Dear $$firstname$$,

Autumn is on its way—football season is in full swing, the mums and asters are blooming and the leaves are turning color. Before you know it, it will be apple picking time and the pumpkins that are gaining ground in your garden will be ready to carve. 

The Garden Club is here to share some fall-related articles to kick off the season and inspire you to get outside and enjoy the beautiful colors of fall.

Happy Gardening!
--From the editors of Backyard Living and Birds and Blooms

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READ ON TO DISCOVER...

• Plant of the Month
• Yard Smarts
• Garden Question of the Month
• It’s Bulb Planting Time
• Mums the Word
• Surplus Savvy

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Plant of the Month

‘Moondance’ Rose
All-America Rose Selections Winner for 2007

Botanical name: Rosa hybrid, floribunda (cluster-blooming) type.

Featuring: More vigorous and fragrant than its popular parent ‘Iceberg,’ ‘Moondance’ is a white rose that’s both fragrant and disease-resistant.

Mature size: Flowers, 3” -4”; stems, 14” -18”; plant, 5’x5’.

Hardiness: Hardy to Zone 4 with winter protection.

Growing tip: Fertilize after each flush of blooms, use organic mulch and water at the base of the plant.

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Yardsmarts

Dahlia Dealings
When I dig up dahlias, I preserve a flower from each plant and keep it with its tuberous root. I hose down the roots and dry them in the sun. The roots and accompanying bloom are labeled and stored in the coolest part of the basement. This method helps me remember the color and flower type next spring. –Azalea Wright, Forest Lake, Minnesota

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Garden Question of the Month

Lawn’s Gone to the Dogs
Q: When my dogs “sprinkle” the lawn, they leave behind large, burned-out spots. Why is this, and what can I do to protect my grass? –Betty King, Baden, Pennsylvania

Melinda: This is a major frustration of dog owners trying to grow the perfect lawn. Your dog’s urine is high in nitrogen, and the concentrated applications burn your grass just like overfertilization. Well-fertilized lawns are most susceptible to this type of damage.

Water the areas where your dog urinates to dilute the nitrogen and reduce lawn burn. Some gardeners feel that commercial dog urine neutralizers help, while many do not.

Surrounding grass will fill in small areas as the urine moves through the soil, but you may want to keep some grass seed and a little topsoil handy to repair larger areas.

Consider training your dog to use one section of the yard. Cover this with wood chips, and avoid the frustration of dog-damaged grass.

See more of Melinda’s answers

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It’s Bulb Planting Time

Soon it will be time to start thinking about planning next year’s garden and planting bulbs now will prepare you for a show-stopping spring. We’ve answered some of your most popular bulb planting questions and a gardening pro from Connecticut shares her best-kept secrets for growing a blooming hideaway out of bulbs.

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Mums the Word

Fall’s beautiful front-running flower, the mum, is a spectacular show during this time of year. Learn how the Queen of Mums made her backyard a rainbow-colored realm with autumn’s crowing glory. If you find your flowers become floppy when they bloom, see Melinda Myers’ quick fix for mums and asters.

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Surplus Savvy

Too many tomatoes and zucchini from your garden? Try this tasty reader recipe to help reduce your pile.

Garden Focaccia
Frozen bread dough is the convenient base for this herb-flavored flat Italian bread. These savory slices are a super appetizer at a summer gathering. It’s a fun and delicious way to use up abundant garden tomatoes and zucchini. –Mary Ann Ludwig, Edwardsville, Illinois

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
4 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Using your fingertips, press indentations into the dough. Brush with oil; sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, onion and garlic. Spread over crust. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 20 slices.

For more tomato recipes, click here.

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More from your favorite gardening/birding magazines:

• --Top Ten Tips for Shade Gardens
• --Rose Secrets
• --Where Eagles Fly
• --Lavender is a multisensory treasure
• --Her wreaths make the rounds
• --Orchid Mania!

It’s Your Club. As a valued member, tell us what features you’d like to see in your garden club. Click here.

Step Back to the Victory Era!

The editors of Reminisce magazine bring you Reminisce Through the Decades: The 1940s, a 6-hour-plus, three-DVD set of real-life stories from the ’40s! For more information, go to www.reminisce.com.

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