Arts Garden Newsletter Sept 2009 Its been a year of extremes, a very cold, snowy winter followed by a very warm summer. However, Fall is a transition time. It is the ideal time to plant. The ground is warm, the weather is cooler, and the Fall rains all trigger plants to naturally put on good root growth. This leads to a more established plant which will grow better & earlier in the spring and it will need less water next summer. Come and visit the nursery, or walk about the neighbourhood and spot the incredible Fall colour plants and trees bring to the season.
Come to Arts 8th Annual Fall Garden Fair!
Saturday and Sunday, September 12 & 13th, from 11:00 - 5:00pm
You are invited! Come and see beautiful plants, listen to live music, tempt your taste-buds with heritage apple tasting, sample wine from Township 7, and check out the work of talented artists & crafters. We will have a line up of local experts sharing their knowledge about pruning, ornamental grasses, perennials, landscape design, bulbs, and more. There will be things for the kids too! Take part in our raffle and bake table and support Covenant House. And of course, great sales, specials and discounts on many of our fine plants and products. Hope to see you there!
Saturday Events
11:00am Growing Veggies in Pots - w/ Red Barn Perennials
12:00pm Fall Perennials – w/ local grower Heritage Perennials
1:00pm Happy Healthy Lawns – w/ David Wall of Premiere Pacific Seeds
2:00pm Pruning & Plant Care – BC Plant Health
3:00pm Cooking From Your Garden, Garlic, Basil & Pesto – w/ Gardenwise Writer Sharon Hanna
4:00pm Landscape Design – w/ Susan Watson
Sunday Events
11:00am Ponds & Water Gardening w/ Stuart Bronson
12:00pm Ornamental Grasses – w/ Ewan Mackenzie
1:00pm Container Gardening – Hands On w/ Brian Minter
2:00pm Pruning & Plant Care – w/ BC Plant Health
3:00pm Planting Fall Bulbs – w/ Diane Gaines
4:00pm Growing Herbs – w/Fragro Herbs
Other Special Guests Include:
Brian Minter
Township 7 Winery
Garden Writer Sharon Hanna
The Honeybee Centre
Nashs Dahlias
and many local artists and crafters!
For more information, visit our website. Early September is the best time to purchase these garden gems. I fell in love with them when visiting VanDusen Botanical Garden. They are truly photogenic and it is a true treasure, popping out of the soil and announcing that Fall has arrived!. .
There are two groups, crocus and colchicum – both are referred to as autumn crocus. They share the same planting time in early Fall. Bloom time commences shortly after planting and blooms appear without leaves, thus also being known as naked ladies. In spring they re-emerge with broad (colchicum) and strap-like (crocus) foliage. It is important to feed them at this time. The foliage will die back in the beginning of the summer, going dormant only to emerge again for the Fall.
Autumn crocus are small corms similar to spring crocus, and grow about 4-5 inches tall, while colchicums are larger bulbs growing to about 8 inches. Another identifying feature is that crocus have three stamens while colchicums have six. Colchicum are also poisonous so do not assume that the stamens are edible. Only with Crocus sativus can you harvest the stamens for your own saffron!
Crocus are best planted in groups of 10-15 bulbs, making a nice floral impact. Colchicum speciosum The Giant is a much larger bulb and can be planted in groups of 3-5. They prefer some sunlight and will naturalize into firm clumps for future years. Plant all crocus about 2in deep and colchicums a bit deeper. Ensure that they have good drainage. They are often planted under trees and shrubs. Planting them amongst groundcover is a good idea, as once the foliage dies down you will have the groundcover to enjoy and then it will provide a stage for the beautiful flowers in fall. Another option is to plant them in containers to enjoy this fall and then replant them into the garden after you have enjoyed their blooms close up.
They are not readily available, and there is a small window for planting them. Get them planted this September so you can enjoy them this Fall and for many years to come.
Varieties currently available.
Crocus lutea: Golden Yellow, 8in height
Crocus ochoroleucus: Creamy white, 4in height
Crocus sativus: Reddish Purple, 4in height
Crocus speciosus: Lilac Blue, 4in height
Crocus zonatus: Carmine Pink, 5in height
Colchicum cartwrigthtianus: White Violet Blue. 3in Height. Plant 2in deep
Colchicum speciosum The Giant: Pale Pink, 8in height
Read This Article Online 
After a long, hot, dry summer most lawns will need a little extra care and attention. It is quite natural for west coast lawns to brown out during the heat of the summer. But with a little extra care and attention you can build a healthier soil, improve the existing grass, overseed and enjoy a stronger healthier lawn next spring and summer.
Fall is actually a great time to renovate lawns and plant new ones. The warm earth, the cooler temperatures and more regular rainfall provide good conditions for sowing seed and growing grass.
The following procedures can be performed almost anytime between September until the end of October, but first, let the fall rains re-moisten the soil. This will start to green up existing grass and identify where the trouble spots are likely to be. Fertilize with a Fall or an Organic fertilizer. When examining fertilizer products, you will typically see 3 numbers in large print. These indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in the product. You want to choose the one that has a low first number and a higher second and third numbers. This combination limits the amount of green growth, builds a stronger healthier root system and prepares the grass for the stresses and extremes of Winter.
Apply Lime
Wait 2-3 weeks after fertilizing and then apply a lime product like Dolopril. Lime will help replace calcium and magnesium that gets leached out by rain. It also helps reduce the growth of moss by making the soil less acidic. A new product on the market that is locally made is an Organic Lime made from eggshells. It’s an excellent alternative if your lawn is heavily used by kids and pets. It is beneficial to lime every year, preferably in the Spring or now in the Fall.
Dealing With Weeds
If your lawn is full of weeds, dig them out by hand, or kill them with a spray. While most people are used to such popular chemical products like Roundup or Killex, organic vinegar-based products like Eco-Clear are also available. This is a great alternative especially in municipalities where chemical herbicides are banned. When using any of these products spray sparingly and directly onto the weed, that way you aren’t applying the product over the whole lawn.
Dethatch and Aerate
Overtime, lawns form a thick mat or thatch between the actively growing grass and the soils surface. It is comprised of tightly woven grass stems, roots, clippings and debris. Thatch is especially common in lawns where the grass has grown tall, where mulch is frequently left and on lawns that have never been aerated. Thatch can prevent air and moisture from penetrating down to the roots. Solve this problem by aerating.
To aerate, use one of two methods. Either use a leaf rake and manually remove the layer of thatch with good old-fashioned muscle power. Or, rent a power aerator. These machines pull out little plugs from the grass and let air and water into the soil. Don’t worry about the plugs as they will break down over time.
Apply Grass Seed
Overseed after aerating or raking. If you used an aerator fill the holes with soil before seeding. Use a grass mix specifically designed for overseeding. Apply the seed to the entire lawn as grass seeds are not uniform. If you only sprinkle the overseed onto specific areas, you may see visual differences between the types of grasses. Apply the seed at a heavier rate if your lawn is really thin. More can be purchased next Spring to fill in areas. For best results use a spreader and do two passes, north to south on the first pass and then east to west for the second. Lightly rake in the grass seed to ensure good contact with the soils surface.
Add Top Dress Soil
Once seeding is complete, top dress with a thin layer of soil like our lawn and garden mix or Art’s bagged Super Soil for smaller areas.
Repeat these steps in the Spring for even better results. By following these simple procedures, you too will enjoy a strong healthy green lawn that will be the envy of all your neighbors next Spring and Summer.
Read This Article Online  Plant bulbs, including garlic now to enjoy next spring and summer. In containers consider bulbs such as crocus, daffodils and tulips. As you replace tired annuals, first plant the bulbs and then decide on what to plant above them to enjoy this Fall - pansies, winter heather, or Fall perennials.
It is a good time to sow a new lawn or overseed those thin or bald areas when the ground is warm, but temperatures cool, it should sprout in no time!
Sow green manure crops like fall rye or legume mix in veggie beds. This will add nutrients back to the soil when you cultivate it into the beds next Spring.
Add aluminum sulphate to the base of Hydrangeas for vibrant blue booms next summer, or add lime to encourage pink blooms.
Get out in the garden to weed, deadhead annuals, and tidy perennials – leaving those that will feed birds or look attractive over winter such as berried shrubs or ornamental grasses. Discard any diseased leaves once fallen in later Fall– ie rose leaves with black spot – do not throw these ones in the compost.
Mulch beds once tidied with hay, mulched leaves, mushroom manure, bark mulch or seasoil. This will add nutrients back to the soil, protect some of the more tender plants, and reduce weeds!
Fall is a great time to get out and pick Fall colour for your garden, you can choose trees or shrubs and see their true Fall colour in action! A few favourites include Fothergilla, Burning Bush, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, and of course, Japanese Maples.
Read This Article Online | Back to Top | GARDEN TIP
If your summer baskets are done, and you aren’t replanting them all for Fall, make one into a dinnerplate for the birds! Remove the plants, leaving the soil inside, then pour sunflower chips or other bird seed on top. You will soon enjoy a different sight when all the birds come to dine.
GARDEN QUOTE
No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden.
Hugh Johnson (1939- ) English gardening writer & wine expert.
| 
