November has dawned partly cloudy and breezy with the promise of the first heavy frosts. From the early autumn lack of rainfall and cool nights, our trees have erupted into a bonanza of spectacular colors and the soil is now adequately moist to bring plants safely into the start of winter without the worry of drought. The light frosts of October and even September in northern areas have started to impact our annuals but very soon, they will need to be removed with the onset of colder weather. Even though the weather is becoming cooler, there is still much to do in the Garden!

Things to do:

• For those growing carrots, beets, turnips or Jerusalem artichokes and wishing to extend the harvest into winter, apply a heavy mulch of straw to the crops to prevent the soil from freezing deep and both ruining the crop and making harvest near impossible. Parsley will continue to grow well into December, especially if covered by a basket on particularly cold nights.
• Mulch garlic with a 3-4” layer of leaves to prevent heaving of the cloves.
• Consider setting up a low tunnel and cover it with Agribon fabric to easily extend the growing and harvesting season through December. It is ideal for Bok Choi, spinach and other cool season vegetable crops.
• Remove and compost the warm season vegetables. If you witnessed signs of late blight in your tomatoes, make certain to remove all the foliage and vines of the plants from the garden. It is best to compost them separately if possible and reuse the compost in other portions of your yard.
• Fertilize and lime the lawn – after a soil test! November is the ideal time to develop a proper root system to get your lawn through next summer’s heat and droughts while the soil test will tell you what formulation of fertilizer is best.
• Remove heavy accumulations of leaves from lawn areas. Minor amounts can be shredded and allowed to filter through the grass to the ground. These leaf fragments have been found to be a good source of organic matter and beneficial minor nutrients for lawns.
• Bring in all the hoses and drain outdoor pipes and irrigations systems before the start of heavy freezes later this month. We have had a good rain of late, but should several weeks pass without rainfall, supplemental irrigation is still needed for newly installed plants.
• For Roses, Peonies, Lilacs, Dogwoods, Beebalm and other plants that may have had black spot, powdery mildew, or other foliar diseases, make certain that all the leaves that could overwinter disease organisms, are removed from the base of the plants.
• Shred and mulch your beds with newly fallen leaves – the lawn mower can dual as a good shredder of the leaves, provided they are not too thick. They can be shredded and they serve as great mulch for annual, perennial and shrub beds. There is no harm in mixing in some grass clippings with the leaves.
• Remove frosted or tired looking annuals from the flowerbeds and compost those that do not reseed or make certain the seed heads are removed. Cleome or Spider Lily will readily reseed over the course of the next year!



• Finish digging and bring Canna, Alocasia, Colocasia (pictured at right), and Banana roots into the basement. Divide the clumps and either repot them into a new container, making certain to keep the media only slightly moist for the winter or wrap them in several sheets of newspaper.
• Remove the seed heads from Asters as soon as they finish flowering to prevent self-sowing. Many a pink flowered cultivar will magically become blue flowered as the seedlings overwhelm the desired selection.
• As the frosts become more severe, some perennials that lack winter interest will require cutting to the ground to keep the border neat and tidy. However, it is important not to become overzealous, since many ornamental grasses and perennials provide winter habitat for many of our native bees and pollinators. Others, like Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) and Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower) are important sources of food for birds like Goldfinches. They can also provide attractive winter outline, as witnessed by the Pycnanthemum muticum (Mountain Mint) pictured at the end of the article.
• As the foliage of Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) turn brown with the frosts, make certain to remove all the brown foliage since the moth of the Iris Borer lays her eggs on the foliage where they will overwinter and cause harm to the rhizome next summer.
• For those with Fig trees, late November is the time to wrap your plants or bring them into a cool basement or garage if they are in a container.
• Finish planting bulbs. Remember, they need to be planted to a depth of 3x the diameter of the bulb. It always takes longer than we think, and some garden centers may offer sales towards the end of the month. For a more mature and impactful display, consider planting several bulbs per hole.
• Continue to weed as time permits! The cool season weeds are flourishing. Getting ahead of them now will help to prevent them from flowering and going to seed come spring.
• Finish emptying clay containers that can crack over the winter and store them in a protected area or upside down and under a tarp if left out-of-doors. For terracotta pots, make certain that the pottery is washed well to remove all the built up fertilizer salts and place out in the sun to ensure that they dry thoroughly before storing.
• At the end of the month, pot up Paperwhite Daffodils and Amaryllis for the Holidays.
• Look over your Garden and contemplate which areas are in need of interest in the form of plants with fruit, form or evergreen foliage. November is still a great time to plant deciduous shrubs and many perennials. In fact, some may be discounted at your local garden center! It is important to mulch your newly planted selections with 3-4 inches of mulch in order to retain moisture and reduce potential heaving for smaller plants.



• If you purchase container grown plants at end of season, check to make certain their roots are not encircling the soil mass, as seen in the image at the right. If so, make certain to tease apart the root ball thoroughly as you plant. This will prevent girdling roots and the loss of plant vigor in the future.
• For the houseplants that you brought indoors during October, continue to monitor them for insects and resist the temptation to overwater! Also, remember to rotate the plants 90° or so every couple of weeks. This ensures the plant will not stretch in one direction towards the light. This is especially true when you first bring the plants indoors, as they are probably still growing and are very prone to grow towards the sunlight.
• Save some interesting seed capsules from perennials such as Blackberry Lily, (formerly Belamcanda chinensis now Iris domestica) and combine them with Holly or Beautyberry (Callicarpa species) for a wonderful Thanksgiving centerpiece.
• Enjoy a Happy and Wholesome Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Bruce Crawford
Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture

October marks the true start of autumn and much work for the gardener! We are now racing against time to complete our chores before that first strong frost. September was a fairly dry month, so watering chores are certainly high on the list! Always remember to take a moment and make some notes about your garden. Among other details, take note of what annuals are still looking respectable, which late season vegetables are living up to expectations, and perhaps what woody plants or perennials should be added to enhance the autumn garden for next year!

Things to do:

• Finish ordering and start planting spring flowering bulbs.
• Prepare tuberous rooted plants for winter. Those such as Elephant Ears (Alocasia and Colocasia), Dahlia, Canna, and Banana (Musa and Ensete), which have a storage-type of root system can be dug, allowed to dry (as seen at right), cut back, wrapped in newspaper, and stored in a cool (50-55°F), dry basement. They can also be potted into a container and kept on the drier side throughout the winter.
• October is likely to be the last chance to take and root cuttings of tender plants, such as Spurflower (Plectranthus), Coleus, and Geraniums. Other plants that are not of hybrid origin can be overwintered by collecting the seed and stored in the lettuce draw of the refrigerator. Various species of Solanum, Asclepias, Nicotiana and Amaranthus are ideal for overwintering in this manner. Remember, the average frost date is October 15th, although frosts appear to be coming later and we may not receive a killing frost until early November.
• Time to take care of your containers. Bring in, empty and clean any valuable containers to prevent damage from freeze-thaw cycles of winter. Wash clay containers inside and out to remove salts from fertilizers. For plastic and other weather resistant containers, add annuals that are more tolerant of frost for autumn color, such as Chrysanthemums, Ornamental Cabbage, Kale or even Red Stemmed Willows (Salix alba ‘Britzensis’), which can remain and provide color throughout the winter (pictured at right)!
• Keep those lawn mower blades sharp! If the fallen leaves are not too thick, shred them weekly with the lawnmower and use them as mulch for your flowerbeds. The finer pieces that remain behind actually help improve your turf when they filter to the bottom and break down.
• Early October is still ok for over seeding bare spots in the lawn so long as you are able to irrigate it at least weekly.
• Remove annuals that appear tired or are frosted. They can be replaced with an attractive bed of pansies. During the winter, lightly mulch the pansies with straw or shredded leaves as they will make a great show come spring.
• Plant deciduous trees and shrubs. This is actually the ideal time to plant woody plants, since the soil is still warm, allowing most species to produce roots well into December and better preparing them for the stress of next summer. Planting evergreens is fine through the middle of October, but it is best to wait until spring if planting goes much later. Evergreens are still transpiring water through the foliage and without an adequately developed root system, they often scorch during the winter.
• Make certain all trees and shrubs planted this year still receive a weekly watering should rainfall be slight.
• For the vegetable garden, it is time to finish harvesting potatoes and squash. Carrots, radish, chard, sun chokes, parsley and other cool season crops can be harvested as needed. Garlic should be planted by mid October and mulched with salt hay or shredded leaves (Pictured at right). Areas of the garden that are bare can be mulched with compost, manure (fresh or composted) or seeded with winter rye or other green cover crops. These cover crops can be turned into the soil early the following spring and provides a great source of organic matter.
• If you are interested in adding a low tunnel to your vegetable garden, seed out the cool season crops now, such as spinach, lettuce and kale and line out the hoops. As the temperatures begin to drop, cover the hoops with agribon (a fabric material) and then with the advent of hard frosts cover with poly. This allows the crops to continue to grow throughout the winter months or until harvest!
• Remove the foliage of problematic perennials such as Bearded Iris and Peonies. The foliage serves as a location for the Iris Borer to ay their eggs and for Peonies, the old foliage retains the spores for Powdery Mildew. It also helps to reduce fungal disease for next year and eliminates winter cover for mice, moles and voles!
• For seed producing plants like the various species of Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) and Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), it is best to not cut the flower stems back until spring, since the seeds provide food for Gold Finches and other seed loving birds. Butterflies also seek shelter under flower heads during early fall. Rudbeckia maxima, the Large Coneflower, is pictured below.
• Where possible or in more wild areas, leave the leaf litter behind, since it provides cover for larvae, egg masses, hibernating native bees, dormant spiders and many other beneficial insects!
• Ornamental Grasses are typically left standing for the winter interest, but the stems also provide a home for cavity nesting native bees, as do old raspberry canes.
• Evaluate Oaks for Bacterial Leaf Scorch, which is easy to spot due to the lack of rainfall. If the leaves have turned brown in August and September under the duress of the drought, have an arborist evaluate the trees for spring treatments or removal.

Bruce Crawford

Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture, NJAES

Salvia – A Sensational Plant for Autumn Color

October is the month that truly evokes autumn. The temperatures are starting to cool, the foliage has started its autumn symphony of colors and many of the summer annuals are now looking tired. This is the time when gardeners truly need a new plant palette for late season color. Although Salvia, commonly called Sage, is typified in NJ by summer blooming annuals, some of the species and cultivars really begin to shine in autumn, and Salvia leucantha or Mexican Bush Sage is among the best!

Salvia is the largest member of the mint family or Lamiaceae containing close to 1,000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, biennials and annuals found throughout Central and South America, Eastern and Central Asia and the Mediterranean. The genus name was first used in the writings of Pliny the Elder. Born as Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79AD), he was a Roman general who studied plants and natural environments throughout his military expeditions. The genus stems from the Latin Salvere, meaning to feel healthy. He was most likely discussing the culinary Sage, now known as Salvia officinalis that had long been renowned for its healing and health virtues. The common name of Sage also originated from the word Salvere, which transitioned to the Old French Sauge, and later to the Middle English Sawge before finally becoming the word we know today! The Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) officially named it Salvia officinalis in 1753. It is also the ‘type’ species for the genus, to which any new or existing species are compared. The species epithet officinalis was a term that Linnaeus originally coined in 1735 and used repeatedly throughout his career. It stems from the Latin officina, which initially meant workshop or place of work. It transitioned to the name of a storage room in monasteries where medicines and medicinal plants were stored. Officinalis means ‘belonging to an officina’ and Linnaeus affixed this epithet time and time again to describe plants or animals that were known to have medicinal benefits.

Salvia flowers come in a multitude of colors, ranging from red to white to various shades of blue and indigo. Often the calyx or leafy bracts at the base of the flower are darker in color as seen above in a flower of Salvia ‘Amistad’, which adds to the ornamental appeal. The size of the flower also varies from ½” to nearly 3” in length. The flowers are also much beloved by pollinators but, what remains hidden from casual observations is the rather unique mechanism for ensuring pollination. The corolla is a combination of all the petals and Salvia petals are divided into a large overarching upper corolla lip and what appears like a pollinator landing pad for a lower lip, as seen in the image above. Both the long thread-like stigma that receives the pollen and the anthers that shed pollen are located within and protected by the arching upper corolla lip. What makes pollination unique is how the anthers became modified over time to ensure pollination. Anthers consist of a slender threadlike filament that is attached to the base of the flower with typically two pollen releasing structures at the apical or tip of the structure called theca. The theca are actually connected to a small horizontal structure called a connective, which in turn is joined to the tip of the filament. In most plants the connective is so reduced in size that the theca appear to be attached directly to either side of the filament. In Salvia, it is speculated that the anthers became reduced from an initial count of 4 to 2, while the connective became elongated, pushing one theca closer to the tip of the upper calyx lip and the other, nonpollen bearing theca, deeper into the base of the flower. Over time, the lower or basal theca lost their ability to generate pollen and joined together, producing a wishbone shaped structure that pivots on the tips of the two filaments. In the image above of Salvia Embers Wish™, the lower lip of the corolla was cut, exposing the nearly white connectives and filaments that are attached to the lower corolla. The knife tip is pointed to the lower, non-pollen bearing theca. The arrow points to the filaments, upon which the connective pivots. At the very base of the flower are the nectaries that are laden with a sugary liquid, which the pollinators naturally wish to reach when visiting the flower. When the insect or bird enters the flower or pushes in its beak to reach the nectaries, it hits the bottom end of the wishbone structure, allowing the two pollen releasing theca to pivot down upon the back or head of the visiting pollinator. After several days, the anthers finish releasing pollen while the two stigma that are seen protruding out of the front of the flower above, become receptive to pollen and lower, brushing across the back of the visiting pollinator and collecting the pollen deposited from a previous flower. Thus, the sacrifice of the two theca to create this pivoting wishbone structure actually enhanced the chance of pollination rather than diminished. In addition, with the anthers and stigmas ripening at different times, the flower will not ‘self-pollinate’, since crosspollination creates more vigorous offspring. Ingenious!

Although many summer blooming forms of Salvia are still in bloom come October, one of the best species for autumn is Salvia leucantha, commonly called Mexican Bush Sage. It is native to central and eastern areas of Mexico that feature tropical and subtropical weather conditions. In February of 1791 it was named by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles (1745-1804), who was one of the first botanists from Spain to appreciate and accept Linnaeus’ concept of genus and species. Leucos is Greek for clear, white or pale, and Anthos is Greek for flower, describing the white flower that is subtended by a velvety purple calyx. As the weather cools, the flower color deepens to a light lavender in color, as seen in the image at right that was photographed in early November. The plants mature to 2-3’ tall and wide, with the arching, 4-6” long flowering racemes beginning to appear in late August and continuing until heavy frost. The 3-4” long leaves are oppositely arranged and much like the calyx, they are also slightly pubescent. Like all the species of Salvia, Mexican Bush Sage prefers full sun and well-drained soils and thanks to the scented foliage, it is also deer resistant. It also makes a superb container plant and is an excellent substitute for Chrysanthemums should you be looking for something different.

The various cultivars and species of Salvia remain a very popular addition to summertime gardens, but gardeners often overlook the late summer and autumn bloomers since they lack flowers when most people are buying plants in May or June. When considering the autumn garden, look to adding this spectacular annual to your garden. Spectacular for adding late-summer through November color to the Garden, for its interesting pollination strategy and for its ease of culture! This is a Salvia that most certainly belongs in your garden!

Bruce Crawford
Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture, NJAES

September marks the start of getting the garden – and the gardener – ready for a long winters rest. To this end, consider how best to overwinter and to make room for your favorite non-hardy plants indoors, as well as considerations for your outdoor hardy plants and any new plantings. Fortunately, we still have several months remaining for plants to grow, so there is no rush! Continue to take good notes and pictures on how you weaved together your perennials and annuals this year, since after the first frost these pictures will be all that remains of this year’s favorite combinations!

Things to do:

• Continue to keep your lawn mower blades set high for cutting your lawn. Rain has been ample, although rather sporadic. The temperature look to be average or cooler for the start of the month, which will minimize the stress on the turf.
• September is a great time for the reseeding of bare spots, or for the installation of sod. The upcoming cooler temperatures, heavy dews and typically consistent autumn rainfalls combined with warm soil temperatures promotes good root growth and turf establishment.
• September is a good time to fertilize your lawn. If you wish to fertilize once a year, September is an ideal time as it aids in developing a good root system throughout the winter for next summer’s heat.
• September is a good time to aerate those portions of the lawn that receive excessive foot traffic or have otherwise developed compacted soils.
• If you have yet to start, take cuttings of your favorite annuals that you wish to overwinter. It will be ready to be potted-up in 4-6 weeks. It is far easier to over-winter a small plant that should be free of most insect and disease than lifting a large plant from the ground or outdoor container and bringing it inside.



• Harvest and clean the seed from those annuals and vegetables that come true from seed. Allow them to dry and store them in small paper pouches that are properly labeled and place them in the refrigerator (not the freezer) until next spring.
• Remove those annuals that look excessively tired or leggy and keep removing annual weeds such as crabgrass and stilt grass. Annual weed seed will continue to germinate and appear as long as the temperatures are warm. Remember, on average a seed lasts for seven years and one plant going to seed equates to seven years of additional work!
• Send in your bulb orders! October is a great month for planting bulbs. For Colchicum (Pictured at right), get in your orders in early September or look for them in your favorite garden center. They bloom in late September into early October with typically pink or white flowers and they are deer resistant!
• As a reminder, don’t order just 6-12 bulbs if you are looking to make an impact. For minor bulbs (bulbs that measure close to ½” in diameter), you typically need 50-100 bulbs to begin to make an impact and obviously, the more the better. These bulbs include Snowdrops (Galanthus), Squills (Scilla) Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) and pictured below, Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) species. For major bulbs, such as Daffodil (Narcissus), Tulip (Tulipa) and Flowering Onions (Allium) species, 25 to 50 bulbs will make an impact on the Garden.



• For both major and minor bulbs, I like to cluster several bulbs in a hole to create a more mature appearance. For minor bulbs, clusters of 3-8 work well while for major bulbs, clusters of 3-4 give a more mature appearance from the start. These are all things to keep in mind as you put together your bulb order!
• Inspect and evaluate your ornamental small trees, shade trees and shrubs. Even though it has been a relatively moist summer, those plants that are stressed from age or disease will let you know through early leaf wilt or drop. Oaks that have Bacterial Leaf Scorch will have leaves that suddenly turn brown in mid to late August. There are treatments for this disease, but once most of the foliage has turned brown the tree will ultimately need to be removed. It typically attacks older, less vigorous trees and young oaks should still be planted, since the trees feed over 500 native insects!
• September is an ideal time to add woody and herbaceous plants to the garden. The soil is warm and although it is often a relatively dry month, the cooler days and moister weather ahead will allow the plants to establish an adequate root system before next summer’s heat and potential drought. Woody plants that are not fall transplant hazards can be dug and transplanted, and those that are fall hazards can be planted if they were dug this past spring or grown in containers. If rainfall is scarce, water new plantings every 3-4 days through the end of October.
• For the vegetable garden, continue to remove plants that are no longer producing. The wet weather of July and early August raised havoc with tomatoes as the fruit is subject to splitting and cucumbers faded from Powdery Mildew. As mentioned last month, Dr. Bob Mellert mentioned that the days to maturity on seed packets applies for springtime seeding. Come autumn, the number should be multiplied by 1.5 to account for the slower growth time due to the shortening days as compared to the lengthening days of spring. Plant leafy crops that appreciate the cooler nighttime temperatures, such as Arugula, Spinach, Bok Choi, Kale and Lettuce. The full list is below:
Root Crops
Beets (45-64 day)
Carrots (65-80 day)
Fennel, Bulbing (72)
Scallions (60 days)
Kohlrabi (45-60 days)
Radishes (21-48 days)

Leaf Crops
Lettuce (45-55 days)
Mache (like lettuce) (40+)
Mesclun Mixes (30-40 days)
Bok Choy (45 days)
Salad Greens (28-42 days)
Spinach (45 days)
Chard (28-42 days)

Other
Broccoli (55-80)

• If you are planting in containers, consider the leafy crops like Spinach and Bok Choi. They will provide well into the beginning of winter.



• Consider the installation of low tunnels, as seen at right, which are metal hoops covered with a fabric called Agribon. The fabric keeps heavy frosts off a row of cool season vegetables. It enables the gardener to harvest well into December, and for certain crops, into spring! September is a good month to pick-up the materials needed to construct the low tunnels.
• September is an opportune time to plant garlic too! ‘Music’ is an old fashioned favorite and a good performer, but try some of the many other selections that are on the market too! Plant in a location that will be in full sun through next August, which is the harvest period.
• If you live with large deer populations, put wire cages around recently planted trees to avoid the bark being rubbed and damaged by bucks. One of their favorite targets are Magnolias, so make certain that they are properly protected. Damage to bark is far more harmful than the nibbling of a few leaves and I have lost many a tree before we start installing cages.

Bruce Crawford
Program Leader, Home and Public Horticulture (NJAES)