September for the Angle Tree Garden Club means getting back to our in-person meetings and continuing our work on the gardens we tend in North Attleboro. Members will be receiving their new program books at our September meeting, which is the first of the 2024-25 season.
We are having a variety of programs this year. From making a Thanksgiving floral arrangement in November, to enjoying a potluck in December with fellow members, to our March meeting where we will learn how to make compost tea and the benefits for use in our gardens.
Our September meeting will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m. at the Little Red School House next to the Woodcock Garrison House located on North Washington Street. Visitors are always welcome. The club will be welcoming Tyler Simonds, conservation administrator for North Attleboro. Tyler will be presenting a program about conservation around town.
Meanwhile, our members are still gardening at our sites around town. The Revolutionary War Memorial Garden at the intersection of Route 120 and Route 1 looks nice. The red hibiscus just finished blooming, and the blue perennial geranium is in its second flush of flowers. The flower boxes and urns at the senior center are full of annuals and they also look glorious right now.
Even though fall is right around the corner there is still a lot to do in the month of September in our gardens. Normally, the average temperature is in the range of 56-68 and we get an average of 3.74” of rain. In the case of a hurricane all these statics will change! Here are some tips and tricks to do this month:
To improve your garden for 2025, if you want pink hydrangeas add lime to the soil around the base of the plant and water it in. This is something I need to do: lime lilacs to improve their spring bloom. Don’t cultivate around the base of the plant, water the lime in. Divide peonies soon, continue to spray roses with an organic fungicide for powdery mildew and black spot. Do not fertilize them or cultivate the soil. Order roses now to plant later this fall.
For a showy fall garden, feed perennial chrysanthemums weekly until you can see the color of their buds. Stake mums to protect them from wind damage. At this time of the year do not let weeds go to seed, remove them ASAP.
I do not have a lot of vegetables in my garden. I planted two tomato plants this year. One was a big boy and I got three tomatoes! Not a big harvest for all the work I put into it, but I must say the three are delicious. I need to figure out what to do next year to get stronger and more fruitful plants. I read you can freeze a whole tomato! Scald it in boiling water to split the skin. Place the tomato in a shallow oiled pan. Freeze it for 24 hours, then put into freezer bags. Wrap green tomatoes individually in sheets of newspaper, or put a green tomato in a paper bag with a ripe banana or an apple. Apples give off ethylene gas which makes the tomato ripen.
Bulbs are so popular now. To get a beautiful show in the spring, select bulbs for planting as soon as they are available. Plant jonquils and daffodils this month. They need more time to develop roots before the ground freezes. Plant the bulbs three times as deep as the bulb is tall from the base to tip. Scratch in a teaspoon of bone meal or superphosphate, set the bulb on its base and fill the hole. Tamp down the soil and water well. Do not plant daffodils with pachysandra which depletes the soil. Do plant them with ajuga or vinca. Don’t forget to buy bulbs to force indoors this winter. Crocus, hyacinth, narcissus and tulip bulbs are all hardy. Chill them in your refrigerator for three weeks before you pot them up next month.
Last tip for September is to remember to bring your house plants back inside when the windows are still open and the difference between indoor and outdoor daytime temperatures is minimal. Put the plants on a porch or in the garage for a few days to adjust to dimmer light. Check for insects so they do not come into your home. I use Neem oil in the soil before I bring the plants in.
If you are interested in attending our September meeting listed above, please contact our Membership Chair Linda Everton at 508-212-1882. Or contact us via email pegluke146@verizon.net.
Kathy Bessette is the secretary of the Angle Tree Garden Club
