Now in each edition of Good Gardening, look for a new feature "Know Your Natives". This article will showcase two native plants in each issue.

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a tree that grows 50-75 feet tall with a rounded to oval shape. It is native to Illinois. This tree is well known for it's wonderful fall color (shades of yellow, red and orange).

Sugar Maple prefers full sun and a moist, well drained soil. It does poorly in compacted soils and when planted too close to streets and sidewalks, so reserve a space in the backyard for this beautiful tree.

American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is a smaller native tree, growing 20-30 feet tall with a rounded to broad spreading habit. It is also native to Illinois. Its ornamental features include crisp, green foliage, smooth gray bark and branches with a sinewy or muscled appearance and mild red-orange fall color.

This tree can tolerate full sun to shade. This is an understory tree in the forest so it is able to withstand a great deal of shade. It does best in moist soils, but tolerates both wet and dry sites. It prefers slightly acid to neutral soil pH.

For more information and to see pictures of these trees go to http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselector/

Fall is a good time to start composting. Fall leaves are available to mix with debris that is removed from flower and vegetable gardens as they are 'put to bed'.

Need gardening help?

www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hortanswers/

Need help selecting a shrub?

www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/shrubselector/

Bulb planting time is approaching:

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/bulbs/

August

• Late August through mid September is the time to renovate an old lawn or start a new one.
• In early August, evaluate perennials; some may look tattered and may need some renovation. Cut tattered perennials back and give them some water to encourage new growth for a fresh look in the garden

September

• Mid-Sept to mid-Oct is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils.
• This is a good month to add new perennials to the garden or to plant a new tree or shrub. The air is cooling off (less stress) and the soil is still warm (to encourage root growth)

Forcing bulbs by chilling them is very easy to do. Only a few simple supplies are needed. Always start with high quality bulbs, they are more likely to perform well. High quality bulbs will be large and full (size will vary from species to species, so choose bulbs that are large for that particular species). Small, under-sized bulbs may not have enough stored energy to produce flowers. Avoid any bulbs that appear to be soft or discolored, they may be diseased.

Next, select an appropriate container. Clay or plastic pots may be used. With either type, be sure to purchase one that has drainage holes. Don't use too large a pot; usually pots that are 4 to 8 inches in diameter at the rim are fine.

Use a good quality potting mix. Potting mixes generally have no soil in them, they are called soil-less mixes. A quality mix will provide good drainage and will contain combinations of the following materials: pertlite, vermiculite, peat and finely ground bark. Fertilizer will not need to be added to the mix, since bulbs contain their own stored food supply.

When forcing more than one kind of bulb, you may want to have labels so you can mark each pot as to which bulb it contains. A thermometer may come in handy to monitor the temperature in the area where the bulbs are being chilled.

To determine when to start the cooling process, decide when you want the bulbs to bloom and count back several weeks, depending on the bulb being forced. Crocus need 8-10 weeks of chilling, daffodils and hyacinths need 10-12 weeks, and tulips need 12-16 weeks. Bulbs will also need 2 or 3 weeks to send up shoots and blooms after chilling is over, so add that time to your calculationsFill pot with soil so that bulbs are placed as follows: daffodils: ½ of the bulb above the potting mix; hyacinth and tulip: only tip of the bulb is showing above the potting mix; crocus and other small bulbs: tip of the bulb is 1 inch below the potting mix.

Plant one type of bulb per pot and put enough bulbs in the pot to nearly fill it. Place tulip bulbs with the flat side of the bulb facing the wall of the pot. The large lower leaf grows from the flat side. Orienting the flat side toward the pot wall allows that leaf to hang over the edge of the pot.

Finish filling in with potting mix, keeping the top of the mix at least ½ inch below the rim of the pot. Do not compact the potting mix. Label the pot (to remind you what it contains). Water so the mix is just moist; allow excess water to drain out.

Once the bulbs are potted, the rooting stage begins. Just as outdoors, the bulbs must grow roots, before top growth and flowering can begin. During the rooting stage, keep the potting mix moist, but not wet. Hold the pots between 35-50 degrees F (if possible, start at 50 degrees F, then decrease). These temperatures can be achieved when the pots are kept in an unheated basement or garage, buried in soil outdoors, or placed in the refrigerator (do not keep fruit in refrigerator; ripening fruit can interfere with the forcing process).

Bring plants out of chilling when roots are present. Sprouts may or may not be present above potting mix line at this time.

Put the pot in a cool room (60-65 degrees F) with good, indirect light. This will encourage growth of the shoots. Once the plants start flowering, keep them cool to extend flowering time.

Look around. Does you perennial garden lack color right now? If it does, think about adding some late summer bloomers to keep color in the garden all season. Consider planting cardinal flower, turtlehead, joe pye weed and other late summer bloomers. September is a good time to plant, so you can enjoy more late season color next summer.