Goldenrod (Solidago species and hybrids): height varies by hybrid; flowers are bright yellow; full sun. Blooms Aug-Oct.
Toad Lily (Tricyrtis species): 2-3 feet tall; flowers white or purple; partial shade; flowers look like small orchids. Blooms Sept-Oct.
Garden Tidbit: September is a good month to plant new perennials. Be sure to water well to allow the roots to grow before winter comes.
Late Season Problems
Here are some problems that may crop up in our gardens as we enter late summer.
Late Season Leaf Spots: There are a number of fungal leaf spots that show up on our plants in August and September. Generally these do little damage. By late summer, the leaves have really done their work for the season and the leaf spots are mostly cosmetic. Control of late season spots is seldom needed.
Fall Webworm: This may be showing up on trees soon. This caterpillar is noted for the messy web it makes on the ends of branches. The caterpillars are found on a number of different tree species. They will eat the leaves of the tree and expand their webs to include more leaves to eat. Again, because this is a late season pest, the damage it does is mostly cosmetic. If you see the web on the end of a branch, you can prune it out and destroy it.
A Few "To-do" items for August-September
August
Late August through mid September is the time to renovate an old lawn or start a new one.
Plant cool season vegetables, like carrots, lettuce, spinach and radishes for a fall.
Continue to deadhead annuals to keep them blooming through the end of summer.
September
If night temperatures drop into the 50's, start bringing in house plants that have been outside this summer.
Mid-Sept to mid-Oct is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils.
Plant cool season annuals like pansies and flowering kale to add color to the fall landscape.
Garden Tidbit: Avoid planting roses and evergreens in fall. They are best planted in spring, when they have the whole season to become established.
Composting
Yard waste can be turned into compost which can be used to enrich our gardens. There are certain things that are necessary for composting to occur: sources of both carbon and nitrogen, microorganisms to break the material down, the proper surface area, moisture, air and a proper volume of material.
The composting process is carried out by micro-organisms that live in the soil and on organic matter. These micro-organisms need both nitrogen and carbon. By mixing different types of yard wastes, we can achieve the optimum balance of these two elements, thus speeding the composting process.
There are many carbon sources to be found in the yard. Materials like wood chips, dried leaves, corn stalks, straw, sawdust and twigs are good carbon sources. There are also many nitrogen sources to be found in the average yard. Grass clippings are probably the most abundant source of nitrogen, due to the sheer volume of clippings produced during the average growing season. Other sources include fruit and vegetable wastes, fresh weeds, waste from the flower garden, manure and coffee grounds.
It's not difficult to get the right mixture of carbon and nitrogen. Simply mixing equal volumes of carbon sources and nitrogen sources gives a good balance.
There are micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) involved in the composting process. These organisms are naturally present in the soil and on organic matter, so we do not need to worry about adding them to the pile. Although bacteria are the primary decomposers, fungi also play a role in the compost pile. It is not unusual to see mushrooms (fungi) in a compost pile. Be prepared to find a wide range of other 'critters' in the compost pile. The other residents of the pile may include mites, worms, beetles, ants and earwigs. This is normal and should not cause undue concern.
The micro-organisms that decompose yard waste, work on the surface of that yard waste. Chopping or shredding the yard waste into smaller pieces will increase surface area. There are many ways to increase surface area: cutting up branches with pruners or a saw; shredding leaves in a leaf shredder or with a lawn mower, etc.
The compost pile should be as moist as a wrung out sponge. If the pile is too wet, air will be forced out of the pile. Decomposition will continue, but it will be anaerobic decomposition. In anaerobic decomposition, the yard waste becomes slimy and produces unpleasant odors.
Usually rainfall can keep the pile moist enough, but during the heat of summer, you may find that you need to add water to the pile. Be careful not to overdo it. If excessive rainfall is predicted, you may want to cover the pile with a tarp to prevent the pile from becoming too wet. If it does become too wet, you can help dry it out by turning the pile to add air to it or by adding dry yard wastes to help soak up some of the moisture.
The size of the compost pile can be important. If it is too small, it will not heat up and compost properly. The minimum size for the pile should be 3 feet wide by 3 feet high by 3 feet long.
Finished compost looks like a rich organic soil. The time it takes to get to this stage will depend on how aggressively you work the pile. If you put the pile together and let nature do all the work , it may take a year or more. If you work to make conditions optimum (correct moisture, increased surface area, turning the pile), you could have compost in as little as 4 to 6 weeks.
