Harvest Time Planting Time

The Harvest moon is here. It’s time to gather the fruits of our summer’s work and to store them under frost-proof conditions using our favorite and most successful methods. Take time to enjoy the wealth of foliage color which comes at no other season, the lazy haze on the distant hills, or the gorgeous clouds at sunset and sunrise while bringing in the tomatoes, carrots, and celery. Harvesting the pumpkins and the squashes, and digging the sweet potatoes gives more time to enjoy outdoor beauty and to breathe the fresh, crisp air.

In the flower garden there are more treasures to dig cannas, tuberoses, caladiums, tuberous begonias and calla lilies. Soil is left clinging to their roots. After they have ripened, we remove the leaves and store the tuberous roots in separate containers, carefully labeled, and set them in a cool, dry place.

If spring blooming bulbs were not planted earlier it is- not too late to plant them now. But attend to it as soon as possible to give the bulbs sufficent time to make good roots before winter comes and the cold soil puts an end to growing. Garden work becomes a pleasure as we plant and anticipate the joy of seeing the first snowdrops bloom, followed by a rainbow of crocuses and sky blue scillas. Spring can bring dancing yellow daffodils, gorgeous hyacinths, and flaming tulips if we plan wisely and plant diligently now.

Have you planted your peonies? They require a period of growing weather to become well anchored in their new home and then a period of low temperatures to break the dormancy of the buds in order that growth can take place when growing days of spring arrive.

There may still be seeds to collect for our own use or to share with fellow gardeners - forget-me-nots, Chinese delphiniums, salvias, Missouri primroses, penstemons, and other kinds. If we remembered to plant sunflowers earlier, there will be seeds to bring in for the birds.

Mother Nature plants her seeds as they mature and fall to the ground. We can well follow her example and make some planned plantings. Certain varieties planted in September and early October may germinate immediately and make enough growth to go through the winter safely. Larkspurs, available in lovely colors, often germinate in the fall and live over winter to bloom in late spring and early summer.

One that’s a real, puzzle yet most charming is Eryngium Leavenworth, the purple sea holly. Almost everyone agrees that it is temperamental. Self-sown seeds often come up in the fall and live over winter. Like larkspur, if the eryngium should winter-kill there always seems to be a sufficient amount of unsprouted seeds that germinate in the spring.

When planted by man, the seeds may come up soon after being planted, or be stubbornly slow, or wait for fall rains, or germinate the following spring, or wait until the second fall, or NOT COME UP AT ALL! Once you get a start, there will always be enough volunteers to produce glorious purple plants for the garden and plenty to cut and dry for winter bouquets.

Delphinium orientale is an annual with foliage very similar to the larkspur. It comes up in the fall and blooms in May and June - the color is a pleasing purple. October seed planting need not be limited to annuals. Seeds of such perennials as bluebells, Mertensia virginica, may be planted at this time to germinate in early spring. The blue is fairly common and a fortunate few have the rare white which is indeed a treasure. Plant seeds of timber phlox (Phlox divaricata) and the taller Phlox pilosum for spring germination.

Silene arrneria, Isatis glauca, Dahlberg Daisy, Gilia rubra, and poppy seeds may also be planted now. If you have these in your garden and let them mature seeds, they will take care of the planting in a very capable manner. You may desire to have them in special places but have lingered too long with your eyes on autumn’s beauty and failed to get the seed planting finished before the first snow. Plant them on the white blanket - they’ll be tucked in snugly when it melts and greet the spring with lusty tufts of green.

by O Tiemann

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