Click for plan and plant list.

warm sunshine

One of the great things about container gardening is that you can create a planting almost any time of year. In fall, for example, many garden centers get in lots of fresh plants that look fantastic in cooler weather.

This container planting uses traditional fall colors of orange and gold, but, except for the kale, pretty unconventional fall plants. These gorgeous yellow and orange ‘Julie’ begonias echo the color of this big terra-cotta bowl, while adding a fresh bright look. In the background, large ornamental kales provide a more traditional touch of fall, along with interesting color and texture contrasts.

And who says you can’t use indoor plants in fall containers? Croton and begonias are typically considered house plants, but here they bring autumnal shades and fascinating textures. Keep them in their individual pots when you place them in the larger container. Then you can just pop them back out and take them indoors before frost hits.

For a big pot like this, try mounding the soil in the center before planting to give the middle plants a bit more height. And a few unobtrusive green bamboo stakes will keep the begonias standing nice and straight. The combination will look good for just a few weeks, so give the plants even moisture but don’t bother to feed them.

Get your hands on even more beautiful fall container ideas with Autumn GardenScapes, at right!

problem solver

Tall buttercup
Ranunculus acris

IDENTIFICATION — According to folklore, if your skin glows yellow when you hold a buttercup under your chin, you love butter. But that doesn’t mean you have to love tall buttercup!

Although it looks similar to several native buttercups, this invasive perennial was introduced from Europe, and is now widespread throughout the United States and Canada. Also known as “blister plant,” tall buttercup contains a noxious oil that can blister the skin.

Its branched stems grow 1 to 3 1/2 ft. tall, and end in branched clusters of glossy, five-petaled yellow flowers. The flowers, which bloom from May to September, are only about 1 in. in diameter.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Tall buttercup prefers moist soil, so you’ll rarely find it where the ground stays dry. In fact, it often grows in low spots that stay wet, such as roadside ditches and stream banks. You’re more likely to find this weed in shrub borders or established perennial beds than in heavily cultivated areas. It spreads quickly and easily, often crowding out other plants

CONTROL — Because tall buttercup spreads by seed, control is easiest when plants are young and haven’t had time to set seeds. The roots are often shallow, but dense. Dig or pull this weed out by hand, but make sure to wear gloves so the blistering sap doesn’t get on your skin. You can also remove young weeds with a sharp hoe. A thick layer of mulch will help prevent seeds from germinating.

Broadleaf herbicides like 2,4-D and Roundup^® are also effective. Apply them before tall buttercup has a chance to flower and set seeds — you’ll have a much better chance of getting rid of this pesky weed.

Autumn GardenScapes

Create the perfect fall garden with this book from the editors of Garden Gate magazine…

Want to know an easy way to add a big punch of color to your garden? Grow plants with huge flowers! Watch our slide show to see some of our favorites!

Now learn about perfect partners for these and lots of other plants in Perennial Companions, at right!

PHOTO: Courtesy of David R. Lance
USDA APHIS PPQ

problem solver

Brown marmorated stink bug
Halyomorpha halys

IDENTIFICATION — The brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, is about 1/2 in. long, shield-shaped and mottled brown. And the last two segments of the antennae have an alternating light and dark brown banding. Adult females lay clusters of 20 to 30 light green eggs on the undersides of leaves from June to August.

DAMAGE — This pest feeds on more than 70 species of ornamental plants, as well as soybeans and the fruit of many trees. And when cold weather arrives, masses of BMSB come knocking at your door. Though not harmful to people, this bug lives up to its name by emitting an unpleasant odor when disturbed.

CONTROL — It’s recently found its way to North America from Asia. First discovered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 2001, the extent of its range isn’t known. If you see one, contact your local extension agency or go to www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/pest/pdfs/stink_bug_pest_alert.pdf to learn more. To control BMSB use an insecticide containing bifenthrin or cyfluthrin, such as Baythroid^® or Aztec^®, and follow label directions.

Perennial Companions

Find plants that look good and grow well together.

midsummer coverup

Many perennials bloom in early or midsummer. If you’re lucky, the foliage that’s left after they finish blooming is attractive. But sadly, sometimes it just doesn’t look all that great.

Let’s consider trumpet lilies (Lilium hybrids). Their big, bright flowers are gorgeous. But when they’re done blooming and you’ve deadheaded them, those stumpy stalks look terrible, and you can’t cut them back because the plants need the leaves to manufacture food for the rest of the season. So plant something in front of them. But choose carefully: The key to a successful pairing is to choose a coverup plant to go in front that has a similar habit and foliage to the spent plant.

Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), with upright stalks and slender leaves, would never be mistaken for a lily, but, as you see at right, the leaf shape and texture are similar enough that the lilies seem to disappear behind it. In this case, because Mexican bush sage is a fast-growing annual, I like to tip it a little bit away from the lilies to give them some breathing room. But if you’re pairing two perennials, watch the spacing. You want them to be close enough for the coverup to work, so it’s OK if they billow into each other. But you don’t want one crowding the other out of the garden!

problem solver

Wild grape
Vitis spp.

IDENTIFICATION — Long, twining vines wind their way into shrubs and trees. As the stems mature, the bark peels into narrow strips. Older vines produce clusters of small dark purple fruit in late summer.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Wild grape prefers sun to part shade in any type of soil, either moist or dry. It has an unlimited spread because the vines root wherever they touch the soil. The spread is helped by birds, which eat the messy fruit. Large thickets of vines can shade out or even kill mature shrubs and trees.

CONTROL — When the plant is a seedling, pull or dig it out of the ground. If it’s too large for this, spray the plant with a nonselective herbicide, such as Roundup^® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus in spring or late summer. Or cut down the tree and dribble or brush on a systemic stump killer around the edges where the sap is flowing. It’s absorbed into the wood and kills the roots. Be careful — it can kill any plant it gets on.

Great Gardens: Amazing Spaces & Perfect Plants

This new softcover book gives you inspiring photos and great in-depth plant info from the editors of Garden Gate magazine!

the secrets to dividing
in summer

If you’re noticing fewer flowers, a dead center or a plant that is shrinking, it may be time to divide. Although there are some plants, such as bearded iris and Oriental poppies, that are better off being split in summer, spring and fall are traditionally the best time to divide. But many plants take summer division just fine as long as you follow a few tips:

WATER FIRST — Summer’s heat and lack of rainfall are hard on plants, so water the plant and its future home the day before you dig.

CUT OFF LEAVES — The next day, before you dig cut the foliage back by half on plants like lamb’s ear or the bearded iris here. This way a smaller root system won’t have to support lots of foliage in the heat later. Shear plants whose leaves go all the way to the base, such as daylilies. But if a plant’s leaves are mostly at the ends of the stems, you’ll need to trim individual leaves. Coral bells is one example. For vigorous perennials, such as catmint or coreopsis, cut the entire plant back by half.

PLANT QUICKLY — Get your new plant in the hole quickly so the roots don’t dry out. Once the plant is in place, fill the hole halfway with soil and water well. That way the water soaks in and doesn’t evaporate or roll off the soil’s surface. Adding an organic liquid fertilizer, such as Neptune’s Harvest, to the water helps get plants off to a good start. Fill the hole the rest of the way with soil, water it again and put down a layer of mulch.

CREATE SHADE — Full-sun plants will benefit from a shade shelter for a week or two. Insert a few bamboo stakes in the soil on the west side of the plant to protect it from the hottest sun of the day. Clothespin some landscape fabric or an old sheet to the stakes to make a screen.

KEEP MOIST — Finally, check your plant each day, and if it looks wilted in the morning or late evening, give it a drink. You may need to water daily for a few days after planting.

Even when summer heat is at its worst, make easy work of watering with the Dual-Flo nozzle!

from the wild side

Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus

IDENTIFICATION — Long feared as dark-winged predators of the night, little brown bats are actually great to have flitting around your garden. These airborne mammals eat thousands of flying insect pests each night, including mosquitoes, flies, moths and beetles. One bat can devour more than 600 mosquitoes in an hour — that’s 10 bugs a minute! In the summertime, bats will eat almost half their weight in insects every night. A little brown bat weighs only 1/4 to 1/3 ounce and is 3 to 4 in. long, with a wingspan of 6 to 8 in. Its large ears help the little brown bat echolocate, or hear a high-pitched frequency that helps it to “see” insects in the dark.

LIFE CYCLE — This bat is found everywhere in the United States and in parts of southern Canada and northern Mexico. Little brown bats have one offspring, or pup,
a year. The pup hangs onto its mother for the first few days after birth, even when she’s flying! In three weeks, it’s ready to fly on its own and begin hunting insects. Unlike other small mammals that live only a year or two, the little brown bat can live up to 32 years!

To attract bats to your garden, plant flowers like nicotiana, four o’clocks, petunias and moonflower, which are food sources for night-pollinating insects. Once the bats show up, they’re sure to make a dent in the local mosquito population, too. Avoiding insecticides whenever possible and providing a water source will also encourage bats to make your yard their hunting ground.

Bats migrate to caves, cellars, tunnels, attics or old buildings to hibernate as temperatures and insect populations drop in late autumn. Although they’re great to have in the yard, you don’t want them spending the winter in your house. Make sure you seal all openings that are larger than 1/2 in. — bats can get into some pretty tiny spaces.

Dual-Flo nozzle

This nozzle lets you choose the perfect water flow for any job!

plant pick

Naked ladies
Lycoris squamigera

This is a plant with a lot of common names. You might also hear it called “magic lily” or “resurrection lily.” But whatever you call it, it’s a late-summer star. In spring, strappy leaves emerge. They stick around for about a month, then wither. And then…nothing happens for a couple of months. Finally, up comes a cluster of bare stalks (that explains those common names), practically overnight. Each stalk has three to eight fragrant flowers that last for a couple of weeks before they fade.

Pick the right spot for your naked ladies because these plants take a couple of years to get established and they don’t like to be moved. An area with full to part sun and rich, well-drained soil is perfect. They don’t need much water after the foliage dies down. A little all-purpose fertilizer around the foliage is fine, but it’s not crucial. When you plant the bulbs, usually in early to midsummer when they’re dormant, tuck them in 5 to 6 in. deep and 6 in. apart. (In USDA zones 8 and 9, where winters are warmer, you can plant them just 2 or 3 in. deep.)

TYPE Bulb BLOOM Pink flowers on bare stalks in late summer LIGHT Full to part sun SOIL Rich, well-drained PESTS None serious SIZE 18 to 24 in. tall, 6 to 18 in. wide HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 5 to 9, Heat: AHS zones 9 to 1

problem solver

Rose rosette disease

IDENTIFICATION — Rose rosette is caused by an organism similar to a virus that’s transmitted by mites. Although you usually find it in weedy multiflora rose, all roses are susceptible. And it’s becoming more common in cultivated ones.

Symptoms include increased thorniness, small red or purple leaves and rapid, dense growth of the shoots in “witches brooms.”

CONTROL — Unfortunately, there’s no cure for rose rosette disease. If you think your rose has it, remove and send it away in the trash to prevent infecting others. Get rid of any nearby stands of multiflora rose, as well.

Wearing a hat with at least a 3-inch brim protects your face, ears and neck from the harmful UV rays of the sun.

favorite hat

Tula Hat

Keep the sun on the plants and off your face with our comfortable, sturdy hat…

Click to see a larger illustration.

how to create
a base map

On any journey, the first step is often the hardest. Designing your own landscape can be an overwhelming proposition. But it doesn’t have to be. A good place to start is to make a base map. A base map is like a blueprint for your property.

MAKE A SKETCH — To create one, sketch out the shape of your property and include all the elements, such as the house, garage, driveway and deck or patio. Then measure everything and add the dimensions to your sketch.

ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE — Next, look at what you have and decide what things you like, and what you’d like to change. Here are some things you’ll want to consider:

• Location and sizes of sidewalks, paths, driveway — any permanent features you plan to keep
• Overhead and underground utility lines; in the United States contact One Call at 811 to mark your property
• Location and general sizes of doors, windows, meters, dryer vents and AC units
• Trees and shrubs you intend to keep
• North, so you know sun and shade patterns
• Desirable, as well as objectionable, views
• Drainage issues that will influence your design
• Service areas for compost, trash and recycling

DRAW A BASE MAP — Once you’ve assessed the site, it’s time to refine that information into a base map. This map needs to be in scale, so work with graph paper and a ruler. A good scale to work with is one-quarter inch equals 5 ft. You’re going to draw and write your ideas on the base map. Since it’s something you’ll want to save for future reference, make several photocopies and keep the original clean.

Make a list of things you’d like to have in your yard, such as a vegetable garden, perennial border, a garden shed or play structures. Place the elements from your list on the drawing where they might work best. You don’t need defined shapes and sizes, just circle the location. Then take your base map and walk around the garden, envisioning where the elements you want will be located. Erase and redraw the elements in different locations if you need to until you have a good map of where everything should go. You’ll use this map as a guide as you create the areas in your yard. If this seems like a lot of work, remember that arranging your landscape on paper is much easier and cheaper than having to adjust it once you start installation!

Want more ideas on designing and growing a gorgeous garden? Check out The Year in Gardening, Volumes 13-15 from Garden Gate magazine at right!

The Year in Gardening, Volumes 13-15

Grow your Garden Gate library the easy way — and save money doing it!

Click image to see a close-up of the leaves.

problem solver

Siberian elm
Ulmus pumila

IDENTIFICATION — Remember American elms? The leaves of this 50- to 70-ft.-tall, 30- to 50-ft.-wide woody weed look similar. However, they’re usually smaller and riddled by insects. In spring, before the leaves even open, you’ll spot clusters of pale-green flowers on the branches. Later, usually by early summer, large quantities of small papery disclike seeds begin to fall. They are spread by the wind, sprout and grow very quickly. Siberian elm trees have weak wood, so you’re constantly picking up the fallen twigs and branches.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — You’ll find Siberian elm growing in full sun to part shade in moist to average soil.

CONTROL — When the plant is a seedling, pull or dig it out of the ground. If it’s too large for this, spray the plant with a nonselective herbicide, such as Roundup^® Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Plus in spring or late summer. Or cut down the tree and dribble or brush on a systemic stump killer around the edges where the sap is flowing. It’s absorbed into the wood and kills the roots. Be careful, it can kill any plant it gets on.

Some common container plants, like the coleus here, are fantastic growers. But the flip side is that they can get a bit leggy and start taking over the entire container. Cutting or pinching back isn’t vital to the plants’ survival, but it leaves foliage and flowers looking, and growing, much better than they would without the attention.This technique is simple, takes just minutes and works really well on foliage plants that are growing out of bounds.

Snap off overgrown stems about a third or half the way back, just above a healthy set of leaves. Not only does this give the plant a neat and tidy “after” appearance, but it also encourages a less leggy, more bushy habit — perfect for containers!

Here are some plants that benefit from pinching:
• Browallia Browallia speciosa
• Coleus Solenostemon hybrids
• Dichondra Dichondra spp.
• Joseph’s coat Alternanthera hybrids
• Licorice plant Helichrysum petiolare
• Persian shield Strobilanthes dyeriana
• Sweet potato vine Ipomoea batatas

For more great container tips and recipes, check out Containers Made Easy! Volume 3 at right!

problem solver

Black-legged or deer tick
Ixodes scapularis

IDENTIFICATION — Not all garden pests are found on plants. Some are actually on the gardener! Unfortunately, this pest is hard to spot. The black-legged tick (or deer tick), the main culprit in infecting humans with Lyme disease, is tiny. Brick-red adult females are about 3/25 in. long, and the black males are a little smaller. After feeding, females can be two to three times that size. During the immature nymph stage, they’re only about the size of the head of a pin and translucent with a gray tinge. This is the phase during which they’re most likely to attach to humans or pets and transmit disease.

Only 1 to 5 percent of black-legged ticks carry Lyme disease, most commonly in Canada and the northern United States.

CONTROL — The best control for black-legged ticks is to avoid them. They’re found in wooded areas or tall grass, so stay on paths and keep your lawn mowed. Keep pets in mowed areas, as they can bring ticks indoors or be infected with Lyme disease themselves. Mowing grass short raises the temperature and lowers humidity at ground level, which causes ticks to dehydrate and die.

Wearing long-sleeved, light-colored shirts and long pants helps keep ticks away and also makes it easier to see any that might have made it onto you. Tuck your pants into your socks to keep the little critters from crawling up your legs. Repellents with deet also keep ticks at bay.

After coming indoors from brushy areas, check for ticks, especially in your hair and around your waist and inner thighs. They need to be attached for a couple of hours to transmit disease, so removing them promptly is important. It’s best to use tweezers. Grasp the tick’s head and body and pull carefully.

For more information on Lyme disease, go to the American Lyme Disease Foundation Web site at www.aldf.com or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/.