September gardening tips

Here are some gardening tips for September.

Landscaping

Everyone wants to know the best time to move plants or to plant them. According to extension specialists, the best time is the fall season. Late September and October would be some of the best times for us in the coastal regions but there should still be some good times even in November and early December to plant shrubs and trees. You still have time to put in a fall garden for some of your cool season crops.

Autumn color ideas

Be on the lookout for chrysanthemums to purchase to add color to your landscape. Mums and pansies will brighten up the landscape as many of the annuals start to fade for the season. Mums have a short flowering period while the pansies will last through the winter into next early summer.

Take cuttings of the annuals you wish to have starts from next spring. Root the cuttings in water or in a prepared bed that will be protected from frost. Keep indoors until you can plant them safely outside next spring.

To add more color to your outdoor landscape, try planting Ginkgo trees for their brilliant fall yellow color. Among other good choices are red maples, sugar maples, Japanese maples, sourwood and redbuds. These will add nicely to your fall foliage color scheme.

As autumn merges into winter, you will want to accent the landscape with berry color from such plants as pyracantha, nandina, viburnum, beautyberry and many of the holly group. And who can forget the spectacular burning bush euonymus in its glory with a blazing red color. Contrast all these fine examples with the steady greens and blue greens of the conifers and your landscape should really stand out as a fine garden for you and your friends to enjoy.

Start buying bulbs now to get the best and largest bulbs that you can keep until the appropriate time to plant. By buying now, you will get the best value for the money and bulbs purchased now will have less bruising and handling injuries.

Planting times vary across North Carolina. Most bulbs should be planted before the ground freezes. Coastal plantings are best in late November and December.