Fall’s near, but far
ON SOME DAYS you can smell fall in the cool, dry morning air; other days seem like the hottest of the year and may, in fact, be just that. September jumps back and forth -- from summer to fall, then from fall back to summer. That means holding off on any big, fall planting projects. Autumn may be the best season to plant most anything (save subtropicals), but don’t believe the calendar. For gardeners, the season really doesn’t arrive until at least mid-October.
Santa Ana sizzle
Sometime in the month, the hot, dry Santa Ana winds return. Hopefully, those living near the chaparral, or in grassy areas, cut back brush and dried vegetation months ago, but if you didn’t, do so quickly.
In fire-prone areas and in ordinary gardens, make sure everything of size -- even drought-resistant plants -- has been thoroughly watered at least once this month. Watered plants are less likely to burn or wilt during hot weather.
Even when they have enough water, plants may temporarily collapse while the winds are blowing, unable to draw up moisture fast enough. Don’t be too hasty to water them yet again; they’ll usually recover during the night. The best way to water shrubs and trees is slowly and for a long time so you don’t have to water too often. Soils that stay moist too long encourage certain soil diseases. Being shallow rooted, lawns, vegetables and flowers need more frequent irrigation, but not as deeply.
Rose encore
Lightly prune roses, making sure all dead flowers and hips have been removed. Then fertilize and keep plants watered and you will get a fall flush of bloom in October or early November that can rival spring’s. After that bloom, it’s a good idea to force a rose to rest by not removing the hips (seed pods), which will break the flowering cycle and make a colorful winter display, at least until they get pruned off in late January or February.
Bulbs, corms, tubers
Bulbs begin showing up in nurseries in September, though some don’t arrive until October. Most can be planted right away. Some Dutch bulbs, such as tulips and crocus, need about six weeks of cooling in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator before being planted. Even then, these cold climate bulbs will last but a season and should be treated as annual flowers.
If you want staying power, stick with amaryllis, baboon flower (babiana), calla lily, the small-flowered daffodils and narcissus, Dutch iris, freesia, homeria, ipheon, ixia, ixiolirion, lachenalia, Leucojum aestivum, moraea, nerine, oxalis hybrids (which may be a little too persistent), ranunculus, Scilla campanulata, sparaxis and watsonia.
These can be left in the ground and, although they go dormant for the summer, they will return each fall so don’t forget where you plant them.
Vegetables to try
If you keep the seed moist, many vegetables will quickly sprout in the heat. Some to sow now include beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrot, cauliflower, celery, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, head and leaf lettuce, onion, pea, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnip. Asian vegetables, such as snow peas and bok choy, do best in the winter garden because most are cool-weather crops. The delicious mix of greens called mesclun can be sown now. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower are best put in as young plants, and just about any in the list above can be put in as transplants later in the month.
