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The Tucson Gardener |
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In the Garden Calendar
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Winter Color Petunias are the first to show because they seem to be the most durable. Then the snap dragons, calendulas, sweet alyssum, stocks, dianthus and finally the pansy's and viola start arriving in October when temperatures have made the final shift to cooler days and nights. Tucson gardeners are anxious to get back in the garden for an extended workout after having spent only an hour or two in the mornings and maybe late evenings before heading back inside the house to avoid the heat and humidity of July and August.
There may be a few planting beds that have sat idle through mid summer or have run their course and are ready for rejuvenation with the addition of compost, manure and maybe a little fertilizer and sulfur. If you plant too early in September the daytime temperatures may be so high that transplants have a tough time getting established. Patience pays off in September if the Tucson gardener waits until daytime temperatures have truly dropped into the tolerable level. Bedding plants in containers or hanging baskets have a better chance because the planting medium is usually ideal for holding moisture and the containers can be placed in a shady spot until the transplants have established themselves. September is the month to plan ahead to Spring as well. Spring is not the time to plant the wildflower seeds you've been promising yourself to grow. Late September and October is the time to get those seeds in the ground and watered regularly if you want a showing of California poppies, desert marigolds, penstemon or African daisies in the spring.
Insects are still going to be around in the garden and transplants with the tender young growth can be a target for worms, aphids and white fly. The roots become food for grubs in the soil and cut worms can fell a young plant like a lumberjack with a chainsaw does trees. Pesticides, blasts of water for aphids, insecticidal soap or seek and destroy missions by the gardener are methods of control if necessary. The dreaded harvester and leaf cutter ants are out gathering leaves for the winter ahead and who knows what they'll attack during the moon lit night leaving behind barren stems. An army of horned lizards to gobble up the ants would be the best defense but not too practical. Sorry, this Tucson gardener had no practical defense against the harvesting ants and their underground colonies. With all these trial and tribulations it's a wonder every desert gardener doesn't succumb to nothing but rock covered yards, cacti and other native drought tolerant plants. It's amazing too, what a little winter and spring color can do for the desert garden. While much of the country readies itself for the winter ahead Tucson's gardener's are on the verge of the best time to plant and grow. (1998) |
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