Connecticut Garden Journal

• Connecticut Garden Journal: Prepping for winter, and a series wrap

  With the changing season, it’s time to close the garden down. Before the cold weather hits, drain and bring in outdoors hoses, clean and sharpen garden tools and start protecting plants for winter. Wrap young trees with plastic or wire fencing to about 2 feet up the trunk and a few inches below the ground, to protect the young bark from rodents and rabbits. Erect A-frame, snow barriers for shrubs planted near the house to avoid damage from falling snow and ice. And cover tender perennials, such as lavender, with wood chips in late November. Unfortunately, it's also time for me to say goodbye. After a 10-year-run, this is my last Connecticut Garden Journal post. I've enjoyed being part of Connecticut Public and appreciate all the people that made this show happen. Thanks to John Dankosky and Catie Talarski for believing in me 10 years ago to start the show. And to Tim Rasmussen for having me host a series of gardening TV shows during Covid where we won a Regional Emmy. And, of course to all the people behind the scenes, such as Cat Pastor and Robyn Doyon-Aiken, who made the show happen each week. And special thanks to you listeners. For all the emails, questions and comments and greetings I received in person at garden club meetings, flower shows and garden conferences. It's been great connecting with such avid gardeners over the years. So for now, I'll hang up my garden tools, clean off my boots and close the garden shed. You may not be hearing me live anymore on the radio, but the past shows live on at Connecticut Public. Until we meet again, I'll be seeing you in the garden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Connecticut Garden Journal: Get a jump on spring by planting bulbs in containers

  It's hard to think about winter with such warm, fall weather, but spring flowering bulbs need to be planted soon. If you want to enjoy your spring flowering tulips, daffodils, crocus and other bulbs a little earlier in spring or if you don’t have a garden, consider forcing them in containers.  You can plant two different ways. Either plant all one type of bulb in a pot for a big splash, or layer different bulbs in the container for a more extended flower show. First, select a container at least 10 inches in diameter. The bigger the pot, the more bulbs you can plant and the bigger the show. Fill it with potting soil. Then plant your bulbs 2 times their diameter deep. For layering bulbs select bulb types or varieties that mature at different times. For example, plant large, late flowering varieties of daffodils on the bottom, mid season tulips in the middle and early season crocus on top. Plant the bulbs at the correct depth and fill in potting soil on top of them before adding the next layer. Water your pots well and place in a dark, cool room, basement or garage that doesn't freeze for 14 weeks. This will allow your bulbs to grow roots and get the winter chill they need. Come late February you can start moving them into a sunny, warm room to grow. Take all the pots out at once or stagger them to extend the flower show. When finished flowering, grow them as houseplants until the leaves yellow, then plant them in the ground for next year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Connecticut Garden Journal: Fall-planting garlic and shallot varieties

  With our warm fall, we're still enjoying fresh tomatoes, peppers, greens, and zucchini from the garden. But it's also time to start thinking about planting garlic and shallots. These two alliums are easy to grow. Unlike other veggies, you plant garlic and shallots in the fall for an early summer harvest. There are two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck varieties, such as 'Romanian Red' and 'German Extra Hardy', form a flower stalk or scape in spring that can be harvested and eaten. We make a mean pesto from garlic scapes. Even if you don't like eating the scape, it still should be removed to get larger garlic bulbs. Softneck varieties, such as 'New York White' and 'Inchelium Red', have soft leaves that are good for braiding. They last longer in storage than hardneck types. Plant garlic cloves 3- to 5-weeks before the ground freezes. Planting too early stimulates them to grow this fall, so wait until late October or early November to plant this year. The night before planting, break apart the bulbs into cloves. Leave them overnight to callous on the bottom, basal plate for best rooting. The next day plant, on compost amended raised beds, spacing the cloves pointy side up, 6 inches apart and a few inches below the soil deep. Water well and cover with straw or hay for winter protection. Shallots are another allium that can be fall planted. These small onions have a delicate, milder flavor than regular onions and are favorites in French cooking. Plant 'Dutch Yellow' and 'French Red' shallot varieties the same way you plant garlic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Connecticut Garden Journal: For fall cleanup, remove diseased plants, leave the rest

  As the days shorten and weather cools, somewhat, it's time for some fall garden chores. One of the rules that's changed is around perennial flower garden cleanup. Traditionally, we'd cut back and remove the dying foliage of perennial flowers such as daylilies, peonies, echinacea and rudbeckia. While the look of a cleaned garden might be appealing, it's not the best for the ecology around your yard. The seed heads of many perennials, such as echinacea, rudbeckia and salvia, are important bird food. Also, beneficial insects and pollinators overwinter in the dead stems and leaves and will be ready to emerge in spring to help our plants. The one exception I'd make is if the flowers were heavily diseased. Then it makes sense to remove them from the garden. You might be noticing some spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac and weigela, blooming again! This is unusual, but can happen with weather stress and warm falls. This year many shrubs lost their leaves early due to fungal blight diseases. That, combined with the warm autumn, has tricked the plants into blooming. This won't harm the shrubs, but you'll have fewer flowers in spring. Other tasks for fall include chopping and dropping healthy vegetable and annual flower plants once they go by, instead of removing them. But remove diseased plants such as tomatoes. Add chopped leaves, grass clippings or straw to bare beds to protect the soil in winter. Leave asparagus ferns until early winter and add lime to asparagus beds to raised the pH to around 7 based on a soil test.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Connecticut Garden Journal: Alliums are a trouble-free bulb to plant right now

  October is spring bulb planting time. While the tulips, daffodils, and crocus head the list of popular bulbs to plant later this month, don't forget some of the more unusual bulbs such as the alliums. Allium or flowering onion plants range in sizes from 5 inches to 4 feet tall. The tall varieties make a statement in the garden rising about the foliage of perennials such as daylilies. The smaller growing bulbs are great in front of the border or as rock garden plants. Alliums are trouble free. They come back consistently each year and deer, rabbit and mice don't seem to bother the bulbs or flowers. Many bloom in late spring and early summer after the daffodils and tulips finish. For a big flower show nothing beats the tall, large, purple flowered types such as 'Gladiator'. A large white flowered version is 'Mount Everest'. 'Purple Sensation' is a little shorter and smaller flowered, but it multiplies readily over time. Some shorter alliums add more color. The drumstick alliums have red and green colored blooms. Allium caeruleum has blue colored flowers and Allium moly is a short, yellow flowered type. Whatever varieties you choose, plant later this month in a full sun location on well-drained soil. Plant in groups or pop some of the tall, large flowered types in among the perennials for a surprise effect. After they're finished blooming consider leaving the seed heads. They're interesting to look at and add a different texture to your plantings. You can cut them for use as indoor flower arrangements.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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