Planning
- Complete ordering spring-flowering bulbs and other plants for fall planting

- Continue to assess areas in the garden that may need additional planting

- Continue to work on a landscape plan for fall planting of trees and shrubs

- Continue to take garden notes and/or photographs to plan future plantings

Chores and Maintenance
- If rain is still lacking, continue to practice water-wise horticultural techniques

- De-thatch and aerate existing lawns to promote root growth

- Mow lawns regularly to keep grass at 2 1/2" height

- Complete lawn restoration before September 15

- Collect seed from perennials and annuals

- Continue to cut flowers for drying: yarrow, strawflower, gomphrena, cockscomb, etc.

- Remove and compost spent annuals and fallen leaves

- Continue to aerate and moisten compost pile to speed decomposition

- Continue to check for insect pests and treat accordingly

- Continue to remove any fallen leaves and debris that can harbor insect pests and disease organisms

- Continue to apply deer repellent

- Take in tender aquatic plants and tropical fish from ponds

- Begin to feed birds

Planting
- Plant and transplant broad-leaved and needle-leaved evergreens through October 15

- Continue to propagate herbs from new growth and transplant into pots for indoor winter use

- Continue to divide and transplant early-blooming perennials

- Divide daylilies after flowering

- Plant lilies

- Sow hardy annuals in prepared planting beds

- If weather is cool, begin planting spring-flowering bulbs but wait until late October to plant tulips

- Plant late-season annuals like ornamental kale and cabbage for fall color

- Sow parsley, radish, lettuce, carrot, and onion

- Complete planting out seedling biennials

Pruning/Fertilizing
- Prune rambler roses

- Prune to remove any diseased and dead rose canes

- Root prune wisteria that doesn't bloom

- Add organic matter such as manure, compost and/or leaf mold to improve garden soils

- Fertilize roses one last time

- Fertilize lawns with organic fertilizer to stimulate winter root development

Indoors
- If frost threatens, take in houseplants and pinch back houseplants before returning them indoors

- Check houseplants for insect pests and treat as necessary before bringing them in

- Begin to force poinsettias for Christmas. Move indoors to a sunny location and cover for 14 hours each night for a period of 6 to 10 weeks

- Take cuttings of begonias, geraniums, solenstemon (coleus), etc. to grow on as houseplants

The Wall Street Journal's recent article Lovage Recipes for Summer has us craving all of these fresh treats!

Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 4¼ hours (includes chilling) Serves: 6-8

The Garden Conservancy offers some beautiful garden tours in Westchester and Fairfield County 
as well as all across the country. Here are two locals that should not be missed. 

Open House
05/05/2013: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
06/02/2013: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Open House
05/11/2013: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Ridgefield Conservation published a very useful checklist of wildflowers found in Ridgefield. Please feel free to print this checklist and share with others! 

It is a great time to prune some of your ornamentals and then bring them inside to force in vases.

Put branch filled vases near sunny windows and watch the buds swell, some will be leaves and some will bloom. Just remember to slice off some of the bark on the end of your branches. If my vase is not glass then I just hammer the ends of the branches, messy but quick. This helps the branch to absorb the water. Branch out and try different blooms. Here is a list that can be forced (I have not tried them all):

• Crabapple
  
• Red Bud
  
• Carnelian Cherry
  
• Fothergilla
  
• Cherry
  
• Pear
  
• Plums
  
• Flowering Quince (my favorite )
• Magnolia 
  
• Early Rhododendron
  
• American and Redtwig Dogwood
  
• Deutzia
  
• Flowering Almond 
  
• Spirea
  
• Viburnum
  
• Lilac