As the summer sun wains and the cool, crisp nights of fall encroach, we all start thinking about pumpkins, cider, and beautiful fall foliage. But before you put those shovels and gardening gloves away and fall into pumpkin spice lattes, don’t forget that September is one of the best times of year to work in your yard, spruce up your landscaping for spring, and plant some native plants! And possibly…remove or replace some of your mowed lawn at the same time!
September is a wonderful time to plant because the weather is cool, and roots and soil are better able to retain moisture. The soil in your yard is typically easier to dig in the fall, and as long as your plants are planted correctly and protected properly, they will patiently lie dormant in your yard over winter, waiting to blossom and flourish next spring. Fall and winter care are minimal…lightly water them in the fall so they do not dry out. Let them sit over the winter and possibly cover them with a light layer of mulched leaves to protect them from extreme temperatures and winter winds since snow has been absent these past few years. Let’s hope we at least get some measurable white this winter. Snow, with its plentiful air pockets, traps air that holds heat and produces great insulation…almost like a personal fluffy down jacket! As an added bonus, snow delivers nitrogen. Nitrogen attaches to snowflakes as they fall through the atmosphere. As snow melts, these nutrients are slowly released into the soil. What could be better than nature giving our gardens this free and gentle fertilizer boost to our plants coming into spring!
The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy wants to take advantage of planting at this wonderful time of year too. We have always been an active, local leader in watershed education, and what better way to teach than to lead by example! Prep work has already been completed, and lessons have already been learned this summer as we have been busy replacing part of our traditional lawn at our office in Lakewood with a selection of Chautauqua County native plants. In contrast to a grassy lawn that requires excessive water and harmful chemicals to maintain, this planting will support our local pollinators, thrive with little maintenance after initial establishment, provide visual interest, and demonstrate the possibilities of using native plants in our gardens. All the plants chosen have evolved to thrive in our Chautauqua County soil. They require little if any supplemental watering, no fertilizers or soil amendments, and only an annual cutting of dead flower stalks in early spring.
In creating a watershed friendly front yard, we are hopeful that our actions will speak louder than words and be a wonderful example for homeowners and businesses to emulate. With amazing assistance from our friends at Royal Fern Nursery, this exciting project will be completed and planted this fall. If you have driven by our office this summer, you probably saw our slightly “unkempt” appearance with weeds and grass growing through thick clumps of straw. That would be our new mini-meadow project, and it has not come without some mishaps and lessons learned. We would love to share our newfound knowledge and expertise!
In early October, we are planning to hold an on-site, hands-on, education workshop at our Lakewood office that will demonstrate and explain the “dos and don’ts” of creating a mini-meadow in your own yard. You’ll learn about native plants, our local native plant nursery, and how best to mow less and meadow more! We hope to see you there!
Article by Carol Markham, Conservationist
Photo by Jill Eklund, Director of Operations
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