Summer - gone but not forgotten
Summer certainly set a lot of records. Most notable was the number of hot days. As of late August, we'd been "blessed" with 37 days at or above 90 degrees. Normally, we have about half that many. On top of that, six of these were over 100.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the wildfires started earlier than usual and there were many more of them than usual. These were a direct result of the tremendous heat and lack of rain. The smoky skies and blowing dust persisted many miles from the actual fires.
All in all, these things combined to make our coming winter look much more attractive than normal. Most of us are just plain worn out from trying to keep our plants alive. If we'd only known ahead of time about the long hot summer to come, we could have been growing all manner of tropical things.
We can only hope that next year will be better. Looking ahead to next spring, now is a good time to purchase new bulbs. Some of the most popular are tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus. They are making an appearance in stores and mail order catalogs now. Buy early, before your favorites sell out.
Other things to plant now are trees, shrubs and perennials. September and early October are ideal for getting these going. Don't wait too long as they all need some time to adjust to their new locations.
If your lawn has bare spots, this is an ideal time to fix that. Lightly dig up the area, take out any weeds, rocks, etc. Then sprinkle generously with grass seed and tamp down so that the seeds make contact with the soil. Keep wet and soon you should see tiny green blades of new grass.
One type of "grass" that had a great year was crabgrass. Many people report having it invade their lawns like never before. Evidently, the heat and lack of moisture were to blame. The good news is that it is an annual and will die when the weather gets cold. The bad news is that it has probably produced a lot of seeds which will be ready to germinate next spring. More on that later.
One job to avoid now is pruning. Doing this tells any plant that it needs to produce new growth. That's not a good idea in the fall as new growth usually isn't hardy. Hold off on pruning until spring. This holds true for trees, shrubs or perennials.
With the sudden change from hot to cool weather, the veggie gardeners need to be extra vigilant. We want to ripen those tomatoes and peppers, etc. They taste best when ripened on the plant. Just keep an eye on the weather reports so that there are no nasty surprises. Black tomatoes are not what we're hoping for.
Many people have reported the sudden departure of their resident hummingbirds in mid to late August. That happened in my yard too. I don't know what to blame it on...perhaps they didn't like the smoky air!
At our house, we have a motto: "The head of this house is the one with the tail." He knows it, too.
Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently serving as secretary for the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls. Her column is now appearing in The Press every other Friday in the Home and Garden section.