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)

To me, August is the month that epitomizes summer. The days remain long, with the daytime chant of the cicadas with the evening chorus of the crickets. Rainfall in July varied by where you live, but the high temperatures coupled with the generally lower rainfall is showing stress on some plants. August typically has many humid days, but the temperatures are usually in the 80’s, which is good for both the plants and the gardener! Remember to get outside during the cool of the morning or evening, use sunscreen and continue to take good notes of your endeavors.

Things to do:

• Continue to cut the lawn as growth and rainfall permit. Maintain a higher cutting height of 3”+ to reduce the stress on the turf.
• The third and fourth weeks of August are the ideal time for reseeding or seeding new turf areas. The evening dew becomes heavier and helps to ensure proper growth and the warm soils allow proper root development before winter. Supplemental irrigation will be necessary if rainfall is light.
• Make certain plantings from this spring as well as trees planted last year continue to receive weekly irrigation during periods without rainfall. Remember, for a newly installed tree, every inch of caliper size (the diameter of the trunk 6” above the soil) will equate to 1 year of additional care and watering. Hence, a tree with a 3” caliper will require 3 years of additional care.



• Many annuals in containers may begin to look tired. For some, a light pruning with a weekly fertilizing and daily watering will breathe in new life. For others, it is simply time for replacement. For autumn, consider Salvia leucantha (Mexican Bush Sage, pictured at right) and Leonotis leonurus (Lion’s Ear) as alternative options to the garden ‘Mum’.
• Although frost is still 2 months away, at months end you may wish to start taking cuttings of some annuals for rooting, potting and over-wintering for next year’s garden. If your rooting efforts fail, there is still plenty of time to get new cuttings.
• Gather and save seeds of various non-hybrid annuals for seeding next spring.
• The lack of rainfall in some areas has caused some tomatoes to exhibit Blossom End Rot, whereby the base of the tomato turns brown. It is due to a lack of calcium caused by fluctuations in soil moisture. It can be prevented by mulching the plants and giving the soil a deep soaking. The mulch will help prevent fluctuations in soil moisture.
• Bush beans, peas or other crops that have finished producing should be removed, the soil top-dressed with an inch or so of compost, and the area replanted with a crop that will mature within 70 days or by October 15, the average date for frost in NJ. A friend and fellow gardener of mine, Bob Mellert mentioned that the days to maturity on seed packets should be multiplied by 1.5 to account for the slower growth time due to the shortening days as compared to spring. Suggestions for a 2nd crops include:
 
Root Crops
Beets
Carrots
Fennel (bulbing)
Scallions
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Radishes
Leaf Crops
Lettuce
Mache (like lettuce)
Mesclun Mixes
Pak Choi
Salad Greens
Spinach
Chard
Kale
Cabbage
Other
Broccoli Raab
Broccoli
Peas
 
• Arugula, Spinach, and Lettuce are best seeded out near the end of August when the evening temperatures consistently drop into the 60’s and upper 50’s. These crops will endure the early frosts and the spinach actually becomes sweeter as the temperatures become cooler!
• The length of harvest time for the crops listed above can be extended by erecting low tunnels in October to mitigate any of the earlier frosts. Low tunnels consist of hoops placed about 5’ apart and covered with a fabric like agribon that allows air to pass but protects the plants from early frosts. You may wish to look into making or buying the hoops and the row cover fabric now, so you will not be rushed come October.



• Squash plants may be wilting from squash borer. If so, discard the plant (best placed in garbage to remove the borer and any eggs) and plant one of the crops mentioned above.
• August is the time to get your orders in for planting Garlic this fall!
• Resist the urge to vigorously prune shrubs and trees. Heavy pruning during August and September will result in a vigorous production of new shoots that will not become ‘hardened off’ by the first frost, resulting in not only their death, but potentially the death of the plant! Removal of broken branches or light pruning/shaping is still healthy for the plant.
• Many tree limbs will gradually hang down lower following the flush of new growth. If you did not do this pruning back in July, early August is still a good time. Removing the lowest tier of branches on a shade or small tree during August often makes the Garden look more open and able to ‘breath’ again. It also allows more light to reach the plants or turf grass beneath the tree.
• Late August is an ideal time to plant new perennials, shrubs and evergreens in the garden, as the soil is warm and root growth is rapid!
• Try to keep up with the weeding, especially as the summer bloomers are starting to set seed. Remember, if the plant goes to seed, the average life span of a seed is 7 years and that equates to another 7 years of stooping over to weed!
• Continue to deadhead most perennials, roses and annuals to promote new flowers. For some, such as Echinacea, Silphium and Rudbeckia, you may wish to leave the seed heads, since they are an excellent food source for Goldfinches.
• Cut back the predominantly brown Bearded Iris foliage and inspect for borer damage in the rhizome. If the clump is large and root bound, lift and split the rhizome mass apart such that one fan of foliage has an accompanying 3-4” section of the rhizome or horizontal stem. Set the pieces out in the sun for a few days, allowing the wounds to callous slightly and replant, such that the top half of the rhizome remains exposed and uncovered by soil. August is also the month to separate old Peony clumps. Most Peonies can last 20-30 years before requiring division, so if your plant is still providing ample bloom, no division is necessary! Be careful to leave the growth buds of the Peonies at or near the surface to ensure blossom production. If the buds are planted too deep, the plants will fail to bloom. The peony foliage will wilt following division, but the plant will be perfectly fine come spring.
• Bulb orders should be placed for September or October delivery. If you are interested in any of the autumn blooming Cyclamen, Crocus or Colchicum that are pictured below, early August is the time to place your order for a September delivery!

Bruce Crawford
Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture, NJAES