October Newsletter
Mums the word
“Now come the rosy dogwoods,
The golden tulip-tree,
And the scarlet yellow maple,
To make a day for me.”
Fall is here! We are enjoying the bursts of fiery foliage that replace the rainbows of summer gardens.
We’ve been busy planting fall annuals and getting in the autumnal spirit. With cooler temperatures and more reliable rain, it’s a great time to plant woody shrubs and perennials.
The days are getting shorter and the plants are dying back to store up energy for the winter. We are helping some plants along by cutting foliage, but some plants we will strategically leave.
The seed heads and twigs of many plants provide food and shelter for beneficial insects. The hollow stalks of grasses and perennials offer protected hideouts and hibernation spaces for solitary bees, caterpillars, and other pupae. The seeds of coneflowers (Echinacea), sneezeweed (Helenium), anise hyssop (Agastache) and others offer foraging opportunities for birds and other non-hibernating mammals as their stores get low mid-winter.
Although it may seem a bit messy in the garden until we get significant snowfall, the benefits to the plants and soil are immeasurable. Our gardening activities are bolstered by the hidden operations of our insect friends, so this is our thank you to them.
-The Garden Life Team
