Fall Gardening in Ohio

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

THIS: Our OSU intern Olivia Radcliffe has also written a 'little bit of this' for gardeners to think about this time of the year:

As the seasons begin their slow change from the lazy days of summer to the cooler days of fall, your garden also begins to change. With a few quick tips, however, you can keep your garden looking beautiful now and prep it for the coming seasons. As the days begin to cool down, now is the prime time for dividing those spring and summer flowering perennials. You should try to finish all of your division before the end of the month (early October) in order to give the plants time to establish before the frosts of winter. Now until mid-September is also ideal for planting peonies, poppies and bearded iris. Deadheading of late-summer and autumn bloomers such as Echinacea and Heliopsis will help promote more blooms. Deadheading and cleaning the faded summer-blooming perennials will help keep your garden looking fresh and draw attention to those fall-bloomers that are just coming into full swing. Now's the time to determine a winter design for your garden; many perennials-when left standing-such as Ornamental Grasses and Black-Eyed Susans have seed heads that not only attract birds but can catch frost and snow to provide for winter interest-a change from the traditional evergreens normally seen throughout landscapes. Although summer's end is around the corner, it doesn't have to mean the end of your garden. Fall-bloomers such as hardy mums and Asters can provide bunches of blooms ranging in color from pinks and yellows to blues and purples. And a few quick steps can help you create a striking and well-maintained garden for the next few seasons to come. -Thanks, "Pint Jar"! THAT: My Uncle Doug said he had a nightmare the other night. Seems he dreamed that he and my aunt were celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, and during the party, a fairy appeared and granted them both a wish. My aunt wished to travel around the world and was granted tickets for a world cruise. Then my uncle said he wished he had a wife that was 30 years younger than him. The fairy waved her wand and "poof", he was 30 years older than Aunt Lisa!

[Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men.]
OBKB. Time for me to make like a tree and leaf. Do yourself a favor. Go out and have the best weekend of your life. See ya. RW the Yardboy. Go Wildcats, Go Bearcats, and GO BUCKS!

[And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. -The Beatles]