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When I sat down to put the September news together, I kept thinking to myself, there is not as much going on in the garden this time of year, What will I write about? But as the thoughts and research took hold I realized how very much there is to do this time of year. The number one thing though - is to just enjoy it! The flowers are full and brilliant, the vegetables are at their peak of summer ripeness, and the birds are back to the feeders with a vengeance. It has been an extremely hot summer, and I for one will be glad when it cools off just a little. I am a heat loving person myself, but the cool evenings and mornings have been glorious.

Michelle and I had a great time in Chicago last month. Most of what we ordered will not be available until next season (I still hate the fact that you go to these shows in late summer, get all fired up, and then have to wait 6 months for Spring), but you will start seeing some of the new gift shop items in both Flower Tree & Red Zinnia in the coming weeks. We only have a few weeks of summer left, and I for one intend to spend as much of it in the garden as possible!

We hope that you find a moment to take pleasure in the warm, lazy days of late summer and remember to take time to enjoy your garden! Delight in each new flower that opens its beautiful petals to the sun, every tomato that turns from green to bright red, the surprise of the giant zucchini peaking out from under the leaves and the songs of nearby birds who call your little piece of the world home. There is so much joy to be found when you are close to nature and only you can make the time to enjoy it to its fullest!

Till Next Month,

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn." Elizabeth Lawrence

Growing the roots.....it's what Fall planting is all about.

September and October are an excellent time to transplant perennials, shrubs and trees, particularly in our area, where the winters are mild and the summers are extremely hot. Although you won’t see a lot of stem and leaf growth in the fall, the plants are busy growing new roots. With the arrival of spring, the fall-planted garden is ready to burst forth with vigorous new growth and a profusion of flowers. This also prepares them for the summer heat ahead. By growing roots during the fall and winter, they are able to uptake more water when it is needed in the following summer.

Growing the Roots

80% of a plant’s root growth occurs in the late summer and fall months. Root growth continues slowly through the late fall and winter, as long as the soil is not frozen. Better root growth increases the amount of nutrients stored in the plant over the winter .Compared to spring-planted perennials, which suffer a period of transplant shock, plants installed in the fall grow rapidly in the spring—with both substantial root growth, and more vigorous top growth and flowering.With a more established root system, fall-planted trees, shrubs, and perennials are much better able to handle the harsh, drying winds of spring and the withering heat of summer.

Water-wise Gardening

Fall planting is better from a water-use perspective:

As plants begin to go dormant in the fall, they use less water.
The soil is cooler in the fall, so it stores moisture better.
Watering is easier, because you have to water less frequently.
Fall is less windy than spring. Wind dries out the soil quicker and dehydrates plants.

However, water is crucial during the fall and winter. Water regularly through the fall months, decreasing frequency as the daytime temperatures cool in late October and November. From 2-4 weeks after planting, the plant should be rooted, especially if Superthrive root stimulator is used at the time of planting. Once the plant is established, watering frequency can be reduced. When the soil begins to freeze, soak it once every 2-3 weeks through the winter months, except when it is very cold and the ground is frozen solid.

Important: IF ROOTS FREEZE DRY...........THEY DIE!! We will talk about this more and more as winter sets in.

Mulching is also essential to successful fall planting. It keeps the plants from drying out in the dry fall and winter weather, and will keep the soil frozen over the spring months to prevent frost heaving of the roots. ( Look below for our September Special on mulch.)

Recommended Plants: Hardy deciduous trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials. All narrow leaf evergreens and broadleaf evergreen shrubs in Zone 5 and under. Pansies, mums, kale and shrub roses are excellent for fall planting.

MUMMANIA!!!
There here!!! Time to freshen up those tired looking pots on the front porch!
MUMS
SNAPDRAGONS
FRAGRANT STOCK
ALLYSUM

Why Does Compost Make Soil Healthier?
Composting is a practical and convenient way to handle yard trimmings such as leaves, grass, thatch, chipped brush, and plant cuttings. It can be easier and cheaper than bagging or paying to have them removed. Compost also improves your soil and the plants growing in it. If you have a garden, a lawn, trees, shrubs, or even planter boxes, you have a use for compost.

Compost returns organic matter to the soil in a usable form. Organic matter in the soil improves plant growth by: stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms, loosening heavy clay soils to allow better root penetration; improving the capacity to hold water and nutrients particularly in sandy soils; and adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving plant health. Healthy plants help clean air, conserve soil, and beautify landscapes.

I enlarged my compost efforts again this year, adding a smaller tumbler that Robert got for me. It has proved to not only be a wonderful way to rid my kitchen of the scraps from juicing every morning, but the grass clippings and weeds go into it also. Every month or so I have been getting wonderful Black Gold! out of my tumbler. I add a small amount of Gardner & Bloome Worm Gro (castings) to it every week, and Dr. Earth Compost Starter when I start a new batch. I have been using a shovel full or two with every new planting, and this fall I will have enough to do most of my mulching around the trees. As Dr. Earth tell us, "Just go Organic" - and we would love to show you how. Dr. Earth Website

Upcoming Class for Fall Equinox

Saturday , September 25th @ 1pm
repeated Sunday, September 26th @ 1pm

Creating Fall Magic with Containers

Join Michelle & I as we pot up some of our personal favorites for the fall containers that will grace our own front porch. If you can't make it to the class, don't worry. We will be available the entire month to help you choose the flowers that will carry you through the cooler months ahead. Just stop by, pick a container, or bring your own, pick out your favorites, and we can help you from there.

Free Gardner & Bloome Organic Potting Soil for all participants of the class. Just bring your own container, or purchase one from our large inventory, the potting soil, and Dr. Earth Starter Fertilizer is FREE!

Remember when choosing mums, pick the plants that are in bud, not fully open. You will be able to enjoy the flowers much longer if they bloom for you in your garden instead of at the nursery.

Also keep in mind that if you want the chrysanthemum to be perennial, meaning that it will come back next year, you really need to get it in the ground before the end of October. The longer you wait to plant it, the less likely it will come back next year.

Enjoy your plant in a container for the months of September and October, and then get it in the ground. Remember to keep it watered in the container, because if it dies in the pot, planting it in the ground will not bring it back to life.

Other popular fall flowers are winter pansies and flowering cabbage. Plant your winter pansies now. They like it cool, and if planted in the ground, they should over winter and be beautiful next spring. Don't expect your pansies to over winter in containers, though .Because of the freezing and thawing in our area, pansies will not make it through the winter in a container. The roots will rot.

A reminder.....................................this is the month to purchase your Bayer Tree & Shrub. It should be applied in late September, or early October for best success. Make sure and measure your trees trunk before you come in so we can help you figure out exactly how many ounces you will need.

IN OUR AREA: It is imperative that you put this on the following varieties: cottonwood/poplar/aspen, ash, chitalpa, elms and willows. We will be happy to go over any other trees you may have, just stop in with your list.

The only 12 month insect protection for Trees and Shrubs - No spraying!

It's time to feed the lawn and put it to bed ...............
We recommend Ringer Lawn Restore and/or Dr. Earth Lawn Fertilizer

Ringer Lawn Restore
A slow release organic fertilizer, Ringer Lawn Restore (10-2-6) provides the essential nutrients that produce thick, green lawns and deep, vigorous root systems. Contains quality, all-natural ingredients, including feather meal, bone meal, and soybean meal (no manures or synthetic ingredients). Pelleted for easy application. Will not burn. Approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Covers 2,500 sq. ft.

Dr.E

arth Lawn Fertilizer
Dr. Earth contains PRO-BIOTIC, beneficial soil microbes and 3 species of Endo Mycorrhizae. These living organisms develop a symbiotic relationship with your lawn, helping it to better absorb nutrients from the soil. They also aid in relieving drought stress by absorbing water from a much greater volume of soil. Beneficial microbes in Dr. Earth Supernatural not only help to digest the organic fertilizer, but also aid in the consumption of “thatch”. Some of the microbes even produce antibiotic compounds that suppress disease-bearing fungal pathogens, preventing them from becoming established in your lawn. The end result is a healthy, productive, weed, drought and disease resistant lawn that will give you years of enjoyment. Naturally! Dr. Earth Website

And did we mention....... it also repels rabbits from your lawn.

Healthy Lawns Start in the Fall
Provided by the Ringer Company

Leaves are dropping. Cool weather is in the forecast. And you are worrying about spring... Now? Yes, now is the time to start thinking about spring. Preparing your lawn for winter dormancy also helps it get a good, quick start when the weather warms next spring.

Getting Ready
In the fall, as the days get shorter and temperatures dip into daytime averages of less than 50 degrees, grass begins to prepare for winter and the following spring. Shoot growth ceases, so all the carbohydrates produced and the nutrients taken up are stored in the shoots and roots. This storage helps the grass overcome the ravages of winter dormancy. For a long time, it was thought that when shoot growth stopped grass did not use nutrients. Present turf researchers, including Dr. Wayne Kussow of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, now know that turf continues to use nutrients right up to the time that soil freezes.

Healthy Roots Make Healthy Grass
When your grass is deficient in nitrogen in the fall, carbohydrate production drops off. The result is weak grass that either does not survive the winter cold or, in most cases, survives but takes well into the next season to begin to look good. Why not start the turf looking good first thing in the spring?

"Apply the full rate of a slow release nitrogen fertilizer so that it keeps the grass nice and green," says Dr. Kussow. "This ensures maximum production of carbohydrates at this critical time of the year." Apply this late fall fertilizer after turf has been cut the last time and is not growing. "An added advantage of this late season nitrogen application is that it promotes uptake of other nutrients, helping ensure good winter hardiness and rapid re-growth the next spring," Dr. Kussow adds. Using a full rate of fertilizer allows roots to feed well into the dormant period.

Two Applications for Great Results
Turf professionals generally talk about two fall applications of fertilizer. The first is in the early fall, around Labor Day, when grass is still growing. Apply a full rate at this time to keep grass growing in the fall. This will maintain a dense turf that doesn't allow weed seeds to make contact with soil and germinate before cold weather comes.

The second fall application is called a dormant or early winter application. This full rate application is applied after grass has quit growing. Generally, this will be around Thanksgiving. Many golf course superintendents in Northern areas use this technique to give their courses an early start the next spring.

Fall Mowing
As always, keep your mower blade sharp. A sharp blade causes a clean cut on the grass leaf, which quickly heals. Dull blades shred the grass and cause a great deal of damage to lawns. In turn, this damage opens the door for disease. A few minutes sharpening your lawn mower blade is a good investment to a great lawn.

Watering In the Fall
Even though your lawn ceases growing for the winter, it still needs moisture to survive. Remember, your grass is not completely dormant until early winter. Plus, if you get dry winter winds with very low humidity, winter burn will damage patches of your lawn. Keep your lawn watered as you would in the summer, watering infrequently but deeply. Water to rooting depth of your grass, generally four to six inches.

Late Summer / Fall
Moving & Dividing Perennials
Some gardeners bravely move and divide perennials pretty much at any time during the growing season. Sometimes they get away with it, and sometimes not. It just sort of depends on the amount of moisture, heat, the condition of the plant to begin with and a fair bit of luck. Most perennials however will enjoy being divided in late summer, early fall. We always advise to at least wait until the hot summer days are more or less behind you, which for us means early to mid September. Once the days are cooler and hopefully some soil moisture has returned, the chances of success are much better. There is a basic rule-of-thumb so far as which perennials to move or divide, and when:

Peonies are an early summer bloomer that should only be moved or divided during the autumn, since the plants will sulk and pout if disturbed at any other time. Truthfully, they really resent being divided at any time, and if you get too greedy and make really small divisions it could be several years before they recover and get large enough to flower once again. Try to keep peony divisions large, with a generous amount of woody root and at least 3 to 5 "eyes" or growing points where the stems emerge.

True Lilies (including Asiatic, Oriental, Trumpet and other hybrids) move beautifully during mid autumn. Just carefully dig up the clumps, separate the bulbs and replant them. Planting groups of Lilies is always more effective than dotting them singly around the garden. A large clump will give you more bulbs than you could ever want, but friends are always grateful to receive a gift of Lily bulbs.

Hostas and Daylilies are easily moved or divided either in the fall or in the spring. If the foliage is particularly lush in the autumn, just cut it back by 1/3 to 1/2.

(Thank you to Heritage Perennials, one of our fabulous perennial growers, for information used in this article.)

Dividing Your Iris's

Bearded Iris are best divided in August, but you can also get away with doing this task in early September when it has cooled off and is more pleasant to be outside. Bearded Iris are tall, elegant additions to the flower border, but they are also relatively high maintenance. You can help cut down on the incidence of soft rot and borer damage through regular division of the iris rhizomes every 2-3 years. This will also keep bearded iris performing and blooming at its best. If left undivided, the flowering will decrease and the rhizome w

ill be subject to more pests and damage. You can divide bearded iris anytime after flowering through August. Using a pitch fork, carefully dig around the bearded iris plant, starting about a foot away from the outer most edge. Try not to pierce the rhizome with the fork. Work the fork around the bearded iris plant and gently lift the rhizomes out of the soil. Since bearded iris are grown at soil level, this is one of the easiest plants to lift.Once you have the bearded iris rhizomes lifted, shake off any loose soil. Rinse off any remaining soil with a garden hose. If you don't have space to do this in the garden, it is sometimes easier and neater to do it on a tarp. Rising off the soil will allow you to better see the rhizomes and roots, to inspect for damage. Once the rhizomes are cleaned, you can separate the individual rhizomes from one another. Don't break them apart, just loosen the already separate sections.Once the rhizomes are clean, cut the foliage to about 6 inches. Cutting the fan of leaves connected to a lifted iris rhizome makes the plant easier to work with when dividing and replanting and helps prevent water loss while the plant is becoming re-established. The fan does not need to be cut symmetrically. Some leaves may be damaged and will need to be cut shorter than 6 inches.Once the bearded iris rhizomes are clean, look for small to medium holes, like the one on the rhizome above left. These are telltale signs of borer damage. If your bearded iris leaves have dark streaks in them, you probably have iris borers, so look closely.Also look for soft spots like the front section of the above right rhizome. This is another common iris problem called soft rot. Using a sharp knife or pruners, remove any traces of either iris borer damage or soft rot and dispose of these segments of rhizome. Soft rot spreads easily, so disinfect your cutting tool with denatured alcohol between cuts, to prevent further contamination.Now you are ready to divide the rhizomes. You will see natural places to make a split, such as where the rhizome has forked. Study the rhizome and make sure each section you have chosen will wind up being at least 3 inches long and will have healthy roots growing from it. Then go ahead and make a clean cut through the rhizome, using the same sharp, disinfected knife or pruner.The final step is re-planting your bearded iris. Choose a full sun location and start by digging a shallow hole that will be wide enough to spread out the rhizome's roots. Make the hole about 2-3 inches deep, then create a mound in the center of the hole to just about soil level, as shown above.Soak the soil in the planting hole. Then take a rhizome division and place it in the center of the mound. Spread the roots around and down the mound. Cover the division with soil, being careful not to bury the rhizome with more than an inch or 2 of soil. Remember, it will probably settle a bit lower and bearded iris will rot and certainly won't bloom, if buried too deeply. Water well and do so weekly until you start to notice new growth. Then enjoy for another couple of years.You can also find excellent Iris growing information at the American Iris Society web site.

Many homeowners revel in the glory of their garden in spring, only to be disappointed when plants start to dry out and look stressed in the heat of summer. The natural reaction is to pour more water into the garden to "moisturize" the plants. This in turn can lead to root rot and/or the continuous lowering of soil temperature to the point that plants aren't stimulated to grow--or just plain die (over watering is one of the main causes of plant death). But these problems can be greatly reduced or, in many cases, prevented by summer mulching.

The goal of late summer mulching is not only to reduce summer heat stress on plants, but to create an environment for plants that will be conducive to good growth. Mulch is to a garden what a roof is to your home. We couldn't heat or air condition the home without the roof. The same seasonal temperature variance occurs in your garden. A 2" layer of mulch not only retains moisture in the soil but it maintains a cooler temperature in the summer and a warmer temperature in the winter.

Mulching also brings many other benefits to the garden. It gives the garden a tidier appearance and greatly improves the growing conditions for plants. Mulch helps suppress weeds and helps to conserve moisture. It creates an environment where earthworms can thrive and enhance the soil's condition. Nature provides this for us in natural settings; when we apply mulch to our garden, we mimic what is naturally done on the forest floor.

The strategy is to stimulate the growth of good soil bacteria, which in turn digest plant foods that the plant will recognize as nutrients and absorb. By keeping moisture in the soil you will attract earthworms and beneficial microbes and bacteria. The earthworms loosen up the soil, easing compaction, while the beneficial microbes help digest nutrients more efficiently, making them more readily available to the plants. Maintaining "moist" soil as opposed to "wet" soil keeps the temperature of the soil at a more consistent level for optimum growth. Mulch also provides a blanket to the soil that protects against soil crusting, as it decomposes and adds humus to the soil.

We recommend spreading a 2" inch layer of mulch or bark over the top of the native soil. There are many mulching materials available. Color, particle size, and nutrient exchange are considerations when choosing your material. We recommend Kellogg Gromulch, Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost or Gardner & Bloome Planting Mix. Non-organic decorative mulches such as rock or gravel may be an attractive addition in gardens but give nothing back to the soil. Note: make sure not to place mulch right up against plant stems or tree trunks.

When mulching is incorporated with a good organic fertilizing program, the plants in your garden will not only survive the stress of summer and winter, but will thrive in it. Mulch will also give your garden a more "finished" look, adding to its overall beauty.

It's still HOT out now............but fall & winter are closer than you think. Mulching during the cold months protects your plants just as a blanket would protect you. We want you to Mulch your plants!
Kellogg's Garden Products

Growing Young Readers... A Garden Journey

Saturday, September 11th
11 a.m. - Noon
Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble
&
Bumble Bear
Join our guest readers, Eleanor & Donna as they thrill your children with these delightful stories. For our craft project this month they will have the children do a "BEE" project. Won't you please join us for a fun morning.

Please call or email to sign up your child flrtree@cccomm.net for this month's class

Flower Tree Nursery believes through gardening we can teach so much, like responsibility, patience, nurturing, joy and the sweet anticipation of something you cared for, coming to life. Please join us each month as we explore the world of gardening with your child.

The Flower Tree Nursery
2975 Reno Highway
Fallon, NV 89406 (775)423-1113 Email Flower Tree

KILLS	WHERE TO USE	WHEN TO USE
Aphids, Birch Leafminers, Elm Leaf Beetles, Holly Leafminers, Leafhoppers, Leafminers, Mealybugs, Pine Bark Adelgids, Sawfly Larvae, Scales, Spruce Gall Adelgids, Whiteflies, Wooly Balsam Adelgids	Outdoor Trees & Shrubs	Once a year or when insects are present