Keep Your Garden Growing in Fall with Reduced Watering, Fertilizer and More

Whether you have a large garden area with numerous plants and shrubs or a small "container" garden, your flowers probably are looking a bit spent in these late summer days. There are some ways you can revitalize a garden in these cooler days of late summer. Here are a few tips:

- If you had been fertilizing your plants throughout the summer and have not fertilized recently, give your plants another dose of fertilizer. Even if you have used soil that advertises it has three months of fertilizer within it, that fertilizer is already gone, especially if you planted in early May. In addition, if your local area received heavy rains throughout the summer, the fertilizer could have washed out earlier. I learned this lesson recently. I was wondering why in early to mid-August my container plants were beginning to look like they would in late September. The leaves of the impatiens were getting yellow, and new growth was sparse. The basil my husband planted looked like it was unusable. Suddenly, I realized that we had quite a number of downpours over the course of the summer, and that perhaps I should try fertilizing. I used Peter's 20-20-20 powder and gave everything a good drink of water with the fertilizer. Within just a few days my plants had new life. New growth was sprouting out all over. The yellow leaves all but disappeared, and the basil perked up with new growth of the large deep green herb.

I recently discussed this experience with a horticulturist we met during a garden holiday week at Mohonk Mountain House (New Paltz, New York). This specialist stated that even with soil that is already fertilized, a few cold days could prevent the fertilizer in the soil from releasing. Ready-made fertilizer in the soil is meant to release over time in warm weather. When the environment becomes a little cooler for a few days, the fertilizer is not released. The horticulturist told me I had done the right thing by fertilizing with the Peter's plant food. Peter's 20-20-20 is recommended for most outdoor and indoor plants as it has a balance of both foliage and flower boosters.

- Don't forget to water your plants before a hot, bright sun reaches them during the day. If it is unusually warm, plants undergo stress. You can always bring sagging plants back after you water them, but it is far better to water them earlier in the day before the hot sun wilts them. Less stressed plants will last longer.

- Water more sparingly in the cooler days. In the Northeast, there is usually an abundance of cooler nights and milder, sunny days in September. Plants that had to be watered every day, and maybe twice during the hot days of July, may need water only every other day. Do a check of the soil and the foliage. If the soil feels dry a little below the top layer, and the foliage seems limp, you should water it a little.

- When you are planning a garden in the future, plant flowers that do well across seasons, or mix your flowers to include those that will bloom when the weather gets cooler and the other flowers begin to fade. Plant some chrysanthemums of varied colors in late August or early September to fill in color or replace plants that have gotten diseases or otherwise are spent. These flowers will usually last through an early frost until it gets quite cold.

A well cared for garden can usually last into late September or the early days of October. There will always be some natural fading as the hours of sunlight decrease, but I have seen many gardens that still do well with careful planning and regular grooming.