Fall Garden Cleanup - Picking Up Leaves

Abe's Beer Garden is located in the middle of a forested area, and the lawn is adjacent to this same forest. So there are a lot of leaves deposited on both the lawn and garden. The first stage of the fall garden cleanup is to remove the leaves. The leaf removal is accomplished each year without using a rake or one garbage bag.
To remove the leaves from the lawn a lawn tractor with a bagger attachment is used. The lawn mower munches the leaves up and blows them into the bag. This creates a pleasant job for an October afternoon, driving the lawn mower around picking up leaves and dumping them in a huge pile.
Leaf removal from the flower beds is accomplished with a vacuum leaf blower. The vacuum action of this special type of blower sucks the leaves up and forces them through a grinding wheel. The leaves are shredded to a fine consistency and blown into a bag.
What to do with all those leaves? Here at the Beer Garden we just pile them up in a huge pile. The early leaves are mixed with grass clippings from the lawn. These will compost down nicely. The later ones are just piled up and allowed to decompose. They can be used as is for mulches around roses, azeleas and other plants. By next spring they will have decomposed enough to use as a soil additive or as a mulch. I have another project dreamed up for them that will be discussed later.
In the meantime, we can just sit outside and watch the leaf pile shrink.

Fall Garden Cleanup – A Five Step Process

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Cleanup in the fall garden is an extended process here in the Beer Garden. The leaves begin falling in early October and continue for two to three weeks. We have a large black oak tree which towers over our patio just west of the garden and it deposits copious amounts of leaves over an extended period of time. Add to this the leaves from the sugar maples, white ash and black locust in the forest surrounding the garden.
The cleanup in the fall is usually a five step process beginning in mid October and usually continues until Thanksgiving, or later. The first step is to pick up the leaves on the lawn and garden beds. Next is to do any pruning necessary to cut back shrubs, perennials, and other plants. Then another go over with the vacuum leaf blower to pick up leaves and other debris. Then comes planting of any potted shrubs and perennials that are in the cold frames. Usually planting stops around the beginning of November. Any of the potted plants from the cutting program are just put into cold frames for the winter and covered. The last step is to spread compost around certain perennials, shrubs and miniature roses. At this time some shredded leaves are also added as a mulch to certain plants like roses, buddlea and azeleas.
When all of this work is completed the fall cleanup is finished and the seed catalogs have started to arrive. It is time to begin dreaming of next year.

The Invasion of the Cicada

The time is at hand for the invasion of the seventeen year cicada. Every few years these critters emerge from their shadowy realms underground where they have been feeding on tree roots. They will then crawl up on a tree and molt. Once they have molted, leaving behind a hollow, papery shell, the cicada hangs out a bit drying out and acquainting itself with its new surroundings.
Then the cicada will start searching for a mate. The male sings by contracting a specialized muscle called a timbal. Their abdomen is hollow, which allows the sound made by the timbal to be greatly amplified. The male cicada can move the timbal quite rapidly, creating a resonating, high pitched buzz. This buzz can be anywhere from the pleasant background summer sound produced by the dog day cicada, to the annoying, pervasive din raised by the periodic cicada. The male has the ability to turn off its own hearing mechanism while it is singing. Females who find an individual male's singing attractive will mate with him.
After mating, the male dies. The female lives on to cut a small slit in a tree or tree limb, preferring branches less than one half inch in diameter. After egg laying, the female will also die. The eggs in the slit hatch and the branch falls off the tree. The nymphs jump off and burrow underground to suck the juices from tree roots until it is time for them to emerge and complete the cycle.
There are two basic types of cicada. The dog day cicada emerges late in summer,in July and August. The  adults mate and die, then the nymphs burrow underground for two to four years, depending upon the variety. The dog day cicada is a pleasant summer visitor whose song accentuates a hot summer afternoon. There is a population of these cicadas every summer, but they are never as numerous as the periodic cicada.
The periodic cicada includes both the thirteen and seventeen year cicadas. These insects will stay underground for either thirteen or seventeen years, depending on the type. The nymphs then emerge to mate and die. The periodic cicadas can appear by the thousands in a wooded, or formerly wooded area. The din raised by these insects can overpower conversation and the females can damage small trees when they cut the slit in them to lay their eggs. It is best to delay planting small trees in cicada years until summer or fall to avoid this damage.
Cicadas are harmless, as they do not bite, but they can be quite annoying as they fly around if you scare them up as you walk by them. If one lands on you, their sharp claws may sting a bit as they try to cling to you, but there is no lasting aftereffect. It's best to just endure the critters while they are visiting, because after a few weeks they will be gone, leaving only their memory. At least for the next seventeen years when they return.

Solar Garden Lights

Solar garden lights add an exciting dimension to the garden at night. They can light a path, illuminate statuary, and provide shimmering reflections in garden pools and ponds.  They are easy to install and very friendly to the environment.
When you decide to add solar garden lights to your landscape you will find that there are an astonishing variety of them. It can be very confusing trying to choose, because there are so many different styles and types, as well as a very broad price range. You may very well ask yourself what is the best type to choose? The answer to that question is determined by what is your needs are and how will you use the lights.
The two basic of solar garden light systems available are individually and integrally wired systems. Individually wired units are complete. They include the solar cell, sensor, batteries and light bulb. They can be put just about anywhere that gets full sun, with no need to run unsightly wiring. The main disadvantage to these is that they will not work in a shady area. Integrally wired light systems have one solar cell per set, which usually includes two to three light units. The individual lights may be put in shady areas. The solar cell is then placed in a sunny area. Using this type of solar light, just about any area can be illuminated. The main disadvantage to integral systems is that you do need to run wiring from the solar collector to the lights.
By far the most popular solar garden light style is the landscape light. These lights are usually individual units and can be installed in garden beds, along walks and pathways or around ponds and garden pools. They are very easy to install, since each one has its own collector, bulb, battery and sensor.
The traditional yard lamp may be replaced by the solar post light. These stand alone yard lights illuminate your yard, sidewalk, patio, or driveway with free energy from the sun. No digging to install wires is necessary. Most come mounted on their own post, which can range from two to seven feet tall. The styles are endless, from a traditional gas lamp to more contemporary designs. There are also post lights designed to be mounted on a post of your choice.
Solar flood lights are used to flood a specific area with light. They are great for illuminating a sidewalk, patio, or entryway. Many are integrally wired, with a single solar cell gathering power for several lights. This allows the floodlights to be placed in sunless areas, like under the eaves of a house, with the solar cell installed on the roof.
Solar spot lights highlight a specific garden feature such as statuary, a specimen plant, or a pool. These can also be found as integrally or individually wired. You may use them to either light an area from above or below, depending upon the desired lighting effect. 
In addition to these main styles of solar garden lights you will find a multitude of specialty and designer lights. Among these are stepping stone lights, floating lights for ponds, planter lights, and address lights. The types available are almost limitless.
No matter what your lighting needs, you should be able to find the type of solar garden light you desire. By carefully analyzing your needs and researching what is available, you should be able to find the proper light to fulfill your purpose.

Bringing Summer Color In For Winter Bloom

Winter can be gray, colorless and cold, the summer flowers just a fleeting memory hidden under a blanket of snow. Did you know that some of that summer color can be brought indoors for winter blooming and enjoyment? The best flowers to bring for winter blooming in the house are impatiens, begonia, geranium and coleus. These colorful flowers will bloom quite happily in a sunny south or west facing window. You have two choices on how to bring these wonderful plants in the house - dig them up and pot them or take cuttings, root them and pot them up after they are rooted.
To bring the flowers in you will first need to have pots large enough to accommodate them, and a good quality potting mix. Using a shovel or large trowel, cut into the ground all around the plant and gently lift the plant out. Shake off as much of the dirt as you can without damaging the root system. Place a small quantity of potting soil in the bottom of the pot. You may sprinkle a small amount of slow release fertilizer over the top of this soil and mix it in.  Now you want to set the newly dug plant in the pot. Using a trowel or large spoon, fill the pot up with soil all around the plant, completely covering the root system. Water the plant thoroughly, until water runs out of the bottom of the pot. Spray the plants with insecticide soap or other insecticide and set the newly potted plants in an area away from any other indoor plants for a few days until any pests which may be on the plant may die and not infest your other plants. After inspecting them, move them into the house and place in a window which gets plenty of light. They should bloom indoors all winter in the house, producing lots of colorful flowers.
Another option is to take cuttings, root them, and pot up the fully rooted plants for indoor color all winter long. The rooting process for the flowers listed at the beginning of this article is pretty simple and is similar for all of them. You will need some good quality potting soil, a large pot, some clear plastic, a wooden stake, and some tape or a rubber band large enough to go around the pot. The cuttings are taken using a sharp knife. Using the knife, cut a branch off the plant very near the base, even including a small portion of the trunk you cut it off of. Using a scissors, cut off any flowers which are blooming and clean off any leaves from the bottom inch or two of the cutting, leaving at least two leaves at the very top. Fill the pot with soil and water it well. Stick the base of the cutting in the soil firmly. Continue until all the cuttings are stuck, as you may put several cuttings in each pot at this stage. As different plants have different rooting times, it is best to separate the different types of plants when rooting them. Be sure to take more cuttings than you need, as not all will root. Put the stake in the center of the pot, sprinkle or mist the pot of cuttings again to moisten them and cover with the plastic, securing it with the rubber band or tape. Set the pot in a well lighted area, but not in direct sun.
Check the pot daily to make sure the soil is damp. You may mist the cuttings daily, if desired, to hasten rooting. If any rot off, remove them promptly and discard. After a couple of weeks the cuttings should be rooted, and should stay in the ground if  lightly tugged on. The plastic should be removed when rooting is complete and the plants may now be moved into a sunny window. Depending upon the size of the pot used and the number of cuttings in the pot, they may be left in it to grow and bloom. Or you may wish, after a couple of weeks, to move them to their own pot. That choice, indoor gardener, is yours to make.
Blooming flowers in the house create a homey feeling and adds welcome color at a gloomy time of the year. By moving some of your summer flowers in, you can extend the life of them into the winter months and the following spring, the plants can be moved back outdoors for another season of enjoyment.

Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs in the Fall

Spring is a time of promise in the garden. Blooming tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils announce winter's end with bright colors and heady fragrance. But only if you plant them first. So when do you plant these spring blooming beauties? The time for planting these bulbs is in the fall, when the garden is going to sleep for the winter. Here are some general guidelines for the most popular spring flowering bulbs.
Tulip
There are probably more tulip varieties than all the other spring flowering bulbs combined. There are over 100 species and literally thousands of different cultivated varieties. The tulip is native to a vast region which covers eastern Europe, central Asia and Japan. In the garden the tulip prefers a sandy loam, but will do well in any good, well drained soil. They don't tend to do well in clay soils. The pointed bulbs are a favorite of chipmunks, mice and other burrowing rodents, so if you are near a wooded area, some of your bulbs may serve as lunch for these little critters. Moles, contrary to popular belief, do not eat them, but mice, which can inhabit the mole runs, do.
Tulips should be planted in full sun to partial shade four to six inches apart and from four to eight inches deep. You can plant them up to twelve inches deep. This will cause the bulbs to multiply less, but the blooms will be larger. The bulbs should be chosen with an eye towards their bloom time. There are early, mid and late season varieties. The bloom season of the tulip may be extended over several weeks by a careful choice of varieties. Tulips are good for cutting. Snip them at an angle and put them in clear, clean water.
After bloom, allow the stalk to remain until it turns brown. Then it can be removed and discarded. Tulips benefit from division every three or four years. Dig the bulbs and allow them to dry in a cool dry place and store in a mesh bag or crate in a cool, dry place. The bulbs should be planted in mid to late fall. The small bulblets on the sides of the larger ones can be used to propagate more of your favorites, but these should be planted in a separate spot, as they can take up to three years to bloom.
Daffodil
This wonderful member of the Amaryllis family comprises about twenty six species and hundreds of cultivated varieties. Like the tulip, the daffodil, or narcissus, is planted in the fall. It is not such a popular food for rodents as the tulip so if you have a garden near a wooded area, daffodils are much more reliable bulb to plant.
Plant the bulbs about six to eight inches apart and about two times the diameter of the bulbs deep. They are tolerant of a wide range of soils, but like well drained locations the best. They prefer full sun, but will flower satisfactorily in partial shade. After bloom, do not cut the foliage off, as it is needed by the plant to manufacture food for the bulbs to store so they can live through their long dormancy period. Instead, plant perennial or annual flowers nearby to camouflage the slowly dying foliage until it is brown and can be cut off.
Every three or four years, the daffodils need to be divided. In summer, after the foliage has died down, the bulbs may be dug, divided and stored, using the same process used for tulips. Plant the bulbs in the fall for spring flowering.
Hyacinth
The hyacinth is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Asia Minor. All cultivated varieties are descended from a single parent species - Hyacinthus orientalis. This spring flowering bulb has a culture similar to the tulip. The bulbs should be planted five to six inches deep and about a similar distance apart. The large flowered types usually only produce their large, fragrant blooms the first year. It will decline slowly after that, usually disappearing after the third season.  The small grape hyacinth will produce flowers over many years and create drifts of blooms over time.
The hyacinth prefers full sun, but will flower in the spring in partial shade. Plant the bulbs five to six inches deep, with similar spacing. The grape hyacinth may be divided in a process similar to the daffodil. Plant the bulbs in the fall for spring flowering.
Snow Drops
Another spring flowering bulb, and among the first to bloom, is the snowdrop. It will frequently bloom through light, late falling snows. Like the daffodil, it is a member of the amaryllis family. The bulbs are small, a bit bigger than the pea. They should be planted in the fall, about three inches apart and three inches deep. The snow drop does not need to be divided very often and will form large colonies if the spot they are planted in is favorable.
Crocus
The crocus is a member of the Iris family, and the bulb is more properly called a corm. But the culture is very similar to the other fall planted bulbs. They are native to the same regions as the hyacinth, Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean. It is a popular practice to naturalize these plants in the lawn, but if you do that, do not mow the grass until the foliage has begun to die.
There is a great variety of color and type in all the different kinds of spring flowering bulbs, and all have a similar culture. All the bulbs are planted in the fall, followed by generous spring bloom. Plant them and enjoy them for many years in the garden.

Five Easy Tasks for the Fall Garden

Fall can be a very busy time of year in the garden. Beyond the traditional fall clean up, there is planting, dividing and mulching to be done. The garden in spring can be much nicer as a result of some of the tasks done in the fall. Here are five things to do in the fall for a gorgeous garden in the spring.
Divide and Clean Up Perennials
By fall the perennials have finished their bloom and the foliage is looking tired and droopy. Using a grass shear, cut the foliage back and add to the compost heap. A small amount of compost, or low nitrogen fertilizer can be worked into the soil around the plants at this time. Do not use a high nitrogen fertilizer, as it can encourage top growth, something you do not want to happen at this time of year. Most perennials benefit from division every three or four years. To do this, cut into the ground all around the plant with a shovel and lift the plant out. Place the clump on the ground and cut it into sections with the shovel or a stout knife. Plant the divisions immediately, or give them to friends. Water the newly set plants well after planting.
Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs
Spring flowering bulbs will bloom in the garden from a fall planting. These bulbs include crocus, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and alliums. These beauties will bloom year after year in the spring, creating a welcome mosaic of color after the frigid, grey winter months. Using a trowel or bulb planter, dig a hole, drop in the bulb and cover with dirt. As a general guide, the hole should be two to three times deeper than the diameter of the bulb. Specific instructions for each bulb should be printed on the package of bulbs when you purchase them.
Plant Perennials and Shrubs
Fall is an ideal time to plant perennial flowers and shrubs in the garden. Soil temperatures are warm and the air is cool. This environment creates the ideal situation for plants to get started with less stress on them than with a spring planting. Fall planted flowers and shrubs can focus on growing their root systems. A full season can be gained from a fall planting of your garden plants, as the plants emerge in the spring with established roots and can focus on new growth.
Plant Pansies
If you are in USDA Zone Six or lower, fall is a great time to plant pansies in a sheltered location in the garden. Not only will you get some great fall color from them, but since they thrive on cold weather, you may get some winter color as well during some periods of mild winter weather. As a plus, in the spring, the pansies will spring out and bloom quite heavily until the hot weather knocks them down.
Mulch Flower Beds
Fall is a good time to apply mulch to your garden shrubbery and perennials. Use shredded leaves which have been run through a lawn mower and bagged, or picked up with a leaf vacuum/blower. The application of leaves in the fall will provide protection against changing winter temperatures and will also provide much needed nutrients slowly as the leaves break down. The mulch layer will also discourage weed growth in the spring, as well as conserve soil moisture during dry spells.
Great spring gardens are the result of great planning in the fall. The addition of spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils, as well as a bed of pansies in a protected alcove of the garden in the fall will really spice things up in the early spring when little else is blooming. Perennials, rejuvenated by a good cleaning and division, will bloom more heavily, while fall applied leaf mulch adds nutrients and helps control weeds.