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Fantastic Fall Flowers
Tips for Beautiful Flowers
Color in the garden does
not end with Labor Day. Many flowers bloom beautifully
from September to October when it is cooler and less
humid. Some of fall’s favorites include mums, asters,
black-eyed Susans, ornamental grasses and coreopsis.
A Time to Dig
Begin planting in
September for the best results with fall perennials. In
the planting areas, spade or till the soil 12 to 15
inches deep. Improve heavy-clay and clay-loam soil by
adding Agway Peat Moss, Composted Manure or Top Soil.
Broadcast 2 ½ pounds of Agway Flower Food per 40 square
feet and turn soil again. Level soil with a rake and you
are ready to plant.
Time to Plant
Early morning or late
afternoon and evening are the best planting times.
Always avoid planting during the hottest and sunniest
part of the day.
1. Arrange perennials in
their new locations so they have space to grow. Dig the
planting hole 2 times as wide and just as deep as the
root system.
2. Remove each plant from
the container with its roots intact (loosen tightly
wrapped roots). Set plant in the hole so it is at the
same level it was growing in the container.
3. Firm soil around the
plant. Water slowly and thoroughly.
4. Spread a 2-inch layer
of Cedar Bark or Pine Bark Mulch over the roots of the
new plant to help keep moisture in the soil.
Keep Them Growing
Water
Water perennials (newly
planted and established ones, too). Water plants slowly
so that water seeps gently into the soil to encourage
deep, extensive-roots. Plants require a minimum of 1
inch of water per week.
Fertilize
In fall, use Agway Flower
Food at planting time and in established perennial
gardens. Avoid using fertilizers high in nitrogen in the
fall so tender growth hardens off before cold weather.
Mulch
Mulch new plants and
established gardens to keep moisture in the soil and to
reduce weed growth. Cedar Bark and Pine Bark Mulch look
attractive and aid in insulating the roots of plants
during winter.
Protect
Protect perennials during
the coldest part of winter by covering them with pine
boughs or weed-free straw. Cover plants after nightly
temperatures drop below freezing. Do not cover too
early, as mice and other troublesome animals might make
their winter home in the perennial border.
Candidates for
Spectacular Fall Color
- Anemone
- New England Aster
- Coreopsis
- Prairie Coneflower
- False Sunflower
- Long-Blooming
Daylily
- Silver King & Queen
Artemisia
- Perennial Bachelor
Button
- Bleeding Heart
- Blanketflower
- Orange Sunflower
- Russian Sage
- Garden Phlox
- Black-eyed Susan
- Stokes Aster
- Ornamental Grasses
- Obedient Plant
- Autumn Joy Stonecrop
Sedum
- Veronica
- Chrysanthemum
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