Butterfly flower or botanically, Asclepias tuberosa,
is a great fall blooming perennial. Butterfly flowers
are very hardy, and they are a native plant to North
America. Like the botanical name suggests butterfly flower has a
tuberous root system. Keep this in mind and take care when planting
so that the root ball stays intact. Carefully cut the sides of the pot and
slip the root ball out of its container. Place the root ball in the new
planting hole and fill in the soil. Because the plant is a native it will
thrive in ordinary soil that is well drained. Excess water from
irrigation will do the plant more harm than good. Plant butterfly flower
with other plants that can tolerate summer dryness. Plants like bearded
iris, coneflower, rudbeckia and ornamental grasses would be good
companions for butterfly flower. Plant asclepias where they will get
full sun, and fertilize once in the spring with a granular 10-10-10
product. Enjoy this 36” tall perennial that starts blooming in
August and continues into October.
American Bittersweet
American bittersweet is a vine native to North
America and found East of the Rocky Mountains. In
the wild it is found growing over trees, shrubs and
on fences. Bittersweet is very hardy growing in a
wide range of soil conditions. The vine has few pest
or disease problems and is drought tolerant once
established. This vigorous vine will grow 20’ and more with glossy green
leaves in the summer. Female vines produce berry-like fruit in clusters
in July.
By September the berries burst open reveling orange and red
fruits inside. The berry clusters can be picked and dried to make great
fall arrangements.
Bittersweet produce male and female flowers on
separate plants, so you need two plants (a male and a female) to
produce the berries. At all 7 Bachman’s garden centers we take the
guesswork out of which one is the boy and which is the girl. We
plant a male and female plant in the same pot. Plant bittersweet
in a sunny location.
Cucumbers
By this time of year the cucumber trellises are thick with leaves and
heavy with fruit. Picking cucumbers is easiest if the vines are off the
ground. They also take up less space in a crowded garden. Cucumbers
grown on trellises are cleaner and because of gravity the fruits are
straighter. Diseases and insect problems are not as common on
cucumbers raised on a trellis. So if you didn’t grow
cucumbers on a trellis check out these beautiful
garden accents now so you have them ready for
next year. Remember to keep the cucumbers well
watered and fertilize regularly up to frost.
Harvesting Cucumbers depends on what you are going to do with them.
Sweet pickles are picked when they are about two inches long. These
dainty little pickles make great holiday presents or hostess gifts during the busy days of December. For those crunchy dill pickles let those
cucumbers grow a little; they should be about 3” to 4” long and should
be firm to the touch. Fresh slicing pickles should be harvested when the
fruit reaches 6”long. These slicing cucumbers can be peeled, but keep
in mind that’s where a lot of the vitamins and minerals are located. The
burp-less types of cucumber can stay on the vine until they are 12” long.
These types have very tender skins and few seeds.
Tips
Fall Checklist - Now is the time to make that checklist of fall chores
1. Wrap young trees.
2. Put hardware cloth around the base of apple trees and
other plants that rabbits love.
3. Rake fallen leaves.
4. Fertilize the lawn twice in the fall.
5. Clean out the garden.
6. Clean all garden tools before they are stored.
7. Water evergreens until the ground is frozen.
Now is also the time to start new herbs from seed. If you want herbs
indoors this winter it’s best to start new plants from seed and not bring
in the herbs that have summered outside. In clean pots start new herbs
outside and bring these strong young plants indoors when the weather
cools.
Don’t cover tree roots with soil, if surface roots are a bother consider
removing the lawn and planting groundcover between the roots.
Keep mulches 3” to 4” away from tree trunks. This keeps the trunk dry.
Rebecca Brown
Outdoor Living & Entertaining Expert
Recycle and Beautify Keep it simple and easy when dining outdoors.
Fill mason (canning) jars with fresh-picked
flowers from your yard including some leaves
from plants like hosta. Another great look is to mix cut
gerbera stems and fragrant fresh cut dill.
Flowers and gifts from Bachman’s make any day a special one. When you order your flowers or gifts online, you know you’ll be getting a beautiful fresh floral arrangement from a trusted florist known for outstanding floral design, plus quality and service.
If you’re sending flowers or gifts out of town, you can rely on us to choose the best florist from either the FTD or Teleflora nationwide flower network. Florists who can be counted on to deliver the best fresh floral arrangements and gifts, even when doing a same day delivery.
