| Are your petunias
looking a little peaked? Is the bloom off the geranium? Sounds
like it might be time for a little fall color around the
landscape. Being a very frugal gardener, I decided to take a
look around the yard and see what I could punch up for a fall
display. I checked the containers that I had used for summer
to be sure that they did not have diseased plants or any
insect problems. Then I added some new potting soil, if
necessary, and a timed-release granular fertilizer.
My sweet potato vine was still
going strong, but the sweet alyssum (Lobularia
maritime) and lobelia (Lobelia erinus) were looking
pretty ratty. The alyssum and lobelia are now in my compost
pile and the deep purple of the sweet potato vine made a nice
compliment for a bronze chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum X morifolium)
and an ornamental cabbage (Kale).
Thinking about sweet potatoes
made me think about fall and that made me think about canning.
I remembered that there was an old blue granite canner in my
basement. About time it gets some use!!! A hammer and a large
spike were all that it took to put drainage holes in the
bottom. Potting soil and some more slow-release fertilizer and
I was ready to plant. I planted an English ivy (Hedra helix)
that was growing inside the house near the front edge of the
canner. The ivy gave a nice trailing effect down the front.
Then I added a chrysanthemum to give the grouping some height.
I filled in the empty spots with ‘Second Season’ pansies (Viola
X wittrockiana ‘Second Season’).
And like magic, two container
plantings for minimal cost. But my frugality will not stop
there. When we start getting some "frost on the
pumpkin", the ivy will come back into the house after it
gets a bath in soapy water to kill any insects that may be
living on it. The kale, chrysanthemums, and the pansies will
then be planted in my flower beds. I’ll enjoy their fall
color until the ground freezes. Kale is an annual, so it will
not live through the winter. The mums and the ‘Second Season’
pansies are more winter tolerant. A good mulch of leaves,
compost, or bark will help to protect their roots from the
effects of freezing and thawing over winter. And in spring, I’ll
enjoy some very early pansies and watch my fall garden mums
start peeking out of the ground |
