Hostas in Fall

Fall is not the time to move hostas around in the yard.  They need time to grow roots, and the ground freezes too soon in fall.  Spring is the best time to move them, especially when they are first sticking their hosta "noses" out of the ground.

However fall is a great time to collect seeds from all your various hostas.  Always make sure that the pods are dry and not green when collecting seeds.  Usually the seed pods on the bottom will dry out and open first and then you know it's safe to collect the seed pods.  I put them in envelopes and mark them with what the name of the parent hosta.  Hostas do not come true from seed.  So you never know what you will get when you plant the seeds.  More than likely you will get a plain green hosta, but every once and a while you might get a yellow, variegated, or even a streaker (if you are lucky).

Fall is also a great time of the year to take notes for next year's garden.  Are some hostas too close together?  Do some hostas need to be divided?  etc.  Even better, take a picture with your digital camera and write notes on that picture.

Suprising Fall Color

I was looking at my gardens this afternoon and was surprised to see bright blue color poking out of my gardens.  Then I remembered that I planted fall blooming crocus last year.  They are beautiful just about the time everything else is started to fade away!

Fall Color

Right now is when you look at your yard or garden and realize that everything is starting to look a little dead. That's why it's important to always remember to have some plants that will add fall color to your yard. When building a flower bed I almost always try to put in something for spring, late spring, summer, and fall. Right now I have mums and asters that look beautiful in my garden beds. You could also add shrubs that has folliage that changes color in fall. Burning bush, beauty bush, and dogwood are great for their bright autumn colors, or you could choose shrubs that never loose their color such as a smoke bush. I have both the Royal Purple and the Gold Spirit smoke bush and love them both.

Why I went missing?

This summer we were hit with two really big hail storms. The first was sometime in either late June or early July, and the second was in early August. The first storm brought hail so thick it looked like it snowed outside. Some still had not melted away completely until late the next morning. It shredded all my hostas, and needless to say I almost cried when I saw all the damage. I will post picture of all the damage sometime soon!

Water Your Trees in Fall

It's very important to water your trees in fall. Right now they are getting themselves ready for the long winter and some trees even start the create their buds for spring. A good thing to remember (that I always forget) is to rabbit proof all your small trees and shrubs. Last year we had so much snow that the rabbits even ate the tops of my bushes and trees off!