September 2025
The scent of fall is in the air! Can you believe it’s September already? Where did it go? Lots to do in September for gardeners. This month is the perfect time to over seed your lawn if you have any bare spots, or if you want to plant a new lawn. Plant new chrysanthemums in the ground now so they get a good start to survive the winter. Stop pruning rose bushes. Let the hips form. This tells the rose bush it’s time to stop making new growth, getting it ready for cold weather. Stop pruning your other shrubs and trees too. Once temperatures start to cool, later this month, apply a light application of Hollytone to trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials. I do this every year with great results. (Herbaceous perennials are perennials that die back to ground level every year in the winter and come back in the spring.) Once the temperatures cool, it’s time to divide herbaceous perennials, like daily lilies, Iris, hostas, and peonies. Be sure to water them well after they are in their new place. If you’ve grown tomatoes, start pinching off new blossoms so the plant will put all its energy into ripening fruit that’s already growing.
Start to bring in your houseplants from being outside for the summer. Look for any diseases or pests. I would quarantine them for 2 weeks from other plants that have been inside. Bugs and diseases grow fast when they feel the warmth of your house. If any are found, a dose of horticulture soap will help eliminate them. Dig up your dahlias, gladioli, calla lilies, and any other tender bulbs, tubers, corns, or rhizome before the first fall frost. Break off any remaining leaves and soil. Store them inside in a cool, not freezing unlit space.
It’s about time to start thinking about planting spring bulbs. Remember that daffodils and hyacinths are NOT on the menu for squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, groundhogs, and deer. They are poisonous to them. But tulips are their favorites. I have no tulips in my gardens, but hundreds of daffodils and hyacinths. I plant in groups of 10 in one of many holes I dig about 1-1/2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and 6 inches deep for one species of daffodils with holes staggered for a mass effect. This is very appealing when seen from a distance.
Did you know you may have a distant cousin to our modern-day impatiens growing in your yard as a “weed”? Its botanical name is Impatiens capensis, native to No. America. It is not poisonous. It’s commonly known as Jewelweed or Spotted touch me not. It is called Touch me knot because once it forms its seed pouch, if touched the pouch will explode and send seed flying everywhere. And most interesting, it’s an antidote to poison ivy. Place pieces of its soft stem in your hand, rubbing them back and forth until you get some watery sap. Rub the watery sap on the spot where you have touched the poison ivy or already have the rash. You will get relief. Good for insect bites too. It was used medically by our Native Americans for this purpose.
