There's something about Labour Day and all the "back-to-school" hype that gets me thinking about new beginnings.  Even though it's been many years since I went back to school in September or even had a child to get ready for school, I still think it's a great time to make plans, start something new and clear away the old clutter.

The same goes for the garden.  Every September, I walk about my garden noting what worked and what didn't.  Should I move that plant?  Would my tomatoes have done better in larger containers?  Just where did I want to plant spring-flowering bulbs so I can have gorgeous blooms in the spring. 

Now is time to take stock of your garden.   What do you need to make your garden even more enjoyable next year?  Maybe it's a little sitting area, where you can have your morning coffee in the sunshine.  Maybe it's a small vegetable garden to implement your commitment to eating more local food.  Before you put your garden to bed, take time to make plans for next spring!

Elizabeth Cull, Franchise President

The organic "Russian Porcelain" garlic bulbs have arrived at all Dig This stores.  Porcelains are big, beautiful looking garlics with satiny white wrappers. They keep well, have a strong flavour, and do well under a wide variety of growing conditions. 

Plant garlic in  late September or early October, in a sunny spot with lots of manure dug in. Set individual cloves eight centi-metres deep and 15 centimetres apart, and mulch with five to eight centimetres of leaves. Harvest next  July.

Don't wait - we almost always sell out of these bulbs early!

Sooner or later every serious gardener wants a greenhouse. Whether your rationale is extending your growing season or over-wintering tender plants, there’s nothing like a visit to your greenhouse to lift your spirits on a dull, wet fall day.

So let us help you make your greenhouse dreams come true! Until September 30th, save 15% on a Supreme 8’x6’ Halls greenhouse. You can get your greenhouse in place before the cool weather arrives and get a head start on plants next spring for only $1099 – the regular price of this greenhouse is $1300.  Plus, every greenhouse purchased in September will come with a free auto vent opener.

We have many different models and sizes to choose from, and Halls Greenhouses are simple to install. Drop by our stores to get more information. To see a greenhouse, visit our Nanaimo or Oak Bay stores.

If you want more information on greenhouses, have a look at our February 2007 Newsletter, by visiting our website at www.digthis.com and going to the Newsletter Archive on the right hand side. 

Peter Kamerman, Dig This Nanaimo
 

My garden is still pretty colourful – the Japanese anenomes are in full bloom and the Goldenrod (Solidago) is just starting to show it’s colour. So many plants are later this year – my scarlet runner bean flowers are glorious – at least those that the deer haven’t nipped off!

But now, while there is still a decent selection of plants at the nurseries, is a good time to put together a couple of stunning containers of plants that look great throughout the fall. I always stick to my “formula”: thrillers, spillers and fillers. The thriller is the showy plant that grabs your attention. The spillers cascade down the sides of the container to soften the display. And the fillers just do their job filling out the planting so everything looks pulled together.

Here are some favourites for fall containers as recommended by Fine Gardening Magazine:

Bergenias (Bergenia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) are great in fall containers, when their glossy green leaves become a bronzy red. For a design that captures the season, plant bergenia with red pansies and redtwig dogwood. The deep red pansies echo the color the bergenia will become, while the dogwood adds height (the thriller), contrasting form, and complementary color. And its leafless branches are in keeping with the season. Round out the container by adding dark ‘Palace Purple’ heuchera and brightening things with a gold-thread sawara cypress.

New Zealand flax is eye-catching in any season. Its striking, swordlike leaves add strength and excitement to a design, making it perfect to plan a container around. Try combining the cream, pink, and green leaves of ‘Sundowner’ New Zealand flax with some similarly colored pansies. The two-toned foliage of ‘Amber Waves’ heuchera makes it seem seasonally appropriate, as though it were fading to autumn colors. Another heuchera, ‘Plum Pudding’, provides dark, heavy-looking leaves with a wonderfully ruffled texture.

For a planting that carries you into the next season’s colors, use the evergreen ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae. At it’s feet, plant ‘Angelina’ sedum, whose tight, needlelike foliage looks like it came off of a Christmas tree and is a good contrast to the flat sprays of the arborvitae. In fall, ‘Angelina’ picks up copper and orange tones typical of the season. The fragrant, soft yellow blooms of ‘Delta Pure Primrose’ pansies complement the rest of the foliage in the pot and hint at snowy winter. To keep the container connected to fall, add a trusty bergenia, whose broad shiny leaves offer contrast and eventually turn an autumnal red. The dark-veined leaves of ‘Frosted Violet’ heuchera have a deep violet–purple color that fall foliage often hints at but rarely ever completely attains

For another combination that relies on the same forward-looking principle, combine the creamy colors of ‘Glacier’ English ivy, ‘Snow Angel’ heuchera, and some white pansies. The foliage of a spiky ‘Bright Edge’ yucca and a sedum offer textural contrast. This abundant display shines throughout fall and looks even better when dusted with the first snows of winter.

From Fine Gardening 117, pp. 34-37
 

If you've been into one of our stores, you'll know our remaining garden furniture is on sale at 25% off the regular price.  Many of you have taken advantage of this great saving, but there are still a few pieces of high quality garden furniture left - and still some nice sunny days in which to enjoy it!

Drop by to see what's available and get a few more days of "summer" in your garden.

If you want to plan ahead, you can order your Garden Furniture now for next spring - and save 20%.  If you're considering new garden seating or a replacement for that picnic table, why not order it now and save? If you place your order before October 15th, we can guarantee you delivery either by March 15th or June 1st, with your choice of style, colour and fabrics - plus 20% savings off the regular price.

• Brighten up the fall garden by popping pansies into spots where summer annuals have been cleared out. They will bloom until December, and beyond. Pansies are my favourite topper for containers planted with spring-flowering bulbs. The pansies will bloom until the first tips of spring growth appear next February!
   
• When the leaves fall, don’t put them out in the street to be taken away by the municipality – turn them into nutritious mulch for your garden and spread them under shrubs and over all exposed soil. They will degrade into mineral nutrients; worms will turn them into fertilizer. Use our fabulous Leaf Mulcher to reduce any leaves (even oak or arbutus) to fine mulch.
   
• Take a gamble and throw seeds of hardy annuals where you want them to bloom next year. Larkspur, poppies, cleome and cosmos will frequently take root from seeds sown in autumn and conditioned under winter snow.
   
• Autumn is a good time for planting evergreen trees and shrubs. The evergreens' root systems pump water all winter, so be sure to water them well before the ground freezes. And don't hesitate to purchase deciduous flowering shrubs at discounted prices. Even after a summer in containers, they'll adapt and make strong root growth in cool autumn soil.
   
• Pick up or rake diseased leaves from under roses (blackspot) and crabapples (scab) and dispose of them in the garbage, not the compost pile. Left on the soil all winter, they'll reinoculate the plants with disease spores the following spring.
   
• Clean up the garden to prevent disease, but leave some seedheads to sustain the birds and other garden wildlife throughout the winter.
   
• Now is NOT the time to prune. Cutting back plant material in the fall or winter will promote a growth response. Trim back any leggy branches that might cause problems when the winter winds start blowing, but otherwise save your pruning chores till next spring or summer.
   
• Add plants for autumn interest. Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed) pictured here is a hardy member of the daisy family (Compositae). Its bronzy-red flowers are borne atop 3-4 ft sturdy stems in mid September. The petals of each flower are drawn back from the central disc and the flowering period spans over 3-4 weeks. Sedums, ornamental grasses, heleniums, perennial asters and Michaelmas daisies are other good picks to add colour to the September garden.
   
• Water baskets and small containers daily, even during rain! When it rains, we think the garden is getting all the water it needs, but dig into the soil a bit and you’ll be surprised how dry things still are.
   
• Water camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas that are in dry locations. A shortage of water at this time of year can cause flower buds to drop next spring before they open.
   
• Remove dying and dead flower heads daily. Not only will you remove a potential source of disease, but this simple act will encourage many plants to produce a new flush of flowers.Many summer shrubs and climbers will produce strong new flowering shoots if they are deadheaded.
   
• Keep picking beans, summer squash and cucumbers regularly to prolong the harvest period up to the first frosts.
   
• Continue to sow fast maturing autumn crops, spring cabbage, spinach, turnips, oriental vegetables and overwintering onion sets and garlic bulbs. Use cloches, cold frames, greenhouses and polytunnels to maintain growth over winter in cooler areas.
   
• Slugs can be a real problem in a warm wet autumn. Try our copper slug strips to keep them away from your plants.
   

Our store in Sidney is now open to the public while we put the finishing touches on it.  Drop by 2387 Beacon Avenue (next to Muffet & Louisa) and see our beautiful new store.  Stay tuned for news of the Grand Opening, later this month.

In case you haven't heard, our Nanaimo store is moving to a bright new store at 6334 Metral Drive, across from the Real Canadian Superstore and behind Mark's Work Warehouse. Drop by to see our new "digs". And don't forget, Peter and Christiane don't want to move everything from the old store on Rutherford Road, so there are great savings to be had until September 15th when the old store closes.