It’s time to get moving in the garden! November and December,
with their cooler temperatures and increased rainfall (yes, it will rain again
here in north Louisiana), are ideal for moving plants around in your yard. Here
are four moves to make in your garden:
1. Move that pine
straw! Your yard is probably covered with it and it’s got to be moved. Take
a good look at your flower beds. It’s
time to remove dead annuals, weeds that got ahead of you at the end of summer,
and any shrubs that succumbed to the recent drought. Once your beds are cleaned
out, add a nice layer of pine straw. Many perennials can handle the freezing
temperatures of winter better under a thick covering of pine straw. Your
efforts will give a neat appearance to your yard and help you enjoy the
beautiful fall days ahead.
If you have been
imagining a new flower bed in your yard, now is the perfect time to create one
using the “no dig” method. Use a water hose to outline the shape of your new
bed. Then cover the area with nine layers of newspaper. Wet down the paper. Next, cover the paper
with a 3-6 inch layer of compost or top soil. Cover this layer with pine straw
and wet down the area again. Done! How easy is that? Your new bed will be ready
for planting in the spring!
2. Move those leaves!
Your yard will soon be covered with these too. Leaves are great “brown
material” for your compost pile. They make great mulch for your flower beds as
well. My neighbor spreads a nice layer of leaves over his entire vegetable
garden in the fall and then tills it into the soil in the spring. This year try
mowing your leaves before moving them. Chopping them into smaller pieces will
speed up their decomposition regardless of how you decide to use them.
3. Move in shrubs!
Adding shrubs (and trees) to your landscape in the fall gives the plants time
to establish their root systems before the stress of summer heat and drought. Many
gardeners follow the rule of thumb that says your yard should consist of 30%
evergreen shrubs and 70% deciduous. Evaluate your yard now and make some
additions. Some good evergreens to consider are camellias, sasanquas, azaleas,
hollies, and boxwoods. Deciduous additions could be bridal wreath spiraea,
forsythia, Japanese flowering quince, and mock orange. Always understand the
growth characteristics of plants before you include them in your landscape!! Some
shrubs such as thorny elaeagnus, Japanese and Chinese privet, and summersweet
can become invasive. For more suggestions, The
Southern Gardener’s Book of Lists:
The Best Plants for All Your Needs, Wants, and Whims, by Lois Trigg
Chapman, is a fantastic source of information with sections such as “Perennials
That Do Well In Shade,” “Peonies For Southern Gardens,” “Annuals That Bloom
Unaided From Spring Until Frost,” and “Shrubs That Bloom Four Weeks Or Longer”.
If you build a new no dig flower bed this fall, shrubs can
be added to the bed at this time. You may want to hide a soaker hose under the
pine straw which will make irrigation a breeze when summer gets here.
4. Move it to the
Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale! North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners
have been potting plants from their personal gardens to sell at their annual
Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, November 7. This event will take place at the
Ruston Farmers Market from 8:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. Plant prices range from $0.50
to $5.00 and all the proceeds will be donated to the Ruston Farmers Market in
support of their efforts to bring locally grown produce to our community. Brown turkey fig, chocolate mint, Lily of the
Nile, Tandy, wood ferns, and ajuga will
be available as well as rubeckia, Sapoaria Soapwort, Peggy Martin roses,
Louisiana iris, and Hemerocallis Day
lilies to name a few. Most importantly, Master Gardeners will be on hand to give
advice and answer questions about your purchases.
Fall is such an important gardening season. You better get
moving !!
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