Tag: lawns

To Do in the Garden: November 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, bulbs, composting, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, drought tolerant plants, Durham NC, earth-friendly garden pots, fall blooming plants, fall gardening, Garden pests, garden tasks, gardening, Gardening calendar, Gardening information, gardening NC, lawn care, lawns, leaves, monthly garden tasks, nesting bees, nesting insects, Perennial, pollinator gardening, pollinators, pruning, soil samples Durham NC extension, soil test, sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife, sustainable fall pruning for wildlife, sustanability, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) The October surprise, or should we say November surprise, of the ACG is the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). Do you still have pumpkins and gourds hanging around through Thanksgiving? Each year an estimated 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins and gourds end up in landfills. Consider adding them to your compost or find a local participating municipality accepting them for donation. See below for more on Earth-friendly ways to deal with your organic decorations post-holiday.1 (Image credit: Dan Mullem CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Melinda Heigel)

How ‘bout that October? Except for precipitation of any sort, there was something for almost everyone—a little hot, a little cool, and some stereotypical October Piedmont North Carolina, NC State Fair weather. There haven’t been very many State Fairs in my memory without some honest to goodness rain. We’ve been blessed unless, of course, you were trying to grow plants which is sort of what we’re all about here. So, mixed blessings? I mean, as fantastic as this area is, it still ain’t Camelot, Guinevere.


(Left to right) The ACG is still providing blooms this November. The drought-resistant African marigolds prove their hardiness. When planting for fall color, you can count on the New England aster and pink muhly grass to provide late-season interest. (Image credit: Gary Crispell; Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is too stubborn to give in to the crazy droughty up and down weather. There are some tough characters out there. The toughest of which must be the gallardia (G. pulchella). It doesn’t know quit. The African marigold (Tagetes erecta) and the zinnias (Z. elegans) are also heat and drought tolerant along with the false vervain (Glandularia bipinnatatifida). (Somebody stayed up late naming that one!)


A delightful surprise this year is a lovely New England aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae). It isn’t as erect as I might be as it was crowded in amongst some other things, and I didn’t become aware of its existence until recently. Next year. Most of the hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) have succumbed to the drought and the shorter days. There are a couple of late-to-the-party purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and a stray black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). The muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) are looking a little thin and wispy, but I attribute that to it being the first year in the ground for them. Enough about my garden, let’s talk about what we can do in yours in November.

Lawn Care

Well, if your lawn has survived “No Moisture November” the main task for November is keeping it relatively leaf free. Whatever your remove from the lawn should be composted or used as mulch. The leaves do not belong in the landfill (or the ditch out front, for that matter). Cool season lawns (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) will still need mowing at the 3½” to 4” height.

The leaf admonishment pertains here, also. If you renovated/overseeded your lawn this fall it will need watering until the drought is done with us. 1” per week minimum applied in two ½” applications is necessary to keep it going.

Fertilizing

Not this month. If your (FREE until the end of November here in NC) SOIL TEST indicates a need to raise the pH, apply the appropriate the proper amount of lime and incorporate it into the soil if possible. Lime doesn’t readily move through the soil and incorporating the lime gets to the roots where it is needed.

Planting: Yes, “Fall is for Planting”

Trees, shrubs, and ground covers planted now will have all winter and early spring to put down roots in order to better withstand next year’s drought periods. (They’re coming. Trust me.) Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted until the end of the month. Year-old asparagus crowns can be transplanted now.

Pruning

So, for years (decades, centuries?) pruning all the perennials back as the blossoms faded (Grandma kept a tidy garden!) has been gardening gospel. Well, that good news is now obsolete news. It seems that solitary native bees and other pollinators lay their eggs on/in and/or nest in those stems for the winter. So, cutting them is detrimental to the pollinator population. Ergo, don’t do it anymore (unless the HOA is going to place a lien on your house for leaving them unpruned). (I don’t suppose the “It’s winter interest”, argument will get you anywhere.) Dead or diseased wood can be removed from trees and shrubs. Make any cuts at the branch collar (flared end) to promote healing of the wound.

Spraying

Any pests still hanging around can be treated with an application of a horticultural oil that will smother adults, eggs, and all phases in between.

Other Fun-filled and/or Fantastic Fall Frolics

Take a leaf hike through somebody’s neighborhood or a state or city park. There is a plethora of opportunities nearby.


Invite friends and neighbors over for an evening around the fire pit. S’mores, hot
chocolate, cider, and donuts are about mandatory. Anything else is optional.

Do anything else you can think of to get yourself outdoors to enjoy these last user-friendly days of 2024.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

May you have Thanksgiving bountiful enough to share.

Notes

1–Eco-friendly ways to dispose of pumpkins and gourds after the holidays: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-10-08-dealing-pumpkins-after-halloween-debunking-social-media-advice

Resources and Additional Information

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5gg

Putting Purpose Back in the Landscape

On By durhammastergardenersIn Gardening information

by Sarah Parsons, EMGV

128,000 square kilometers. 

31,629,488 acres.

Approximately the area of the state of Mississippi.

This number represents the estimated area of lawn space in the U.S. according to a 2005 NASA study1. 

This area is almost 3 times larger than the area of U.S. cropland designated for irrigated corn, one of the largest cash crops in the nation1.

The conclusion:  Lawns, not corn, are America’s largest irrigated crop1.

The results from this 2005 NASA study put a large onus on homeowners and landscapers throughout the nation.  Together we are all responsible for how we care for our lawns.  The consequence for irresponsible lawn care could result in negative impacts on our environment and our limited natural resources. 

According to the 2005 study, America’s lawns would require approximately 200 gallons of water per person a day if they were properly maintained1.  Water used for lawn care is usually potable drinking water.  In addition to using large amounts of potable water on our lawns, we are also using large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S in 20072. Eighty percent of these pesticides were used in the agricultural sector2. However, twenty percent of that 1.1. billion pounds (200 million pounds) were used in other sectors, most likely in the landscaping and residential sectors. Putting large amounts of chemicals in our environment comes with a cost, and we would be wise to be more conscious of how and in what quantities we apply chemicals on our landscapes.

These statistics raise concerns with regard to environmental health, but they also raise societal and ethical concerns. At what point will we as a society begin to value the services that our environment and our ecosystems provide, e.g. clean air and accessible clean drinking water? There are a variety of ecosystem services our environments provide everyday that go unnoticed, and as a society we do not readily value them. For unlike most services provided to us through service industries, the ecosystem service industry does not function for a monetary profit. We cannot put a price on clean air or clean water. However, we as homeowners and landscapers can begin to value our environments and our ecosystem services by being more conscious of the inputs we put on our lawns. Simple acts, such as using plants on your landscapes that are not water intensive and selecting disease resistant varieties of plants, can make a large and meaningful difference. For more information on how you can change your landscaping approach, visit these resources provided by the North Carolina State Cooperative Extension.

http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/2012/03/what-is-organic-gardening/

http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/2012/05/make-your-yard-water-wise/

http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-pestmanagement/

The statistics from the 2005 NASA study also raise a concern about the purpose of the American lawn.  Do we want to continue to expend precious resources on solely lawn aesthetics, or do we want our lawn be more than just a pretty face? Not only can our lawns play a role in helping our ecosystems function better, but they can also serve a gastronomical purpose. The edible landscape movement is growing rapidly across the nation. This link provided by the NCSU Extension offers ways that the individual homeowner can seamlessly incorporate edibles into his or her landscape. Should you prefer to be more bold in your approach to incorporating edibles into your landscape you can put a beautiful vegetable garden in your front lawn. Vegetables can be beautiful and delicious! Recently the nursery business has realized the potential of kale and chard in adding color to a winter landscape. New ornamental varieties of kale, chard are increasingly becoming available in nurseries throughout the U.S. For more information on how to tend a beautiful and organic vegetable garden, you can visit the “Growing Small Farms” website through the NCSU Cooperative Extension.

As the human population on our planet grows, and as our limited natural resources increase in demand, we need to be wiser about how we use our natural resources and impact the environments around us. As homeowners and landscapers, we can make a difference by altering the management of our landscapes in small but meaningful ways. Let us together change our landscapes, so that they serve a purpose beyond our property lines. Let us make purposeful landscapes that create both a healthier planet and a healthier people.

1 Milesi, C. NASA. “Looking for Lawns.” http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Lawn/. November 2005.