SEPTEMBER is a great time to do many things in the garden and a time not to do some things.
To help provide some clarity in the garden here's a list of September's do's and don'ts in the garden.
What? Plant now? Yes, plant now.
On the West Coast, most plants can be installed from September until December.
Our mild coastal weather and warm soil temperature provides us with the opportunity to plant trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs.
The soil is at its warmest temperature and the air temperature is generally cooler than in August, and plants will have enough time to establish roots before the winter arrives.
There are exceptions to the September planting rule. Do not plant borderline hardy plants such as tree palms, several Mediterranean plants or anything else that may be prone to frost burn. Almost every other hardy tree, shrub or perennial can be planted now.
You mean I can't prune that tree now?
As a general rule, spring (May) and late summer (September) are the two worst times of the year to prune.
Pruning trees in September removes leaf surface area and therefore deprives the plant of food reserves that are already being sent into the roots for winter storage. And with cooler nights and dew around, the conditions for stem infections are ripe.
Hard pruning on shrubs will cause a small growth flush that is susceptible leaf burn from to early frosts.
That's not to say no pruning can occur, you just have to choose wisely which plants you prune. Coniferous trees like cedar, hemlock and fir are more tolerant of late season pruning than many other trees.
If you have to prune to stay on schedule, then prune lightly and don't take off as much foliage as originally planned.
Mulch now, not later.
I continue to read absurd recommendations about mulching. I recently read that gardeners should let the soil freeze before mulching plants that were planted in the fall. That's quite wrong and potentially damaging to fall plantings or transplants.
Why would we wait until
the soil freezes and then install mulch? Mulch should be applied as a regular part of planting and should be completed before frost arrives to protect the newly planted root system.
Always mulch right up to the base of the plant and apply the mulch at least 7-10 centimetres thick and cover all bare soil.
Start fall transplanting projects now.
Transplant now while the soil is the warmest, the sun is shining and the short day length can be used to encourage rooting. Almost any tree, shrub or perennial can be safely transplanted from now until December, except tender plants and plants that have borderline hardiness in our climate.
I read somewhere that fall is the only time to transplant clematis or honeysuckle.
Wrong.
I don't know who dreams this stuff up, but I have moved several clematis and honeysuckles in late winter, spring and early summer.
Transplanting is a matter of skill and technique as much as it is a matter of timing.
Some of these transplanting myths come from the discrepancies in style between English or European gardeners and the gardeners in the colonies (North America).
The Europeans take great advantage of late summer and fall soil temperatures to undertake transplanting which allows the transplant to grow roots in fall and start leaf growth right away in spring without interruption.
North American gardeners by comparison generally prefer spring transplanting. I would be confident in moving a clematis or honeysuckle in late winter, early spring or spring.
Plant spring flowering bulbs and bulbous lilies now.
We all know about fall planting of spring flowering bulbs. But few people take advantage of fall's warm soil to plant Oriental and Asiatic lilies.
When you buy lilies from bulb suppliers they often arrive with just a bulb, no leaves.
It's perfectly safe to plant lilies now and they will make roots before winter.
Occasionally, lilies may shoot up to the surface but the cool fall weather will keep the shoot tip safely below the soil.
Fall is root veggie season.
Most experienced vegetable gardeners know that a fall planting of root crops like onions, beets, parsnips and carrots will provide an early winter harvest. However, fall plantings of those vegetables is usually only possible if those plants were sown in August and grown on into larger pots that will be planted out now.
For those root veggies that are already in the ground and growing, leave them in place well into frost season to allow the cold weather to flavour up the crop.
Most importantly, fall is a tremendously beautiful season on the West Coast, so remember to take time to slow down and enjoy the garden's beauty.
Todd Major is a journeyman horticulturist as well as a chief horticultural instructor at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. For advice or to contact him at stmajor@shaw. ca.
