DEL.ICIO.USERICA GLASENER
Plant something in the garden this fall
For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Last week I stopped in for a visit with Carole Simpson and Rosemary Bathurst of Ashe-Simpson Garden Center in Atlanta. Both are plant lovers. Carole is the owner of AS, and Rosemary, one of her key people, creates all of their beautiful container gardens. These suggestions for fall are a result of my discussion with the two of them.
• Start a vegetable garden or prepare the soil so that you can start one in the spring. An easy way to enrich the soil is to plant a cover crop (called green manure crops) like red clover or annual rye this fall; let it grow all winter and then in spring, mow it down and use a rototiller to plow it under (or if you have a strong back and lots of energy, you can hand dig and mix the clover into the soil). Check with your local extension service for sources of seeds for green manure crops.
All American Selections
Combine ‘Rain Blue and Purple’ violas with ‘Telstar Series’ in a container garden.
Erica Glasener / AJC Special
Amelanchier ‘Autumn Brilliance’ is a nice small tree to plant in fall.
Erica Glasener / AJC Special
You can never go wrong by mixing carex and pansies together in containers.
If you already have a vegetable garden, September or October is the perfect time to plant cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, arugula, broccoli, Swiss Chard, parsley and chervil.
• Create a beautiful pot garden for fall, winter and spring.
Some of the same edibles for your vegetable garden like lettuce and other greens are also ornamental. If you only garden in containers, you can still grow your own lettuce on the back deck or porch, allowing easy access for those winter salads. Combine colorful lettuces with violas or grow them on their own.
Herbs like chervil, with its delicate texture, also make a great companion with violas. One of Rosemary’s favorites for pot gardening is Viola tricolor, commonly known as Johnny Jump Ups.
And, she reminds us, Violas “smell good.” In fact, she suggests you have at least one container devoted to just Violas. Other suggestions for container gardens include Carex buchanni, Carex ‘Toffee Twist with the Swiss Chard called ‘Brite Lights’ and chervil.
Some of the colorful lettuces to consider include heirloom selections ‘Red Velvet’ and ‘Lolla Rossa.’ Another favorite combination of Rosemary’s is the lettuce ‘Red Sails’ with orange violas.
Euhporbias are also good candidates for pots including Euphorbia characias ‘Wulfennii’ or Euphorbia ‘Enfanthia.’ For spring bloom, combine violas like the new All-America Selection Viola ‘Rain Blue and Purple’ with Dianthus ‘Telstar Series’ in a pot or in the ground. These vibrant fringed compact carnations bloom for a long period.
• Start a compost pile. In other words, let it rot. For more information, visit www.doityourself.com/stry/h2composting.
• Add some fall and winter interest plants to your garden.
Some of Carol’s favorites include Winterberry, Ilex ‘Winter Red,’ a good pollinator is Ilex ‘Southern Gentleman’ and selections of Hinoki Cypress like Chameacyparis obtusa ‘Globosa Nana. Rosemary is excited about a dwarf selection of Mexican Sage called Salvia leucantha ‘Santa Barbara’ as the plants only get 2 1/2 feet to 3 feet tall.
A small tree or large shrub I like for fall is Amelanchier ‘Autumn Brilliance.’
• Plant poppy, larkspur and bachelor button seeds in October and November. Make sure to read the directions and prepare the soil before planting. Keep in mind that poppy seeds need light to germinate. You will be rewarded next spring.
• Buy your spring bulbs (including daffodils, tulips and iris) from local garden centers. Keep them cool and plant them in October and November.
• Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden once a month this fall and winter and get inspired. For more information, contact www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.
ERICA’S PICK
Rain Blue and Purple Viola
Botanical name: Viola ‘Rain Blue and Purple’
About the plant: This charming viola has 1 1/2-inch flowers that start out purple and white and change to purple and blue as they mature. Flowering from fall through winter, it spreads 10 inches to 14 inches and has a trailing habit.
Use in the garden: Perfect for hanging baskets, containers, window boxes or in the ground. Grow it on its own or combine it with other fall and winter blooming annuals.
Planting and care: Full sun and a moist, well-drained soil is ideal.
Source: Ashe-Simpson Garden Center, 4961 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-458-3224
