My mother-in-law has the most beautiful bed of peonies, which are a mass of white and pink blooms every May. When I go to visit, she always has a large bouquet waiting for me to take home and enjoy. The white blooms are so sweetly scented, and once in the house, their fragrance soon fills the living room.

Well, September is the month peonies must be planted and divided in order to maintain their longevity and hardiness. Once they become established in the garden border, they will bloom in May and June and make excellent fragrant cut flowers.

There are two divisions of peonies – garden, or herbaceous varieties, and tree peonies:

· Garden peonies have full bushy stems that grow two to four feet tall and range from white, yellow, cream, pink, and rose to deep red in color. The five groups – single, semi-double, double, Japanese, and anemone are distinguished by the shape of the petals.

· Tree peonies are shrub-like deciduous plants that reach four or more feet in height and produce many large flowers in May. The colors of the delicate blooms come in yellow, pink, white, rose, crimson, scarlet, apricot, salmon, purple, and peach. The center of the flowers is yellow, pink or red.

Peonies grow from tubers (underground stems). New growth develops from buds or eyes on the tuber. New or immature shoots are bright red, succulent, and easy to damage while mature shoots are dark green and shiny.

Divide and replant peonies only when they become crowded. To do this, carefully dig around and under the plants. As you dig up the clumps, be careful not to break off the root system, especially the tap roots. Wash any soil from the roots and strip off the leaves. Cut the tubers by using a sterile knife. Be sure each section has three to five eyes and a tap root is attached. Replant the tubers immediately.

When buying, look for tubers that have three to five eyes. Those with one or two eyes often rot in the ground while those with more than five eyes may fail to produce large flowers. Select colors that harmonize with your current garden.

Peonies need fertile, slightly acid (pH 6.0) well-drained soil. They do not tolerate wet feet. These plants grow best in full sun, but will tolerate shade for two to three hours each day.

Because peonies remain in the same place for many years, the garden soil needs special preparations. Spade organic matter such as compost, aged cow manure, or peat moss in the soil about two weeks before planting. Add about a handful of bone meal or a commercial fertilizer that is high in phosphorus (such as 5-10-10). Dig a hole approximately 18 inches deep for each tuber. Holes for the plants should be spaced three feet apart. Refill the holes with about half of the soil mixture, leaving the remainder of the soil at the side of the hole until planting time.

Plant a garden peony tuber with the uppermost eye not more than two inches below the soil surface. Put a little soil around the tuber and water thoroughly. Then, fill the hole with the remaining soil and press down firmly (do not pack it). To settle the tuber, water again.

When planting a tree peony tuber, fill with four or five inches of soil, covering the graft. You can recognize the graft by the ridging on the stem and the different texture of the bark. The deep planting allows the grafted section to establish its own roots in the soil. Continue to add soil and water in the planting hole, the same way you would for a garden peony.

Mulch garden and tree peonies with straw, peat moss, or evergreen needles during the winter and summer months. In winter, mulching will prevent heaving, which is the alternate freezing and thawing of the soil that pushes the plants out of the soil. During the summer, mulching around the plants helps to keep the soil moist and prevents weed growth.

So, maybe with a little luck, you can have a bouquet of peonies next May to brighten up your indoor living space or to share with a friend.

SEPTEMBER GARDENING CALENDER

First Week of September:

· Start a compost pile.

· Apply lime and fertilizer to your lawn area. It’s a good idea to have a soil test done

to know the correct amount needed.

· Space strawberry runner plants about six-inches apart. Pull out extra plants.

· Harvest vine-ripened vegetables from plants that continue to produce.

· Select a short-day variety tomato plant like “pixie” and start it indoors in a peat pot. When large enough, transplant into a three and one-half inch or larger pot and place in the sunniest window in your home.

Tomatoes require six to eight hours of light daily. You will have to keep artificial light on them part of the time. Water and feed them regularly and you should have tomatoes for your Christmas dinner.

Second Week of September:

· Collect and dry herb blossoms, grasses, and seed pods to decorate your holiday wreaths.

· Start cuttings from geraniums and begonias.

· Dig up and divide roots now if you’re thinking about starting new peonies. You may want to use a sharp knife to slice through the root system. When dividing, make sure each division has three or four buds (the small pinkish colored buds at the crown of the roots).

When planting your new roots and buds, do not place the tops deeper than two inches below the soil surface. If you do, the plant will produce foliage, but may seldom bloom. Provide moisture to promote new root growth.

· Select and prepare the site now if you are going to plant or establish a spring flowering bulb bed. Be sure there is good drainage; add three to four pounds of limestone per one hundred square feet and two to three pounds of 5-10-10 garden fertilizer.

We have a fact sheet on Spring Flowering Bulbs. If you would like one, call the Extension Office at #857-6426, #730-4000 or #856-7303.

Third Week of September:

· Plant evergreens and ground covers. To transplant needle-leaf or cone-bearing evergreens, be sure each plant has an adequate rootball.

· Clean up garden debris and add to your compost pile or turn under the vegetation, but not where you have your fall crops growing. To improve soil structure and decrease erosion during the winter, plant a cover crop. These winter cover crops can be planted from September 1 through November 1.

· Bring in your Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus, place on a cool porch or cool part of your house, and do not water for four weeks so that buds can set. After that time, fertilize well and resume weekly watering.

Last Week of September:

· Keep strawberry beds weed free. Every weed pulled now will help make weeding much easier next spring.

· Plant your spring bulbs. Depth of planting varies with the size of the bulb, for example, tulips are about five to six inches, four to seven inches for daffodils, three to four inches for hyacinths, and one and one-half to three inches for small bulbs. A good rule of thumb when planting bulbs is to set them three times as deep as the bulb’s greatest width.

Don’t wait for frost warnings to bring houseplants indoors. For many tropical houseplants, night temperatures of 50 degrees or lower can cause damage. Check all houseplants that are brought in for pests and diseases and for repotting where needed.

MASTER GARDENER TIP:

Call your local County Extension Office to see what gardening workshops are offered this fall.

TOMATO PROBLEMS

My springs are so busy that I usually do not get my warm season garden area tilled and the tomatoes and peppers planted until the last week of May. Which means those tomatoes will not be ripening until the end of July and into the first of August. Not only are mine ripening, but calls from the public with tomato problems let me know theirs are also ripening. Therefore, I thought a column on tomato problems might help many of you, too.

BACTERIAL SPECK: The fruit and leaves will have many tiny (pinhead size) and slightly raised brown-black specks. If you look closely on the fruit, these specks are bordered in white. On leaves, the border will be yellow colored. This problem is often mis-identified as bacterial spot.

Bacterial speck thrives in temperatures of 65° to 75°F that follow heavy rains. The bacteria overwinter in the soil and may be carried on tomato seed. When the first signs of this disease appear, it is time to control. Use a fungicide spray containing maneb or basic copper sulfate. And, like all fungicide applications, repeat sprays as long as weather conditions are favorable for the disease. Additional means to control this problem are: avoid overhead watering, do not work in wet plants, and do not save seeds from infected fruit.

BLOSSOM END ROT: This is caused by sudden changes in soil moisture or lack of calcium in the plant. It appears as a sunken, dark brown or black leather spot. To reduce this problem, provide a normal supply of moisture and/or lime to the soil to a pH of 6.5-7-0.

HORNWORMS: These fat green or brown worms, up to five inches long with white diagonal stripes, have a red or black “horn” that projects from the rear end. They eat leaves and fruit, leaving only midribs.

Hand pick the worms or use a chemical control to reduce hornworms. If you scout for eggs, look for small, smooth, round and light green-colored single eggs laid on tomato plant leaves.

Remember, upon discovering this pest, if its back is covered with many little white cocoon-like objects, don’t destroy them. These are a result of a beneficial wasp laying her eggs on the hornworm and this worm’s days are numbered.

LIGHT BLIGHT: This is caused by a fungus. Bluish-gray, water-soaked patches appear on leaves and stems. During humid weather, a white downy mold grows on the lower surface of the leaves.

Grayish-green, water-soaked spots appear on the fruit. These turn dark brown, become wrinkled and cork-like. Dying plants have an unpleasant odor. Use a fungicide and remove all plant debris from your garden after harvest. This will help reduce late blight.

FRUIT CRACKS: Fruit cracks occur during rainy periods when temperatures are relatively high (above 90^o), especially when rains follow a long dry period. Also, tomatoes exposed to the sun develop more cracks than those well-covered with foliage.

Lastly, remember to read and follow all label directions.

I hope this article will help you to get to enjoy your first ripe tomatoes of this gardening season.

LAWN CARE

It has been a very hot, dry summer for growing vegetables and flowers in the landscape. One big part of our landscape is our lawn and the hot, droughty conditions haven’t been idea for growing grass either. Now is the time to evaluate and decide if we need to improve the existing one or establish a new lawn.

In Delaware, the ideal time to establish a new lawn is from August 15 to September 30. This date could be extended a short time if we have a mild fall.

Before planting a new lawn, clear all debris and stones. Use a herbicide such as Roundup^TM or Kleenup^TM to clear all existing plant material. This should be done approximately two weeks prior to your seeding date. Old leaves, weeds, dead grass or thatch should be removed or mixed into the soil thoroughly.

Adequate seedbed preparation is the most important factor in obtaining a successful lawn seeding. Just prior to seeding, level lawn and broadcast lime and fertilizer to area. To determine the amount of lime and/or fertilizer needed, have a soil test done prior to renovation.

Rototill limestone and fertilizer into soil to a depth of four inches. When the soil surface is dry and easily worked, hand-rake to smooth the surface and remove any remaining trash and stones.

The seed used should be mixed thoroughly in a pail or tub, and then divided into several equal quantities. Seed each section of your lawn separately in at least two different directions. This will ensure complete and uniform coverage of seeds to the entire lawn area.

Immediately after seeding, gently brush the surface with a grass rake to increase contact between seed and soil and to improve seed germination. Be careful not to rake too roughly; this may redistribute the seed or bury the seed too deeply.

Mulch the raked seedbed with a light covering of straw or peat moss to maintain soil moisture and to protect the seed from being washed or blown away. Water this thoroughly, and thereafter, water each morning and early evening. If this is not possible, then irrigate the seedbed at least once a day. Always use a fine spray or mist-type nozzle to minimize disturbing the soil or washing the seed away.

It is important to provide the new lawn with adequate moisture until the seed germinates and seedlings have a good start. Remember that more frequent watering will be required in hot or windy conditions.

Stringing the area with brightly colored flags will warn neighbors and family members, but not necessarily pets, to stay off.

If you do not want to establish a new lawn, there are several ways to improve an existing one:

· De-thatch or remove a heavy thatch buildup to improve soil and increase soil moisture. In addition, insects and diseases that find thatch a particularly suitable living environment will be eliminated. This can be done by using a good rake or de-thatching bar on your lawn mower.

· Aerate to reduce lawn compaction. Several terms used for this are “hole punching”, “coring” and “aerating.” Compacted soils restrict absorption of water and nutrients as well as air. To aerate soil, a hollow metal tube 1/4 to 3/4 inch in diameter is pushed into the soil by foot or machine to a depth of three to four inches, and sometimes deeper. Keep in mind, the soils should be moist when this is done.

· Repair bare, dead, or weedy sections of the lawn by re-seeding or replacing them with pieces of sod. Always replace with the same variety of grass as the established lawn. Remember to keep the new patches well watered for several weeks.

For more information on lawn establishment, contact your local Extension Office:

Kent County: Number 857-6426 or #730-4000

Sussex County: Number 856-7303

There is not much we can do about hot, dry or wet weather conditions, which affect our plants. However, we can plan, prepare and re-plant when needed.

TIPS FOR HARVESTING AND DRYING HERBS

For the many herb gardeners, either novice or experienced, who are growing herbs this summer and are wondering about harvesting and drying, here are some guidelines.

There are several reasons why you should not wait until the last days of summer to think about how and when you will preserve your herbs. For one reason, you will be very busy trying to get them all dried or frozen before the first killing frost. But most importantly, you will have missed the prime harvesting time for most herbs. They should be gathered when they contain the maximum amount of oils for full flavor and fragrance.

Most herbs, for culinary use, are ready to harvest just before flowers appear on the plant. Cutting them early in the season enables continued, successive cuttings from the plant. Harvesting perennial herbs late not only results in a reduction of flavor, but the possibility of plant death as well. These plants need the chance for regrowth in order to survive the winter.

Another caution is to not cut annuals, such as basil, too closely to the ground because the lower foliage is necessary for continuous plant growth. Keep in mind, at the end of the annuals’ growing season, the entire plant can be harvested.

The ideal time of day to harvest herbs is in the early morning on a clear day just as the sun dries the dew from the leaves because the oils in the plants are strongest at this time. Scissors are often the best tool for harvesting fresh herbs.

As soon as the herbs have been cut, waste no time in getting them ready for drying. This practice shortens the drying time and generates better flavor and color.

Probably the most common method of drying herbs is the most picturesque. The mention of herb drying inevitably conjures up images of crispy-dry bunches hanging from a nail in someone’s kitchen. To dry herbs this way, simply gather and tie them in small bunches and hang them in a warm, dark place for about two weeks.

A variation is to put each bunch in a paper bag, then hang up to dry. This method helps prevent the herbs from getting dusty, but will increase drying time by several weeks. This method is excellent for drying seed heads; for example, coriander, caraway, anise and dill. Seed heads should be gathered in the early stages of ripening, just as weeds turn from green to gray or brown. Again, they should be collected in the morning as soon as the dew dries on the leaves.

Another variation of air-drying is to take the herb plants apart and spread the parts on screens to dry. An old window screen in good condition works well. Remember to prop it up to permit the air to circulate freely through the screen. Be sure it is not placed in the direct sun or in a damp area.

The last and fastest drying method is oven drying. Heat oven to 150⁰ or less, and place herbs on sheets of brown paper. Make slits in the paper to allow airflow around the herb foliage. Leave the oven door ajar so the moisture can escape. The herbs will dry in approximately three to six hours. When dried, they should be crispy and easy to crumble. They will then be ready for storage.

AUGUST GARDENING CALENDER

For the first week of August:

v Order your spring-flowering bulbs.

v Check your garden plants, shrubs, flowers and trees for diseases and insect pests.

v Begin planning and planting your fall vegetables, such as lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and peas.

v Harvest and hang herbs before they go into bloom. Tie in little bunches and hang in a ventilated warm space to cure. After thoroughly dried, put in sealed jars to use in the winter.

Mid-August:

v Apply a second treatment of lawn insecticide for grub control or use milky spore dust, a bacteria that will attack more than 40 species of white grubs. Apply anytime.

v Prepare lawn or lawn areas that are going to be seeded.

v Harvest ripened vegetables. Sweet corn is ready when ears feel full and firm, and the silks have turned brown and dry; cantaloupes are ready to eat when stems slip or separate easily from the fruit.

v Feed roses for the last time.

v Check azaleas, if they are beginning to look pale green to yellow. This is called chloritic. Check soil pH. These acid-loving plants may need to be fed.

v Harvest and hang herbs before they go into bloom.

Late August:

v Grapes that are ripening now perish easily, so keep refrigerated after harvesting.

v Inspect trunks and branches of dogwoods and other trees for injured bark or fine dust pushed from burrows in trunk by borers.

v Fertilize fall vegetable garden plants.

v Harvest and hang herbs before they go into bloom.

v Plant new lawns or reseed bare spots in old lawns. This can be done until Sept. 30 in Delaware. If it’s dry, be sure to water newly seeded lawns every day.