When the watering gets tough...
Flowers for autumn
There’s a big difference between perennials that tolerate drought, and perennials that thrive in the dry.
Though lots of plants are billed as drought-tolerant, very few actually look any good when the watering gets tough.
These golden and bronze flowers bloom through late summer.
Coreopsis – both the annual and hardy perennials – come in yellow, cream, yellow/bronze and burnt sienna. Gaillardia ‘‘Arizona Sun’’ is a low-growing native American blanket flower. If you don’t get around to dead-heading, the drumstick seedheads look attractive. Orange annual Cosmos sulphureus blooms all summer and self-seeds generously. Rudbeckia hirta ‘‘Toto’’ rivals sunflowers for golden impact.
Plant dahlias, dahlias and more dahlias! Mass-planted, Rudbeckia fulgida ‘‘Goldsturm’’ is a sensation. The upright South African shrub Leonotis leonurus, also known as lion’s tail, has wonderful whorled orange flowers. Tall, terrific Helenium ‘‘Moerheim Beauty’’ is bee-friendly too.
Seeds for spices and snacks
Collect fennel, dill, mustard and coriander seed to use whole or ground in the kitchen.
Wait for a still, dry day to gather your seeds. Cut off the seedheads and place in labelled paper bags, then bring indoors to dry for a few more days. Remove all plant material and any debris clinging to them. If there are any bugs present, put the seeds in the freezer for a few days to kill them.
Before storing seeds, make sure they are completely dry. Air-tight jars are an excellent choice for storing seeds, however these can be bulky if space is at a premium. Envelopes are good for short-term storage, as are resealable plastic bags. If you do use plastic, pop in a silica gel packets (the sort that come in vitamin bottles) to absorb any moisture build-up. Keep your saved seeds in a cool, dry, dark place. Seeds can also be stored in the freezer.
Whichever method you choose, remember to label them with the variety and date.
Autumn orchard clean up
If pests or diseases have been a problem for your fruit trees in the past, now’s the perfect time to deal with the causes.
Sprays of any sort should be used in conjunction with best growing practices like pruning hygiene (cleaning your tools), sealing pruning wounds and removing infected fruit and leaves. When spraying, take care not to kill or negatively affect beneficial insects such as bees, pollinators and natural predators.
When deciduous trees start to enter their dormancy period with the autumn leaf drop, it’s time to apply a clean-up fungicide. Copper oxychloride is a good organic option for smothering the fungal spores and bacteria that cause diseases such as leaf curl, bacterial blast and leaf spot. Copper sprays are available in various forms, including liquid, powder and ready-to-use products.
Good coverage is required as fungal diseases can be harboured in the rough crevices of the bark, so apply the solution until your trees are dripping wet.
Smothering the diseases in this way will mean there’s less chance of reinfection when the tree comes into blossom and leaf next season.
– compiled by Barbara Smith