Vermont Garden Journal

Turn pumpkins into planters for fall decorations

In order to enjoy spring blooms like crocus, daffodils and hyacinth, you should plant those bulbs now. And if your lawn, border or gardens are short on space, try a layering technique that'll bring whimsy and surprise to your garden!

By planting now, your new trees and shrubs will have about six to eight weeks to get comfortable in the soil before overwintering.

You can slice and enjoy uncooked like water chestnut or bake, mash or boil it and enjoy like a potato. The Jerusalem artichoke is neither an artichoke nor from the Middle East but grows prolifically in our region and produces lovely yellow flowers.

In early fall, you might see bright spots of colorful lobelia or boltonia in wetter areas on stream banks and near ponds. You can grow cultivated versions of these fall wildflowers in your garden, too.

Local morning newscast for Sunday, Sept. 25

Not ready to let go of growing fresh salad greens even though the summer season is waning? Fret not and grab the nearest garden container or cozy up to a cold frame.

Technically, those hardy mums you use as fall decorations are perennials. They can be a bit finicky, but find the right place to plant it in your lawn or garden and be treated to fall color every year.

Traditional lawns are greenswards - places to play and gather. And they help avoid erosion. If you plan to keep your green grass lawn, now is the time to repair it or consider some other green lawn covers.

Black-eyed Susans and clematis are late summer stars in the garden, with their showy blooms and hardy foliage. They can also get really out of hand and grow too large! We'll learn new varieties to try and how to keep them in bounds.

If you grow lettuce, radishes, fennel and even some flowers like calendula, you can let them bolt and self-sow. Then, next spring, after they germinate and sprout, thin out and leave the strongest seedlings. You'll grow a new, free crop with very little effort.

This year in Vermont, many hydrangea bushes are flowering abundantly, possibly due to many days of high humidity. Find out how and when to prune and care for different hydrangea types so they'll successfully overwinter and bloom again next year.

In Japan, knotweed is eaten as a leafy green when it has first sprouted. In Vermont, there are no natural controls for the plant and it grows rapidly and indiscriminately, crowding out native plants.

Wild parsnip or poison parsnip can spread quickly and it can take over a meadow or field. This reduces the biodiversity in that field of the plants and the insect and other wildlife. The sap can also give you a really nasty burn or rash, especially if you get it on your skin on a sunny day.

The glorious hanging-basket full of colorful flower and plant varieties you purchased or planted around Memorial Day might be looking bedraggled by mid-July. That's because plants grow! And they may have outgrown their container. Learn how to successfully trim them or separate them into new containers and baskets.