Hello My Dear Gardening Friends,

I am sorry I have been remiss these past weeks, I do not know what happened to me I think that it was the heat, plus I was very busy with judging. I helped with judging the Communities in Bloom, the Village of Lakefield, and of course helped with our Antique and Flower Show. Once again we incorporated a plant sale with the show, and it was a great success.

I hope that you have all had a wonderful summer which seems to be drawing to a close - the days are still warm but the nights are getting cooler. Each morning when I get up there is a heavy dew and mist rising from the lake which reminds us that the fall is almost here. The first of the geese have headed south making us think of our plans for the winter.

I am not sure what I want to do this year whilst I cannot face the thought of all that snow and cold. I must admit that I could do with a winter at home cleaning out all the “stuff” that I seem to accumulate!!!

September is upon us – and I have a list of chores for you to do but first let us see what our dear friend Cicely Mary Barker has to say about Autumn:

Robin’s Pincushion (Diploepis rosea)

This is perhaps the most unexpected of all the Flower Fairies. It is in fact an impostor and not a flower at all. The Robin’s Pincushion is a gall caused by a tiny wasp. It is common on all different kinds of roses, but is most frequently seen on Dog Roses. The Common name for Rosa canina, which is an Old World shrub or bush species with mostly single, pink or white flowers. A good, hardy sort, it has run wild to some extent but is not grown much in gardens. It has been used extensively in Europe as a stock for grafting, some growers in this country like it for certain kinds of roses too. In Dog Roses, the gall can be of varying size and colour and it is covered with long branching hairs. In the autumn it hardens to a dry, brown structure that remains on the plant all winter.

Cicely gives us clues to the origin of the gall in her rhyme. “First there came a naughty fly, pricked the rose and made her cry.” The female wasp punctures the soft plant tissue, often a bud, creating the gall structure in which she then lays her eggs. The developing larvae each have a separate chamber. At the end of the summer the larvae become pupae which over winter turn in the gall. The wasps then leave in the spring. They live exclusively on the roses until they are fully adult, but they do not do their host any significant damage, thought the galls are unsightly. Interestingly enough I find them quite fascinating, and do not mind them on my rose bush at all. I do not know who wrote the above very interesting facts, but the name Frederick Warne is on the inside cover of the book although nothing is attributed to him.

Well, now that September is here, how did you enjoy your garden this year? Did all that heat affect you as it did me? The Roses have been wonderful in my garden and so have all the annuals, they got off to a slow start, but they have certainly made up for it. The big news this month is that everything is starting to ripen at once, and you have to decide what you are going to do with it all! Do not forget the food banks, and places like Brock Mission for men (in Peterborough) - these folk seem to be by-passed. I took flowers to the Brock Mission and the lady receiving them cried and said, “no one ever thinks to bring us flowers!!!”

The leaves are starting to fall, so this is a good time to get out either your book, or graph paper and make a “map” of your vegetable garden – so that you will know where and how to rotate your crops next year. No! You will not remember what went where I have trouble remembering which drapes went where and I live with them for 8 months!!!

The rain and the cooler weather have started your lawn growing again and I told you to get rid of all that grass! It is time to mow. Mix some of the grass clippings in with the vegetable peelings, and toss them into your compost pile. I like to add some red wrigglers in there too! In fact, I have been putting the worms left over from the fishermen in my family all summer long and they help to break down the compost pile. It would be great if you can get your hands on some manure. I am always on the lookout when I drive around the country lanes.

This is also a good time to start collecting seeds. By the way, today I noticed the most beautiful Datura blooming in my container. It is white, with purple edging and centers. I must make sure I collect those seeds. Store your seeds in a cool dry place until next March

I am sorry to say that it is time to start bringing in those house plants again. Some of them will need repotting. Also make sure that you check really well for nasties, you don’t want to spend the winter trying to get rid of those hitchhikers. It is time to check that your spades and trowels are sharp, for soon you will be planting bulbs. I always say I am not buying anymore but then I always do! You can try potting up some of those beautiful annuals and bring inside for a little while, especially marigolds. I have grown some in a pot this year so I am going to bring it in as an experiment to see how long the plant will last. This is a good time to plant perennials and Deborah has a new shipment at Loblaws. She has a fine selection, including that elusive Burning Bush and the Perennial Hibiscus, Hosta, Liatris, pink and white Echinacea, and more. If you can find trees, shrubs and roses, they can go in now. No, I am sorry I am not working at Loblaws helping to sell the Perennials; I know some of you will ask. Either phone or e-mail me if you need help.

I had such a wonderful time again working with Deborah, for she has made the garden center into a place of beauty, fun and love. We are not colleagues, but family! Thank you Deborah you are such a special person to be with, it is not like working at all, but more like spending time with friends and that includes the customers!!!

Jack always made sure that the woodpile was full by this time of year; it might be a good idea to check yours. It is always better to work outside whilst the weather is still warm rather than having to struggle through the snow. After the storms I am sure that there are lots of branches that need cutting up. If you do not have a place to burn (fire pits and fireplaces) I am sure that you have a neighbour who could use the wood. Be sure to clean up all that deadwood – otherwise insects will take up their home there.

1) Trim and Divide your perennials, if you can find any perennials, now is a good time to plant them
2) Plant Roses and any bushes that you purchase on sale right now
3) Prepare and seed new lawns
4) Plant evergreens and shrubs
5) Renovate that perennial border
6) Take cutting from geraniums and coleus
7) Bring in those houseplants before it is too cold
8) Fertilize and aerate lawns
9) Water all the evergreens and trees really well continue to do so until the ground is frozen
10) Start looking for spring bulbs – soon it will be time to plant them

I have had so many complaints this year about earwigs. As you know they have very few natural enemies, so they are proliferating. They usually enjoy feasting on debris from your plants, such as dead leaves etc. They have however, a tendency to eat tender young plants, such as young carrot tops. Earwigs are most active at night, and prefer damp cool places. You can try several methods of destroying them, layers of damp rolled up newspapers, old garden hoses, cans on sticks stuffed with wet newspapers all work. Simply tip the earwigs into a bucket of water (to which you have added a spoonful of oil) in the early mornings, and they just drown. Toads and frogs will devour them with glee. You can attract the toads and frogs to your garden by leaving out shallow pans full of water. You can use a toad house, I made mine out of a broken plant pot - they love to hide from the hot sun, although I find them sitting on the stones around my pond in full sun so that the little pile of rocks that I have put there especially for them to hide under, is ignored.

I do not understand why everyone is so anxious to kill these little insects. Just because they are not beautiful – they are actually helpful in breaking down your compost piles. They break the material down into rich crumbly humus. I hate hummingbirds; they are nasty spiteful little things, even though they are pretty chasing away my bluejays. No one chases away hummingbirds nor tries to kill them. I do not have a feeder out for them, but they do come to my flowers.

Mix a teaspoon of liquid dish soap in a litre of water and put it in a spray bottle. This soap works by direct contact and must be sprayed directly onto the insect to work, working best on slow moving targets, such as aphids. Repeat applications every four to seven days for two to three weeks or as necessary. Soaps should be applied in either the early morning or early evening so that the spray dries slowly. Once the soap has dried, it is no longer effective against insects so you can just wash it off and start with a new batch.

Herbicidal Soaps are effective against weeds and grasses, they are non-selective, and are best used on weeds in driveway cracks and patio stones. They contain fatty acid salts which break down into carbon dioxide and water. This low toxicity herbicide is most effective on annual weeds including redroot pigweed, lamb’s quarters, mustards, chickweed and round – leaved mallow. Herbicidal soaps provide suppression or top kill of some perennials including plantain. Best results are achieved when the soaps are applied in early spring/summer to young actively growing weeds less than 13 cm (5”) tall. The above information is courtesy of Peterborough Green Up.

Have you visited the ecology garden recently? It is a delight – thanks to Cathy, her staff and all the volunteers that are looking after it so well. The school children of Peterborough and area certainly appreciate all your efforts. Thank you! If you want another place to visit, don’t forget the International Ploughing Match that is being held in and around Keene. I will be telling everyone how to garden without pesticides on the 21st of this month, at 12:15 lunchtime.

As requested, Watermelon Pickles:

3 quarts prepared watermelon rind (about 6 pounds unpared or ½ large melon)
¾ cup salt
3 quarts water 2 quarts ice cubes (2 trays)
9 cups white sugar
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
1-tablespoon whole cloves about 48
5 1-inch pieces stick cinnamon
L lemon thinly sliced

Peel the rind and all pink edges from the watermelon. Keep the rind in plastic bags in the refrigerator until enough for one recipe has been collected. Cut into inch squares or fancy shapes as desired. Cover with brine, made by mixing the salt with 3 quarts cold water. Add ice cubes. Let the dish stand 5 to 6 hours. Drain.

You will then rinse it in cold water. Cover with cold water and cook until fork tender (about ten minutes), but do not overcook Drain again!

Combine sugar with vinegar, water and spices tied loosely in a cloth bag. Boil 5 minutes and pour over watermelon with spices. Add lemon slices if desired and let stand overnight.

Heat to boiling. Cook until fruit is translucent and hot throughout about 10 minutes. Pack hot watermelon loosely into clean hot jars. Open spice bag and add one piece of stick cinnamon to each jar. Cover with boiling syrup to the top of the jars. Adjust lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Yield 4 to 5 pints – Enjoy!!!

Hats, gloves to protect your hands and nails – party season ahead – still using your sunscreen, and enjoy these beautiful fall days!

Lovingly, Beryl