Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

Crystal Rennicke

Wondering if you can still plant in late summer and early fall? The answer is yes! It’s actually a good time of the year to plant—the rush of spring is gone, the dog days of summer are mostly past and late-season markdowns abound. Here are some tips to keep in mind when planting before frigid temps arrive.

Happy Gardening!
–Crystal

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• Regional Report
• Plant of the Month
• Yard Smarts
• Question of the Month
• Frugal Backyard Tip
• Submit Your Story

Regional Report

With the summer winding down, that doesn’t mean a lull in gardening and birding, though. Our bloggers talk about what’s going on in your area on our Birds & Blooms blog.

• Southwest
• Midwest
• Northeast
• Northwest
• South Central
• Southeast

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perennialresource.com

Plant of the Month

Just Plum Happy daylily
This amazing recurrent blooming daylily will produce its pretty plum blooms from early summer until fall.

Botanical name: Hemerocallis  ‘Just Plum Happy’
Hardiness: Zones 3 to 10. 
Size: 18-24 inches wide; 12-16 inches tall.   
Flowers: Large 6-inch blooms of bright rose pink with a wide purple eye. Repeats constantly from late June to frost.  
Light needs: Full sun or partial shade.
Growing Advice: Spent flower stems can be trimmed back after all the buds have finished. Remove old foliage in early spring.  
Prize picks: Other great and new daylilies to try include Ice Cream Social, a creamy-white variety with ruffled petals and Licorice Twist, a spider daylily with deep purple petals

For more information on growing daylilies, see our dazzling daylily article .

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RDA-GID

Yard Smarts

Multiply Your Rosebushes
If you live in an area with mild winters, it’s easy to start new rosebushes from your existing ones. Whenever you prune them, just use the cuttings to root new plants.

You can dip the tips of the cuttings into rooting hormone first, but I’ve had success with planting them right in the soil. With this easy method, my garden is always filled with beautiful roses. –Julie Soileau, Marbury, Alabama

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Question of the Month

One of Every Color
Not only was I surprised to see last year’s petunia survive winter, but it also bloomed in seven different colors! I’m sure I only planted one petunia color. Can you tell me what happened?  –Terri Robbins, Tigerton, Wisconsin

Melinda: What a beautiful surprise! My guess is that this year’s beautiful bloom is the offspring of seeds from your hybrid petunia from last year. Hybrids combine the characteristics of one or more plants. As a result, the offspring don’t always look like the parent plant they came from.

The offspring of hybrids can vary quite a bit. The flowers may look like one of the parent plants or even a combination of their traits.

This cluster of petunias shows how offspring can pick up a variety of colors from their hybrid parents.
   

For answers to your gardening questions, click here.

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Frugal Backyard Tip

Divide and Multiply

Rejuvenate old perennials by dividing them. If the center of the plant is woody and no longer produces flowers, divide it in half. Cut out and discard the center and cut the remaining ring into smaller pieces. Plant some of these pieces in the same spot, and soon you’ll see new growth. Plant extra pieces in other areas, or share them with friends. —Angela Griffin Hatchett, Altoona, Alabama

 

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Submit Your Story

Do you have a great fall bird story? Send us your unique bird tale using our Submit Your Story form.

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