Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
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- Nov 6, 2013
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October is a great month for landscaping!
October is here and it’s one of the most exciting times of year in the landscape! It is now tolerable to be outside and enjoy the outdoors again. And one of several items we have to check off our October To Do List is the change out of our landscape flowers.
Out with the Vinca, the Begonias and the Pentas and in with the Pansies and Ornamental Kale.
Color is something the landscape is missing during the Fall and Winter. However, by planting Fall and Winter flowers, you can continue your home’s curb appeal through those months.
Pansies come in all kinds of colors and color combinations. You can plant mixed colors, single colors, two or three colors. Some varieties have multiple colors in their flowers while others have single cclor petals.
Pansies are amazingly cold hardy and are comfortable down to 25 degrees. In our part of the country, temperatures below 25 seldom last very long so Pansies will thrive through most of our North Texas winters. They will last through Spring but summer heat will usually knock them out.
You want to plant them in locations that receive full or partial sun. This is important as the sun is what causes blooming.
There is no reason to fear Pansies, if you worry about your pet and poisonous plants. Pansies are edible and are used to add color to salads, drinks and cakes.
Pansies can be grown n containers or in beds.
When you plant, understand that Pansies do not do well in wet soil. So plant using a humus-rich planting mix and do not plant your Pansies deep. They must be able to drain and get air to its root system. There’s no need to add mulch as that will cause moisture to hang around longer. Pansies like to dry out between waterings.
You can choose to plant your Pansies at various spacing. However, most popular looks come from planting the Pansies close together, creating a more concentrated flower scheme. They will grow to about 6 to 9 inches high.
One important thing to consider when planning your Pansy installation is to have this done in early October, while the ground is still relatively warm. The warmth of October allows the root systems to develop more, causing more blooms the rest of the season.
Ornamental Kale
For your display of Pansies, one option you have is to center some Ornamental Kale in the beds and have Pansies surrounding them. There are several varieties of Kale ranging from the yellow colored kale cabbage to the lacy purple Kale.
Like Pansies, Kale thrive in Fall and Winter weather.
Combining the Pansies and Kale provide your beds with plants with different sizes and textures.
Tulips!
The time to plant Tulip bulbs is during the last week of October and the first week of November. So if you intend to plant Tulip bulbs, you will need to assign space for them now. Tulips will emerge from their bulbs in early February and will bloom during the last half of February and early March.
Using a planting mix, plant your bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep and include a small amount of Potash to help the bulbs develop more.
They will sit idle for November, December and January, but will prove to be well worth the wait when they show out in February. Plant them close together for best effect.
Tulips do very well after harsh winter weather. The colder the winter, the more robust they are when they come out.
Avoiding Lawn Fungus
This is the time of year when we become conscious of the threat of lawn fungus. Our days are shorter, our nights are longer and cooler. All the ingredients lawn fungus requires come together during the month of October. But we can avoid the fungus if we navigate through the month correctly with our watering.
Since the evaporation rate has greatly reduced from what it was a month ago, we should reduce the days that we water and also the run times for each zone. Watering in the morning is best as that gives the day the chance to dry out the turf before night falls.
You should run your zones on the east and north side of your home for about half the time you run them on the south and west sides. The sun is lowering in the sky so some of the turf is not seeing any sun. Sunlight helps prevent fungus so we have to treat the north and east sides differently.
If you happen to notice yellowing turf that seems lethargic and not standing upright, you can treat with granular or liquid fungicides.
Plant a Tree This Month!
October is considered one of the best months to plant a tree or a new landscape. Don’t waste the opportunity!
Planting this month is relatively safe from heat stress and intense watering is not required. Deciduous trees will be going dormant in November so they are safe during winter weather. Evergreens do not go dormant but will be able to acclimate to their new home much better during Fall and Winter.
Plant large tree species such as Red Oaks, Live Oaks and Bald Cypress a good distance away from the home. Closer to the home, go with medium sized trees such as Chinese Pistache. And next to the home or in landscape beds, go with ornamental trees that don’t grow very large.
October is here and it’s one of the most exciting times of year in the landscape! It is now tolerable to be outside and enjoy the outdoors again. And one of several items we have to check off our October To Do List is the change out of our landscape flowers.
Out with the Vinca, the Begonias and the Pentas and in with the Pansies and Ornamental Kale.
Color is something the landscape is missing during the Fall and Winter. However, by planting Fall and Winter flowers, you can continue your home’s curb appeal through those months.
Pansies come in all kinds of colors and color combinations. You can plant mixed colors, single colors, two or three colors. Some varieties have multiple colors in their flowers while others have single cclor petals.
Pansies are amazingly cold hardy and are comfortable down to 25 degrees. In our part of the country, temperatures below 25 seldom last very long so Pansies will thrive through most of our North Texas winters. They will last through Spring but summer heat will usually knock them out.
You want to plant them in locations that receive full or partial sun. This is important as the sun is what causes blooming.
There is no reason to fear Pansies, if you worry about your pet and poisonous plants. Pansies are edible and are used to add color to salads, drinks and cakes.
Pansies can be grown n containers or in beds.
When you plant, understand that Pansies do not do well in wet soil. So plant using a humus-rich planting mix and do not plant your Pansies deep. They must be able to drain and get air to its root system. There’s no need to add mulch as that will cause moisture to hang around longer. Pansies like to dry out between waterings.
You can choose to plant your Pansies at various spacing. However, most popular looks come from planting the Pansies close together, creating a more concentrated flower scheme. They will grow to about 6 to 9 inches high.
One important thing to consider when planning your Pansy installation is to have this done in early October, while the ground is still relatively warm. The warmth of October allows the root systems to develop more, causing more blooms the rest of the season.
Ornamental Kale
For your display of Pansies, one option you have is to center some Ornamental Kale in the beds and have Pansies surrounding them. There are several varieties of Kale ranging from the yellow colored kale cabbage to the lacy purple Kale.
Like Pansies, Kale thrive in Fall and Winter weather.
Combining the Pansies and Kale provide your beds with plants with different sizes and textures.
Tulips!
The time to plant Tulip bulbs is during the last week of October and the first week of November. So if you intend to plant Tulip bulbs, you will need to assign space for them now. Tulips will emerge from their bulbs in early February and will bloom during the last half of February and early March.
Using a planting mix, plant your bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep and include a small amount of Potash to help the bulbs develop more.
They will sit idle for November, December and January, but will prove to be well worth the wait when they show out in February. Plant them close together for best effect.
Tulips do very well after harsh winter weather. The colder the winter, the more robust they are when they come out.
Avoiding Lawn Fungus
This is the time of year when we become conscious of the threat of lawn fungus. Our days are shorter, our nights are longer and cooler. All the ingredients lawn fungus requires come together during the month of October. But we can avoid the fungus if we navigate through the month correctly with our watering.
Since the evaporation rate has greatly reduced from what it was a month ago, we should reduce the days that we water and also the run times for each zone. Watering in the morning is best as that gives the day the chance to dry out the turf before night falls.
You should run your zones on the east and north side of your home for about half the time you run them on the south and west sides. The sun is lowering in the sky so some of the turf is not seeing any sun. Sunlight helps prevent fungus so we have to treat the north and east sides differently.
If you happen to notice yellowing turf that seems lethargic and not standing upright, you can treat with granular or liquid fungicides.
Plant a Tree This Month!
October is considered one of the best months to plant a tree or a new landscape. Don’t waste the opportunity!
Planting this month is relatively safe from heat stress and intense watering is not required. Deciduous trees will be going dormant in November so they are safe during winter weather. Evergreens do not go dormant but will be able to acclimate to their new home much better during Fall and Winter.
Plant large tree species such as Red Oaks, Live Oaks and Bald Cypress a good distance away from the home. Closer to the home, go with medium sized trees such as Chinese Pistache. And next to the home or in landscape beds, go with ornamental trees that don’t grow very large.
