Long Island PULSE Magazine Article – Fall Takes Root
Fall Takes Root
Cool-weather gardening with landscape designer Thomas Rodler
Author: Ruth Thomas | Published: Friday, September 20, 2013 | Long Island PULSE Magazine
Spring has earned its reputation as the time to plant, but fall is also a good time to add an eye-catching mix of cool-weather plants to any landscape. Flower and shrub species that thrive in warm days and cooler nights can take root now and establish a full year of growth to come. Thomas Rodler, president of Goldberg & Rodler, offers a few pointers for establishing an autumn garden.
Long Island Pulse: What can be planted now for the biggest pop of color in the fall?
Thomas Rodler: Ornamental cabbages and kale are popular and I haven’t had a deer issue with them. Montauk daisies are beautiful white perennial flowers that last until frost while sedums have interesting pink to dark purple foliage and will flower in the fall. Bugbane has a tall white plume flower and tolerates shade. Fall flowering asters come in pink, blue or white. Purple to pink Joe-Pye weed flowers until frost and Russian sage has spikes of blue flower that last into fall… Some fall flowering trees are sourwood (white flowers), witch hazel (yellow to gold flowers) and the autumn flowering cherry tree, which gives brilliant pinkish-white color. The Japanese dogwood tree has a fruit center that becomes a very pronounced pinkish color in the fall. Planting in the fall, when irrigation is often reduced, sometimes requires supplemental watering to avoid stressing the plant before winter. A good rule of thumb is to give a new plant about one inch of water per week throughout the fall.
LIP: What shrubs grow in quickly to add privacy shortly after planting?
TR: For a shady property, plant skip laurel or holly shrubs. By the water, try more native plants like bayberry shrubs, eastern red cedars and junipers that fill in nicely. For a sunny location, plant evergreens such as the dark green ‘Green giant’ western red cedar (arborvitae), the bluish-green white pine, with bluish-green needles and the silvery-blue Colorado blue spruce for their height and because they provide a natural-looking border. In the wintertime if your yard has a lot of wind I recommend applying an anti-transpirant or anti-desiccant spray to newly planted evergreens to protect them from drying out and burning.
LIP: What are some specimen tree options and where should they be planted in the front yard?
TR: Be very selective where you place a specimen tree as it is just an accent. Put it in a prominent spot but treat it like a unique piece of sculpture. The weeping white pine noted for its shape grows 8 to 10 feet tall and weeps down with its soft bluish-green foliage. The bloodgood Japanese maple has dark red foliage that is very contrasting. The weeping Norway spruce has lush dense foliage. Chances are the tree will be shaped at the nursery you buy from, but when it comes time to prune next year, do it between the end of August and the end of November, so the wound has time to heal before winter.
Fall Takes Root | Long Island Pulse Magazine – Covering Long’s Island lifestyles, arts, fashion, business, nightlife and entertainment
Bulbs. My favorite kind of fall shopping. The varieties available get more diverse and spectacular every year. We’re placing orders now for installations to occur before Thanksgiving. Many times the first signs of spring are those crocus and miniature daffodils coming up in almost bare beds. Don’t miss out on a fantastic spring color display! Daffodils are critter resistant but tulips are on the menu for deer, squirrels and other furry friends so plan accordingly. The key to a show stopping bulb display is massing. If there weren’t enough one year, add more for the next season. You can never have too many bulbs! They are some of the most cost efficient plants you can put in your garden, especially if you get a naturalizing variety which will multiply and bloom for many years.
Don’t forget to schedule your fall cleanup. Perennials and ornamental grasses need to be cut down, leaves collected and disposed of, whether on the ground or in the gutters. A blocked gutter can cause roof leaks if the water backs up under the shingles. Protect your outdoor furniture. We offer shrink wrapping for pots, tables and chairs, barbecues and other outdoor furnishings. Remember to have a professional blow out irrigation and pool lines to prevent damage from water freezing and thawing in the lines throughout the season. Drain and cover any fountains. Talk to a professional for pond care and winterization if you have animals in the pond. Hungry birds and raccoons can make a meal out of unsuspecting koi and goldfish when the weather turns nasty.
Impatiens, lantana, elephant ears, petunias and other annuals are found in summer gardens year after year. The blight on impatiens has taken the number one landscape annual out of commission. Dragon Wing begonias are a great shade alternative. They flower profusely and look great in a bed or a container and provide a unique texture in the landscape.
Grasses, whether evergreen or perennial, can give you good groundcover all year long. Green liriope doesn’t get a haircut until Mid-March. Acorus only needs a light raking. Dwarf fountain grass plumes usually last though early winter if there hasn’t been a heavy snowfall. Grasses like this should be cut down as soon as they start looking messy, but don’t cut them down based on color. The brown plumes add a feathery, light look to your landscape and contrast well with blue skies and white snow.
all the new growth!
So I take a water bottle out of my recycling bin and wash it out. I mix up a water bottle full of orchid fertilizer and then pour it into an inexpensive ice cube tray. I figure I can freeze these forever and I won’t have to worry about overfeeding my orchid. Since the ice melts slowly through the medium it can be absorbed better by the roots. Orchids don’t like to sit in water and this has been super successful for my orchid. I am getting so many flowers and buds for new stems! I’m thinking about getting another!