October is still a great month for planting

By: TENAYA GROFF - For the North County Times | Thursday, September 29, 2005 8:46 PM PDT ∞

This is a great month for planting because the weather is cooling, but the ground is still warm. That means less heat stress on the top growth, so the plant can shift its energy to promoting root growth for the future health of the new planting. No roots, no plant.

Do not plant tropicals now. It's too late, since the plant will not have the time to build vigor to bring it through a cold winter. You can still plant the winter vegetables we talked about last month, but add these to your list this month: artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish and sorrel.

If you are old enough to remember the cartoons where the flowers all sing, you will remember that the pansies were the prima donnas. Their well-made-up faces are ready for the center stage of any garden. This month, plant pansies and violas, and you will not be sorry. They are easy, long-lasting bloomers, they're edible and they are great to press or to arrange, floating in a bowl of water, for a centerpiece. They come in a broad spectrum of color choices to fit any garden palette.

Pansy breeding has become an art form with the variety availabile. The showiest and largest flowers available are Majestic Giants.

Close relatives are the true violas (Viola cornuta) and the johnny-jump-ups (Viola tricolor). These bloom longer and prove to be hardier in the inland areas where winter temperatures can vary dramatically in the course of a day.

Johnny-jump-ups will naturalize in the garden. Soil drainage is important for success in growing either violas or pansies. Clay soil or soggy conditions encourages fungal growth of Rhizoctonia, which causes the plant to die off at the soil line. Not pretty. Find a well-drained, sandy loam area to plant in, and be sure not to cover the plant's crown. If this is not possible, you can still grow pansies and violas in containers using commercial potting soil. The only maintenance is to remove old flower heads so they will continue to flower and won't go to seed. Keep evenly moist; don't allow them to dry out.

Plant in full sun, but not in reflected heat. Pansies make a great cover when planting bulbs.

Continue to plant some bulbs and winter annuals. Start lobelia, alyssum and snapdragons, as well as pansies and violas. Add some perennials to include cyclamen, Icelandic poppy, ornamental kale, primrose, calendula and dianthus.

Maintain

October is the best month to divide anything that grows in clumps. Clivia, iris, daylilies, ginger, bird of paradise, moraea, gazanias, ivy geraniums, turf lilies, etc. If these and other clumping perennials are crowded, water thoroughly the day before to plump up the rhizome, and then divide by cutting through the root mass with a sharp blade. I use a saw. Divide into equal clumps and replant.

Any good garden book will go into more detail, but that is the gist of it. Pot some up for your gardener friends, too, or for the garden club plant sale. Do this now and they will be ready in the spring, which is not the time to divide.

A few exceptions to the divide rule are Agapanthus and Matilija poppy. For these plants, November is a better time to divide. And finally, cut back zonal geraniums and ivy geraniums now. Martha Washingtons are a bit fussier. Light pruning only for these gems.

If you have a Bermuda lawn, it is time to overseed with annual rye. A good nursery that sells all the fixings for this project will also have a step-by-step pamphlet to guide you through this process. Read it, do it and you will not be looking at a dormant brown lawn area all winter.

Uninvited guests

They are warm and fuzzy, but it is not always cute what they will do to your garden. Preparing for rabbit, rat and gopher damage is something we can not ignore. In her book "Southern California Gardening," Pat Welsh tells us to sprinkle mothballs or moth crystals in the garden to repel cats, dogs, opossums, skunks and rabbits. These are toxic, so be sure toddlers (and pets) do not mistake them for candy or treats.

For gophers in new lawns, cover the prepared ground with ‡" wire mesh, and then cover this with soil and seed or plant sod. I have not tried either of these remedies, but I have known some very determined gophers and rabbits.

Water wisdom

Toward the end of this month, reset your sprinkler systems to adjust to the cooler weather. It is best to increase the days between watering rather than shorten the amount of water being applied.

Tenaya Groff is a freelance garden writer. Contact her at hmsgardens@yahoo.com.