When I first started gardening years ago, I thought Spring was pretty much the only planting season. It seemed to me that with all of the trees and shrubs budding and blooming that it was definitely the time of new renewal and a time to plant.
Over the years, I began to realize that Fall is just as good or even a little better than Spring planting. There are several advantages to Fall planting. Fall lets you plant when the trees and shrubs want to grow roots not leaves.
In Summer, plants have to do two hard jobs at once; keep it’s canopy alive in heat and grow new roots. In Fall, those jobs separate. In Lake Lure our soil is still warm in the Fall.
Now, here is how to plant trees and shrubs. Plant at the same depth that it was growing before. The hole should be twice as wide as the root ball. If the roots of the root ball seem to be rootbound – trim a half inch off of the bottom of the root ball and cut one half inch slits in three places on the side of the root ball. Backfill the holes with a mixture of one half of the existing soil and one half in-ground planting mix. Water the newly planted tree or shrub generously. Apply two to three inches of mulch around the plant, but not touching the stem. For the next six weeks – water the plant as needed. Allow it to dry out between waterings.
It’s been a while since I discussed deer, deer resistant trees and deer repellants. The best approach about gardening in an area populated by deer is choosing plants which are deer resistant. Some of my favorite trees and shrubs are deer resistant. Crepe Myrtle, Japanese Maple, Camellias, gardenias, rhododendrons, dogwoods, red buds most hydrangeas, vitex orgnus castus, and flowering quince are my favorites. I try to include several of those in every landscape plan that I draw.
Another approach to “deer gardening” is a tall fence, at least eight feet tall. Electric fences are somewhat effective but must be monitored every few days for damage from falling limbs. The deer consider many of our most beautiful garden plants to be hors d’oeuvres. Hostas, daylilies, pansies, roses and tulips are their favorite snacks. Jongwils and daffodils are lovely harbingers of Spring, and they are 100 percent deer-resistant.
As for as repellants go, I use Green screen and Liquid Fence. Applied per instructions and in a timely manner, both are very effective. Apply more often during periods of heavy rain. Green Screen is an organic powder which can be used even for vegetable gardens, vineyards, and orchards. It is manufactured by Envirodyne, Inc. in Michigan. Their phone number is 1-800-968-9453. The powder comes delivered in 40-pound boxes. It is actually quite inexpensive because a little goes a long way.
A large dog, which urinates around the garden area, seems to slightly be effective. Irish Spring soap cut up into thick slivers and spread around the garden seems to be moderately effective. Heavy ran can quickly dissolve the slivers of soap, so you need to be diligent about replacing it as needed.
The drought seems to be somewhat abated with some good rain recently, so hopefully we won’t have to water our gardens as much now. Happy gardening and my grandma always said, God does not count the time against us that we spend in our own garden. Maybe that is just folklore but it is a pleasant thought.
