Morning lows were in the lower 60s in the Houston area this week. Houstonians walked their dogs, drank margaritas on patios, and went to coffee shops for pumpkin-flavored drinks. Every year we wait for the first taste of autumn, and every year we all hold our breath, waiting for the chance to enjoy the beautiful sky again.
But for Houston gardeners, this is not the time to sit back. There is work to be done, and the cool mornings and evenings are the best time to do it. With no rain in the forecast this week (except for poor Florida), it's time to hit the garden center and stock up on soil amendments, mushrooms, and all the beautiful flowers our hearts desire. So grab a partner or one of your reluctant teenagers and put them to work. They should stay away from screens anyway.
This time of year most people are planting vegetables, but Houstonians are watching their lawns and landscapes come to life. The drought and heat has damaged our plants and leaves. Now is the time for homeowners and gardeners to plan their garden not just for fall, but for spring as well. Nurseries are already overflowing with mums, but for most people chrysanthemums are more ornamental than planting purposes. Decorate mailbox stands or stacked door fronts with burnt oranges, deep reds, deep purples and deep yellows. For those who like mums, long-term flowers should be watered regularly. A mother can be beautiful one week and sad the next. With our fall heat, it's best to stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Once grown, they can be planted in the garden. We recommend finding a flower bed that you can go to work with. I personally have a purple and white variety that I planted from a pot about ten years ago. They spread like crazy, but I can cut them back if they get aggressive, and they surprise me every year with fall and spring flowers when other plants do little.
Garden centers and department stores usually know what grows in the region, so Houston gardeners can find periwinks, petunias, dianthus, pentas and snapdragons today, with pansies and violas soon to come when the weather is nice. They are planted as annuals, but periwinkles and pentes can live year-round and often self-seed or come back from their roots. Barring unprecedented frosts in 2021, sometimes petunias will reliably sprout or grow from roots, and even carnations can survive our winter. My personal experience with thoughts has been disappointing. They look beautiful in late fall and most of winter, but they don't survive more than once. As a frugal person, I like plants that last as long as possible.
One such celebrity is the Gerbera. Double flower shops are familiar to many of us and they always attract attention. However, individual gerberas do not grow well in our Houston gardens. I have a couple that have been in my mailbox for over a decade and bloom year round. Even if you live in a very sunny location, you will get relief from the brick mailbox as the sun moves through the day. Gerberas like the sun, but not the heat, so it is very difficult to find a place for them. Morning sun and afternoon shade will usually keep them happy for many years. At first glance, they are more expensive than other products of the year, because they are sold in large containers. The good news is that they can last for years.
Another perennial that can be planted in autumn is Echinacea or Echinacea purpurea. I'll never deny that they were perennials for me, but I'm tempted to try my luck again with plants in new colors beyond pink and purple.
This is the time to plant shrubs, roses and trees. The relatively cool climate allows them to survive the winter. A northern gardener would never think of planting such precious things now, but the time has come for us southerners to do so. Unfortunately stock may be limited as many garden centers are still trying to sell their summer stock. Gardeners get lots of deals and discounts, but plants suffer from heat over time. However, if the price is reasonable, it's worth a try. Plumbago is a light and ubiquitous Houston plant that can grow to shrub size. It tolerates heat and drought well, but dies in severe frosts. However, it almost always returns and is a powerful figure in any butterfly garden or flower bed. An exotic plant in our area is the Blue Butterfly or Blue Glory Bauer. Not to be confused with the butterfly bush (Buddleia davida ), the blue butterfly bush ( Clerodendrum Uganda ) has unique flowers that look like tiny butterflies. However, it is not for the faint of heart. Lantana is another plant that grows into a large bush and needs to be pruned throughout the year. However, it is important to raise butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. And you can make wonderful wedding bouquets for Barbie dolls with flowers.
Many homeowners and neighbors want instant gratification when it comes to flowers, but still have months of patient waiting. Many of the plants we see in gardens in England can be sown from seed here in Houston in early spring in October and November. I know the local planters are not happy with the idea, but this Anglophile can't plant Potentilla, Boxwood, Mallow, Poppy and Sweet Sweet Seed. Each has different flowering times and needs. Mallows are usually biennials, so they rarely bloom in the first year after planting. Sweet peas need cool weather and usually something to emerge. Sometimes they're ambiguous to me, but when I'm fine with them, I imagine them sitting with my tea and labs enjoying their work like the famous English gardener Gertrude Jekyll.
Country vegetable seed, which is sown in autumn, is the easiest lark. Delphiniums are suitable substitutes that do not grow well in Houston gardens. They are not as showy, but they are very reliable and usually self-sow the following spring. They are pastel colored.
Then the light bulbs. Here, gardeners can spend good money, especially on tulips. XVII Although not as expensive as the 20th century tulip craze, they could be bought for 75 cents per bulb to almost two dollars. Go through the beautiful tulip catalog and you will understand how much fun it can be. I tend to buy tulip bulbs from the garden and store them in the fridge for 6-8 weeks without food, especially apples, as they release ethylene gas which rots the tulips. In mid-December I put the tulip bulbs in the ground and try to choose a cool day. There are bulb boosters that give them extra nutrients, but I haven't noticed a difference in my tulips. I haven't used chemical fertilizers in many years, so gardeners can save a few dollars by avoiding them. Some people use a bit of bone meal to keep them awake, but if you have pets like mine, you can dig like crazy. It happened to me with fog. Dogs love the smell. Other bulbs that are planted in the ground in November and early December are daffodils and freesias, as well as sedum and anemones. Unfortunately, freesias sometimes die in late winter frosts, but they are still one of my favorite bulbs for their beauty and fragrance. There are so many varieties of daffodils, it's hard to choose. Apricot flowers attract me, but all flower beds look happy with large yellow varieties.
Both tulips and daffodils are classified as early, medium and late bloomers, so smart gardeners plant them for a variety of color displays. Tulips are not native here, so it's expensive but it's a show of the year. Some daffodil varieties are natural, but not always reliable when it comes to reblooming. Another garden concern is cleaning. By the end of summer, my front flower beds were terribly overrun. I'm slowly making progress with the weeds and in the process I've noticed that some plants are returning to the heat and drought. After weeding you can apply mulch. The shoots can then be divided where the seed is planted and where the bulbs are planted.
As for dressing, most ornamental plants do not need it in the fall. This will only cause the new growth to be exposed to the frost we get in the winter. I'm no lawn care expert, but any fertilizer should have been applied in September. Personally, I never mow the lawn, and even though it has weeds, it's as green as the grass in my neighborhood. Biodiversity is great. This is also a good time to clean bird feeders and bird baths. A solution consisting mainly of water and a little vinegar works well for brushing. Avoid harsh detergents or cleaners to keep our feathered friends (and small squirrels and tree mice) healthy.
Cold weather is the perfect time to get our hands dirty and plant decorative plants that will cheer us up and make our home feel special. And many of the flowers we plant now will be the greatest delight to the butterflies, bees and hummingbirds hanging around our house. Fall is in the air and we are so ready for it.
Here are local workshops, events and resources for fall gardening ideas and plants:
Somewhere else in time
421 W. 11th
Another placeintime.com
Gazebo door
15635 FM 2920
arborgate.com
Buchanan native plants
611 E. 11.a
buchanansplants.com
Kornilov kindergartens
Four locations in Greater Houston and Galveston
calloways.com/cornelius/
Garden Centers of Houston
Lots of places
hustongardcenters.com
Plants for all seasons
6610 Luetta
21328 Texas-249
plantsforallseasons.com
Developments
Buchanan's Fall Festival l, 611 E. 11th, will be held Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with face painting, live music, crafts and wildflowers. Beer and wine will be available for adults 21 and over. And buy lots of plants and pumpkins.
The Lake Houston Garden Club is hosting a fall gardening meeting and event with Mark Bowen on October 10th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Bowen is director of product development for Heirloom Soils of Texas. He is also the author of three local history books on gardening. The event will be held at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 2920 Woodland Hills, Kingwood. For more information, go to lakehoustongardeners.com.
