The latest dirt from...

Dirty Hands Garden Center!
September/October 2003

"O God of the mountains and valleys, I have offered you a bit of your food, your drink.
And now I continue on, beneath your feet and your hands,
I, a traveler.

...Kekchi Mayan song

Don't you just love this time of year? The air becomes a bit cooler, the days grow shorter, and there's a certain calm, as we begin to settle in. Grapes are being harvested for another year's wine. Mums and asters have made their appearance, and pansies and violas are close behind. It's a marvelous time to take a good look at your garden spaces, and see where there are "holes". There are so many great plants that start to really strut their stuff, right about now:

Persicaria fliliformis "Painter's Palette" is a zone 5 perennial that is grown for its attractive cream streaked leaves splashed with burgundy. It produces showy sprays of tiny red seeds in the fall, and is deer resistant! It prefers a bit of shade, and is particularly suited for a moist site. It combines beautifully in a planter, with coral bells and
Acorus gramineus variegatus"Wogon". This evergreen ornamental grass brightens up a partial shade to shady spot with bright gold fans of vertically striped leaves. It is evergreen, and stays around 12", making it a fascinating accent, with many uses! Zones 7-9
It's little sister, Acorus gramineus minimus aureus is a dwarf version, reaching only 3-4 inches in height. It becomes a luminous groundcover or highlight for a rock garden, containers, terrariums, and the like. Zones 5-9
It's like turning on a light switch in a low-light area, when you have selaginella kraussiana 'Aurea', or Golden Clubmoss fern within eyesight. This chartreuse colored beauty has moss-like foliage, 2-4 " that forms a nice groundcover. It is excellent for moist, shady areas, as well as underplantings for pots. Deciduous. Zone 6.

Now is the perfect time to plant bulbs for the spring. Keep in mind, that anything in the narcissus family is not attractive to deer, voles, and other wildlife, so you will actually be able to enjoy the blooms, this spring. Fritallaria, along with Lycoris, Colchicum, Allium, and Dutch Irises are but a few others to choose from, to provide pest free splendor.

Don't forget to give your plants a little extra blanket of mulch, as we head into fall. Just remember to avoid piling it against the trunks or root crowns of shrubs, trees, and roses. Tender perennials, such as canna lilies, butterfly ginger, and pampas grass also benefit from an extra layer of newspaper underneath the mulch material. The newspaper can be allowed to stay there to decompose, which will actually provide a nice habitat for earthworms, and add fiber to the soil, helping to break up the clay.

As the holidays start to whisper to us, we will receive weekly shipments of giftables, along with our fruit trees, berries, trees, shrubs, and bulbs. If you haven't visited us lately, you are in for a pleasant surprise! Come see us. We're closer than you think!

SEPTEMBER

13...Bucks rub off their velvet
15...Broad-wing hawks begin their migration
17...Juncos and White-throated sparrows begin arriving, across the state
19...Night migration of songbirds (passeries) begins. Listen for them!
20...CELEBRATE HERB DAY, AT DIRTY HANDS GARDEN CENTER, AND APOTHECARIAN HERBALS!
23...First day of Autumn
29...Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds begin to move south (take down your feeders!)

Folks, please remember to ALWAYS bring plant and bug samples in a plastic bag. It is very important that everyone be aware of the possibility of contaminating businesses, homeowner properties, and the Earth in general (think of it as a horticultural condom).
THANK YOU!

As always, all information given in the newsletter and on the website in general apply primarily to the zone 7/partial zone 6 regions of Virginia.

There are many new and fabulous things in store for you, at Dirty Hands Garden Center. We always appreciate your suggestions and opinions. Please feel free to contact us directly at Dirty Hands Email. Or, better yet, come see us in person!
Woo-Hoo!
Peace out.
Rock forward.

Newsletter Archive:

As always, if you have questions, please feel free to contact us directly, either through the contact form, or by calling 804-598-8945, or visiting us at 2603 Anderson Hwy., Powhatan, VA. 23139 (This information pertains to the greater Richmond, Va. area and may vary slightly with each locality).