Extension for Real Life

What to Do in Your Garden in September

How is it already September? I know I’m not the only one in disbelief that fall is right around the corner! Now’s a good time to prep your garden for the upcoming cooler temps. 

Get Ready

• Make sure you’ve ordered daffodils and other spring bulbs for October planting.
• Build or buy a compost bin in anticipation of autumn leaves.

Plant

• Plant cool-season leafy root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, lettuce, and spinach.
• Sow hardy annuals: sweet alyssum, calendula, annual pinks, snapdragons, and sweet peas.
• Sow ryegrass seed in winter lawns.

Fertilize

• Stop feeding mums when the buds start showing color.
• Acidify azaleas and camelias.

Water

• Slow down watering of azaleas and hydrangeas to allow them to harden against winter freezes.
• Spray foliage of camelias in anticipation of their bloom.
• Water potted plants and hanging baskets frequently.

Prune

• Disbud camellias, dahlias, and chrysanthemums to produce specimen blooms. It is generally not a good idea to prune this late in the year, because new growth will be more susceptible to winter freezes.

Miscellaneous

• Turn compost pile.
• Pick flowers in bloom and dry for future arrangements. Bundle flowers together and hang upside down in a dry, sheltered area.
• Repot houseplants. Prune away damaged foliage and give a good dose of food.

In Bloom

• Canna, cosmos, copper plant, marigolds, periwinkle, plumbago, crape myrtle, althea, four-o’clocks, salvia, ageratum, coleus, lycoris, aster, bonia, celosia, chrysanthemum, coral vine, ginger lily, gladiolus, jacobina, liriope, morning glory, petunia, phlox, rattle box, bose, spider lily, torenia, vinca, white zephyranthes lily, zinnia, buddleia, franklin tree

Fall Color

• Flowering dogwoods have showy, drooping, red leaves.
• Ginko leaves turn pure yellow.

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Happy gardening!