There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you
                         it's going to be a butterfly.                         
                                        ~Richard Buckminster Fuller

September is a month of change in Warren County. It is time to trim leggy annuals and remove dead flowers for a last blooming. Take cuttings of coleus, impatiens, and wax begonia to bring indoors for next year’s gardening.

The last days of summer are cleanup time in the vegetable garden. Fallen leaves can be cleaned up and added to the compost pile. If your vegetable garden is dormant for the winter, you might consider planting a cover crop to turn under in the spring. If you plant fall vegetables, it is time to put out the transplants such as lettuce, broccoli and brussel

sprouts and cabbage. Mustard greens and turnips can be planted by seed now. As fall tends to be dry in Warren County, watch your plant’s needs for water and water appropriately.

 
Herbs are still at their peak in September. It is time to harvest and dry them. Herbs such as basil, oregano, sage, and tarragon can be dried, but it is best to freeze chives. Cuttings from these herbs may also be taken and planted in containers for fresh herbs during the winter months.

 

Warren County lawns continue to grow through this month. This is a good time to look for pests and problems in your grass. Treat problems as they develop. If you have had problems with winter weeds in your lawn over the last few years, it may be prudent to use a pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn during the middle of this month. Follow the directions on the pre-emergent herbicide exactly for proper dispersion and use.

At this time pruning of dead branches or diseased wood from trees and shrubs can be done, but wait for the major pruning until late winter or early spring. Too heavy pruning now will encourage new growth which will die in the first frost.

   Tip of the Month
Daylily clumps can be dug and divided in late summer and fall. Storing the clumps is possible, but replanting right away is preferable in our humid climate. Trim the leaves back by several inches, dig up the entire clump, and separate the crowns carefully by hand or cutting them apart to retain as many roots as possible.



Rudbeckia
Carol Duncan, MG 

 
                     Sometimes, when I am working in my garden,
                             I am transported to another world.
           The hum of bees seems like singing wires from Eternity.
             It is as though a message were trying to come through
               and I know what it means, but I can’t hear the words.       
                                                                                                  ~Anonymous