SUNDAY SUMMER HOURS (10-2) WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SEPTEMBER

What to do in the September garden...

Lawns:  Apply 4th step after Labor Day to provide the proper nutrition for a greener, thicker lawn.

Perennials:

Tender perennials such as Canna, Calla Lilies and Dahlias need to be dug up following the first frost and stored in a dry place for the winter.  A sealed brown bag filled with peat moss works well.

Perennials are rated for hardiness by zone.  Typically Connecticut is somewhere between a Zone 5 and Zone 6.  This being said, each yard has within it what is referred to as microclimates.  Therefore, a plant rated for a Zone 6 or even a Zone 7 might or might not survive.  Typically the warmest spots are along a south side foundation, near large dark stones, along sides of driveways or patios where there is something that can absorb the sun’s heat, store it and release it slowly during the night moderating soil temperature.  One way to determine warmer microclimates in your yard is to mark where the snow melts first.

When soil freezes and thaws plant roots and crowns can heave out of the ground.  After the ground has frozen, apply a winter mulch of bark, pine straw or evergreen boughs.  This is especially important for new plantings which may not be fully established.