three on thursday {fall in the garden}

First, thank you from Lincoln for your thoughtful comments and compliments last Thursday! He read them, with appreciation. (Three on Thursdays have always been his favorite posts.) (It was fun to include him in one!)

And today I have a totally different three. It’s fall garden questions today. Two I asked + answered…and one I’m asking you!

{one}

Q. When can I harvest milkweed seed pods for fall planting?

A. Now.

When I saw soft white fluff starting to fly, I figured it was time. Actually…just before the fluff flies is ideal. If you press the seam of a pod and it pops open, it’s ready; at this stage, it’s apparently easier to separate the seed from the silk. Unawares, I picked a pod that was wide open. I don’t mind giving these ‘late’ seeds a tug, because I only harvested one pod. It’d be tedious on a larger scale, though! (That fluff, also called floss, tends to…cling.)

For those of us in cold climates: we can plant seeds 1/4″ deep, in full sun, in October/November. Water well once after planting, then let nature take over. Winter will provide the cold and moisture necessary for germination.

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{two}

Q. I’m naturalizing* daffodils in the section of lawn we’re letting reforest. Do I want to toss my bulbs in the air and plant them where they land? Or plant them in ‘drifts’? (Clustering them, but in irregular shapes in the grass — not in traditional flower beds.)

A. The fun answer is toss them in the air and plant them where they land…of course! But I’m concerned about spotty sunlight. So I’ll do a hybrid this fall: toss 110 bulbs (above) within the boundary where I’m sure of the light. Come spring, I’ll note where I have more light to play with. Then…then…I’ll indulge in some extra-special bulbs. (Like these!)

*Naturalizing means a few things here: unplanned, informal planting of bulbs directly into grass or lawn, versus beds; one catalog describes this look as ‘carefree abundance.’ Don’t you love that? If you go this route, make sure you plant where you won’t need to mow ’til 4-6 weeks after flowering. That’s June’ish, in my zone. Bulbs need their greens for photosynthesis–or you won’t get flowers the following year! Naturalizing also refers to what I call ‘bulbs having babies.’ Some varieties multiply, or naturalize, more readily than others. When it comes to any spring bulbs, I look for those marked specifically as ‘naturalizers.’

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{three}

Q. Are you a fall mum person? If yes, do you plant or toss at the end of the season?

I have this conversation (with myself) every time I buy a mum. Plant? Or compost? I used to plant, once I pulled them from our porch, because I couldn’t bear tossing a live perennial. (Is it like flushing a goldfish that’s still swimming?!) The thing with planting mums, though, is that if you want them to flower in the fall, you have to pinch the buds for weeks in summer. You can stop after 4th of July. But up ’til then, pinch. Or you’ll get blooming mums in summer (and they’ll be done by fall!).

I tired of pinching. And I have three potted mums that bring me joy every time I look out my kitchen window.

So, you know my answer!

(I guess I got over it.)

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I can’t believe I’m saying this…but I’ll be back on Monday with September’s One Word Link Party up and ready…already(!?!). ‘Til then — xo