October 18, 2024
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Down the Garden Path: Getting your garden (and you) through summer’s end

By Sandy Lentz, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener
Fall flowers are an important food source for pollinators, especially migratory ones like this monarch butterfly.

Fall flowers are an important food source for pollinators, especially migratory ones like this monarch butterfly. (photo provided by University of Illinois Extension Office)

It’s hot. It’s humid. We’ve been gardening since April. (Remember daffodils?) Now it’s August.

Four months. We’re tired. We took the liberty of taking a brief vacation, and now the weeds are taller than we are.

What to do? Throw in the trowel? Nope.

Start slow

Tomorrow, in the cool early morning. Go out, for just an hour. Set a timer. Deadhead that rose. Clear the path with supports for a flopping perennial. Clean the birdbath and splash in fresh water. An hour. Stop. Go inside.

Same drill, the next day. It won’t take as long as you might think, to refresh the whole garden. You might even spend more than an hour. Deadheading, trimming, propping and weeding. Pick a bed, a part of a bed, weed it. Maybe add some compost. Call it the “Eating an Elephant a Bite at a Time” school of late summer gardening.

Take time, even in the midst of it, to find a chair, a cool drink, and just breathe. No electronics, not even a book. Just breathe, listen to the birds, the cicadas, the water splashing. Enjoy the fragrances - alyssum in the border, leaves of pineapple sage.

Think about two things

First, make some notes, such as “How tall it really got” because the catalogs and seed packets don’t always tell the truth about how plants will grow in your specific spot. Anything you want to add? Maybe something you saw in another garden – a neighbor’s, a public garden, on a garden walk. This is the “I absolutely gotta grow that next year” note, written down so you won’t forget the plant’s name. Botanical names are best, because do you know how many plants are called “bluebells?” Consider adding some natives for the critters we share our world with. Native perennials are becoming more available now. For example, coneflowers have both beautiful, long-lasting flowers, and seeds for the birds for the winter. And, of course, don’t forget to add the “never grow that thing again” thoughts.

Second, think about the cooler weather. It will happen. Add some pansies. (Most garden centers will have them.) Those pansies may even winter over, depending on how mild a winter we get. You also can plant a row of snow peas or lettuces to have fresh food in September.

Get planting and planning

Plant. Yes, plant. Early fall is a great time to plant perennials. The cooler weather encourages deep root growth. Water them well, and keep them watered until the ground freezes. Plan. Use those “gotta grow” and “how tall” lists to lay out next summer’s beds. Put your calendar to work and mark down when to order seeds (from those catalogs that started arriving at Halloween), when to start seeds, when the average last frost date is. Remember to relax. DON’T do “clean up.” Leave the dry perennial stems up for bees to winter over in and maybe lay eggs. Leave the leaves, maybe rake them into your beds for a light layer of mulch and for fireflies to overwinter in them, fireflies to light up next summer’s garden.

Have a question for the Master Gardeners? Residents can contact the Kendall County Master Gardener volunteers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by calling 630-553-5823, stopping in at 7775B Route 47, Yorkville, or emailing uiemg-kendall@illinois.edu. For helpful hints on what to include in your email, visit go.illinois.edu/HelpDeskMGdkk.