Good Bye Potted Plants

The potted plants looked a little ragged - a product of a long, hot summer and end-of-summer neglect. Time to face the sad fact that summer is over. So, I lined up the pots and started deconstruction.

By this time of the year, the plants are pot bound. The soil is a thick mass of roots. I used a CobraHead Weeder to cut through the mass then pulled out the plants.

Sometimes I just roll the pot to the dirt pile near the compost bin, cut off the plants and dump the pot. I discard the empty aluminum cans I used as filler. (I remember that I enjoyed emptying some of those cans during the hot planting days of May.)

Then toss the plants into the compost bin.

All that was left was to store the pots, canna tubers and plant caddies in the garage for the winter –

and dream of next year’s combinations.

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Rain On The Garden

It has been a hot dry summer in Pennsylvania, but after three days of a good soaking rain, the gardens and lawns have come alive. The colors are brighter and the greens are greener.

I can’t get out to work in the garden but the plants are sure lovin’ it. About the only job to do outside these days is to empty the trays under the potted plants as they fill with water. The potted plants will need a shot of fertilizer after all that rain washes through the soil. As the rain ends, there will be plenty to do in the garden. I can almost hear the weeds growing.

Over-Watering

Many years ago a nursery woman told me, “Potted plants seldom recover from drowning.” She was trying to make a point. I took her seriously and was careful not to over-water house plants. I found that under-watering (a little) may stress a plant and it may drop a few leaves but would usually bounce back when watered properly.

But, this summer has been so hot and dry that I kept water in the hanging fuschia plant saucer continuously and drowned it. Here’s the result. A lesson re-learned.

Information on proper watering http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1459.htm