Colchiciums

September is the time of the year when the gardener would like some reassurance that spring will come again even as we gather in the harvest of fall.

Fall blooming crocus, colchicium, hardy amaryllis

Fall blooming crocus, colchicium and hardy amaryllis bulbs offer this reassurance. As the fall days shorten and the temperatures moderate, these bulbs offer a surprise, since they bloom without warning. One day the earth is bare and the next these bulbs produce their blossoms without a sign of a leaf.

tiger lilies with yarrow

Getting the most out of your flowerbeds and borders means keeping the flowers in bloom as long as possible and encouraging rebloom through appropriate feeding and deadheading.

phlox

Once the garden starts blooming, another garden chore eats up the gardener’s hours--deadheading.

Keep beds and borders tidy

The first reason to deadhead is to keep the borders and beds tidy and neat. Some early bloomers look scruffy after their bloom cycle is finished. A sever pruning job encourages regrowth and the plant finishes out the season as a well-shaped member of the border.