September Garden To-Do List

Congratulations, you’ve survived the worst of a Texas summer. Yes, we CAN contemplate gardening again!

Pictured above is the fall aster starting to bloom.

The first of the Fall rains have come from “cold” fronts from the North and swirling Gulf hurricanes from the South. This month usually brings some relief from the heat. If we get a few cool mornings and you feel like getting your hands beautifully dirty, go ahead and start preparing beds now for planting perennials, shrubs, trees, wildflower seeds, and fall vegetable plants next month.

1. Pull out any plants that have totally been scorched from 60 days of no rain and triple digit heat. Scratch the stems near the bottom first. If you see any green, prune the plant way back. If the stem is dry and brittle, pull it up.

2. Dig generous amounts of your home-grown compost into the beds. It should be well done by now.

3. Scout out your favorite nurseries and big box stores for clearance perennials like lantannas, cone flowers, and native hybiscus. I have atleast ten lines up on my back porch in mrning sun. I’ve trimmed all the dead off and cut them back. Give them a good soaking once a day and you’ll be surprised at how they revive!

4. Continue to dead head your flowering shrubs and plants for a second flush of flowering this fall. Even your Lantannas and Turk’s cap could use a good haircut! Most of the summer-blooming perennials are finished or are finishing up their floral display for the year. Cut back the flower stalks and old faded flowers to keep the plants looking attractive.

5. Hold off on the fertilizer. Perennials that have finished blooming for the year and those that are slowing down should not be fertilized. We don’t want to stimulate growth into the fall and winter.

6. After trimming and cutting back, be sure that plants are heavily mulched to protect their root systems for the coming winter.

Have you given up on gardening through this last summer?