The Year of the Acorn
"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumnsunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost allthe daylight hours in the open air." - Nathaniel Hawthorne
"Scientists baffled by mysterious acorn shortage" read the headline on CNN.com last December 12, 2008 and started with the sentence "Up and down the East Coast, residents and naturalists alike have been scratching their heads this autumn over a simple question: Where are all the acorns?"
Well… they’re back. Is your home getting bombarded by acorns this year like never before? Nature never fails to remind us that it is all about cycles and nothing remains constant (except those old fashioned foundation plantings of box, holly, rhododendron, and Japanese Pieris that look the same 365 days a year, year in year out). What’s baffling about the CNN headline is that it was mysterious in the first place. Many trees and shrubs flower and fruit in alternating years. Common examples are oaks, dogwood trees, mountain laurels, and apple trees.
If the lingering warm days fail to warn you that fall is here, the fusillade of acorns will not. September is a transition month, when gardeners switch gears and think about fall planting. Nursery bins are filling with bulbs, and right now it is the year's best time for putting in trees, shrubs, ground covers, and of course spring bulbs.
If you have a wildlife garden, there are some tasks you should complete during the month of September. For instance, you need to mow the meadow/wildflower lawn, harvest any remaining fruit, plant evergreens, clear annual flower beds and collect seeds. Taking the time out to complete these tasks is beneficial so that the garden will be just as beautiful and fruitful as this last year.
Plant Selection
The most exciting part of the process is selecting the plants. Ideally, you will have become familiar with plants native to your region and site and know their basic cultural requirements. Collect lists of plants and plant communities for sun, shade, wet, bird-attracting, etc. from which to make your selections. Remember:
- Establish general lines in the garden before selecting plant types. Plan gentle, flowing curves.
- Sunlight
- Flowers can be divided into two color groups —blue/red through blue and orange/red through yellow. By sticking to one color family you can create a harmonious effect
- When planting trees and shrubs, keep well watered, if there isn’t sufficient rain.
- Suit the plants to the region, plant community, soil conditions and microclimate.
- Think in three strata - canopy, shrub layer, groundcover.
- Place shrubs, forbs, grasses in groups of three, five, or more. Avoid planting in pairs - the eye jumps back and forth between the two. The exception is trees; you may have space for only one or two.
- Avoid planting in straight lines or perfect circles.
- Do not use too many species in small areas.
- Use repetition of groups of plants and colors to allow the eye to flow through the landscape.
- Be aware of each plant’s ultimate height and spread at maturity. Do not over plant nor plant too close to structures. Enjoy the growth process.
Notes for the September Garden
- Stop pruning and fertilizing
- Bring summer vacationing houseplants back indoors while the windows are still open. Check carefully for hitchhiking pests. Apply systemic pesticide to reduce in-house pest problems
- Start fall clean-up in the flower beds
- Take cuttings to overwinter indoors
- Watch for frost warning and cover tender plants
- Photograph your gardens and containers. Take notes for changes you want to make when plants are dormant in early spring.
- Give the compost a last turn
