Sharpen and oil thoroughly.

SPRING BULBS grow best at approximately 55 degrees, so keep potted narciasus, tulips, and other bulbs away from vents or other heat sources.

WEED OUT “WEED” TREES AND SHRUBS – “Weed” trees and shrubs are often a serious menace to shrub plantings. Among them are seedling elm, hackberry, plum, and ligustrum. These often grow unnoticed until they have crowded valuable shrubs. Pull or dig such from all plantings.

CARE OF BALLED-AND-BURLAPPED PLANTS AFTER PURCHASE. When transplanting balled-and-burlapped plants, lift by the ball of soil – don’t use the trunk or stems as a handle because the soil will break away from the roots. Balled plants should be kept watered to prevent drying out during the period before it is planted. If it cannot be planted immediately, it is good to “heel in” plants in a temporary location. “Heeling in” is when you dig a trench, lay the plants at 45 degree angle and place soil over root ball. This provides a more even soil moisture as well as preventing the root system from freezing during the periods of low temperatures.

SPRING FLOWERING BULBS – Reminder – if you have not planted those spring flowering bulbs, better get at it, and always plant quality bulbs. Pansy plants set among bulbs will produce a fine effect, and won’t harm the bulbs a bit.

TREAT HOLIDAY GREENS – Anti-desiccants, used to prevent cold damage to shrubs, also are useful in preventing the quick-drying of cut greens used in Christmas decorations. Any greens that are not used with their stems in water (such as wreaths, garlands, swags) will last longer if they are sprayed with one of the anti-desiccants like Wilt-Pruf.

LATE FALL WATERING OF EVERGREENS – Only a short time need be spent in preparing deciduous and evergreen plants to withstand winter damage. They havoc reaped from frozen ground, winter winds, and burning sun, can be your greatest problem in preventing a healthy and trouble-free landscape next year. Plants are winter-killed or damaged due to a lack of water at the root level. Dead plants in early spring are obvious symptoms of winter injury. Winter sun and wind often cause brown leaves or large dead areas in evergreens such as junipers and yews, as well as rhododendrons and other broad-leaved evergreens. Evergreens should be well-watered before the ground has frozen. This helps them withstand the undesirable growing conditions of drought and water shortages during winter months.

CLEAN BIRD FEEDERS monthly with hot sudsy water to prevent the spread of wild bird diseases.

BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE EARLY! – By following these suggestions, you can reduce the risk of a fire hazard in the home:

1. Keep the tree in a shady location outdoors or in an unheated room.
2. Re-cut the butt of the tree making a diagonal cut at a 45 degree angle.
3. Place the butt in a container of water and maintain the water level until bringing indoors for decorating. While indoors, keep watered at all times.

CONSIDER GIVING a good gardening book or accessory as a Christmas gift! Or make ornaments out of pinecones, sweet gum balls, crape myrtle seed pods.

MAKE PAPER diagram of vegetable garden.

AS CHRYSANTHEMUMS die back, prune to ground level.

MULCH STRAWBERRY BEDS for winter protection.

RECYCLE CHRISTMAS TREES:

– The city pickup will chip up the trees

– Use boughs to protect tender plants/mulch with branches

– Use the trees for a bird feeding station

– The trunks can serve as garden stakes for tomatoes or for a child’s trellis for beans or “pea tree”