 By Mary Crowell Recently I found this Chinese saying in a magazine and it spoke to me: Pleasure for an hour, a bottle of wine; pleasure for years, a marriage; pleasure for a lifetime, a garden. Speaking of pleasure, my epiphytic cacti gave me such joy this season with about 75% of my large hanging plants blooming with no duplicates. For those unfamiliar with epis, as they are called, do a Google search with image for epiphyllum hybrids and you will see why they make me smile. Hope everyone was able to make it to the San Mateo County Fair this year, unfortunately I was in Alaska at a cousin's reunion so missed all the fun of entering designs and specimens. I heard though, that there were beautiful cut flowers and potted plants along with some innovative balcony gardens. The amateur and professional gardens outside Redwood Hall were especially gorgeous along with the artful and creative floral designs. There were some huge challenges this year as floral arts had a new venue. September is also the month many garden clubs resume their meetings after a summer hiatus. There are many advantages to joining a garden club. You learn about horticulture and floral design and you widen your circle of friends and your plant population. I think gardeners, on the whole, are very generous and very friendly. All the bay area garden clubs and societies welcome new members with open arms, cuttings, plants, bulbs, divisions, diverse programs, tours and great eating treats at the meetings. Check with the San Mateo Garden Center or with me for a society or club that might interest you. The Peninsula Succulent Club, of which I am the President, meets at the San Mateo Garden Center and is very active especially at the fair. There will be a wonderful day at the center Sept. 27 where many clubs will be selling items and our Peninsula Succulent Club will have their annual plant sale. Come by and say hello. Prune boxwood, laurels, pittosporums and other formal hedges. This is a great time to reshape those plants growing crowded far too long. We had to prune the wisteria as it was climbing in our front window and crawling on our roof, generally making a nuisance of itself, but oh so rewarding whne it blooms in the spring. Also now is a great time to divide perennials and give some to your neighbors and friends. Deadhead all things in the garden, especially the roses. Take out any dead or crossed canes. Mulch now as our days are still hot and it keeps the moisture in the ground and the weeds out. Container pots dry out quickly so always keep an eye on them. Perennials such as hostas, bleeding hearts, fountain grasses, lamiums, and coral bells are great in containers. I just saw a beautiful flax called creme delight which is an arching one and stays small. So my tomatoes did well in those chimney flues I found on the street though I did have to stake them as they wanted to fall over, also I planted sorrel seeds to make a great soup I just love. Plant other vegetables such as brussel sprouts (yuk), cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, carrots, radishes, and cauliflower. Take advantage of the warmth to get roots on your plants established before the winter. Plant annuals such as pansies, Iceland poppies, snapdragon, violas, and cineraria. Perennials such as chrysanthemums, cyclamen, coneflower, primula, primrose, yarrow, penstemon, candytuft, and my favorite, salvia (mine bloom 10 months of the year and I have several varieties) can be planted now. Fertilize trees, shrubs, lawns and groundcovers that love all-purpose (16-16-16) fertilizer helping with not only the fall growth but the spring too! Feed roses with rose food. Camellias, azaleas and rhodies love the 0-10-10 until they finish blooming in the spring. Look through catalogues and choose bulbs to plant in October and November like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Dutch iris, freesias, anemones, crocus, sparaxis, ixia and ranunculus. Some great places to plant bulbs are clustered in a border, in entry way containers, in front of shrubs, containers for decks and balconies, or in a rock garden. Refrigerate tulips, hyacinths and crocus. The best selection is now. Stake tall perennials and trim iris foliage to 6 inch fans. Control snails by putting down non-toxic snail bait, such as "Sluggo". Ask questions by writing me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, SM, CA or email:
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