I have been thinking about all the different gardens I view, manage and touch, and one thing continually goes through my mind. “When are all the other people in my client’s neighborhood going to consider what their gardens are going to look like through the fall, winter and next spring.
September is a great time to prep and plan for your gardens and lawns. For it is coming, that wild weather ride from November to April. Temperature swings, wind gusts, possible heavy rains and then winter snows with possible ice storms in March and April. I know why most young families don’t think about all this stuff (children preparing for school with crazy school activity schedules). Please don”t let this time of year pass you by. Opportunities come only a couple times a year to plant and protect your property for the future. All those spring bulbs that flower so pretty and all those evergreens that fall over and split from the heavy snow and ice. Plant those bulbs and tie up all those evergreens at risk (especially Emerald Green Arborvitaes). If you don’t want to do it, pay someone to improve and protect your properties value.
This is not always the subject you want to hear about but it is a subject that needs to be discussed. We get caught saying, I can’t believe I let another year go by without planting those Daffodils or tying up those trees. My job is to be your surrogate and give you the opportunity to create more PEACE OF MIND.
That’s it you know. Peace of mind. How often do you remember to manage something only in the midst of damage occurring or after your see someone else’s pretty gardens (“I wish I had remembered to put my Virginia Bluebells in”). It isn’t too late. You can also manage doing the aeration for the lawn this year, preparing yourself for a lot less lawn stress next year. Don’t think, just call that turf guy and have him begin the process for you. If you wait for them to call, they will be selling you something you may not be emotionally prepared to spend money on. This wastes yet another year with uncertainty.
Come on chose one little 2×2, 3×3, 4×8 spot and throw some hope in the ground. If you need help let me know what you are thinking about and comment on the article. You do your part, I can do my part by answering questions or calling you with ideas. I can give you feedback and ideas based on your wants and desires. Color, form, hight and texture. Planting combinations and formality verses informality. There are no mistakes. There is only lack of action that fails us. So do not fail yourself, your property, your neighborhood. Just do something, no mater how small.
My challenge to you all is to take action. Spend $10 dollars at a minimum and find a color you like. Be bold and ask a neighbor that has a plant you like for a cutting or root stock. Put things in the ground and see what surprises await you in the future. Winter is far more exciting when you have hopes for the future and what the weather changes can bring.
Live life as part of the planet by adding to it this fall. Don’t be afraid. For fear causes us to fail or delay our possible success.
BE BOLD. BE ADVENTUROUS. GO GREEN (water that actually means).
When is the latest I can plant bulbs for the spring?
Best time to plant in the fall for springtime display would be at least 6 weeks before the ground freezes. It is important to know you can plant bulbs for spring color anytime between September 1st and right before the ground freezes. The reason for the six weeks before ground freezing is so those bulbs have an opportunity to get a head start by developing some roots before they go dormant for the winter. Any other questions are welcome.