By JOYCE ARLEEN CORSON
Master Gardener

SYRACUSE — By now all of us, here in Northern Indiana, may have experienced the frost date of September 15, scheduled by Mother Nature. Some of our tenders may already have been nipped by cold winds or drops of freezing dew. You may have heard the sound of the Witch-Hazel popping to release the seeds for next season or noticed the bees perched with legs straight dancing to September Song, with fluttering of the wings not moving on a direct flight path.

Now is the time to review your garden map and check where the spring bulbs were planted, early perennials, now receding, were growing and the reaction of the flowering shrubs located in your garden. With the days growing shorter, planters or containers need to be recycled deciding what to do with the contents. Reviewing your feelings about how you felt about the performance of the cast of characters in your landscape, October will be the safest month to move or add new plants to your plan. Beware of Halloween, because more chances than not, there will be snow! You may actually have November to do some moving as well. As the falling leaves drift by your window, remember Thanksgiving Vacation is historically the month to take care of the refuse of deciduous trees. I leave as many of our leaves as possible on the garden, they make a fabulous winter mulch protecting plants as well as wild life. Many birds eat the seeds and other vegetable matter that sustain their life through winter.

Some brief tips for saving your vested interest. It is a long time from December to May and you may need to make some special arrangements for your garden investment. There are many ways inside your home to garden through these months.

Store tender bulbs and roots in a below ground shelter including clay and concrete flower pots and garden art.

• Make sure the soil is moist before moving rooted plants. Examine the root and learn to identify all parts. Remove any unwanted marauding roots that steal moisture and nutrition from your plants. If the root isn’t attached to the crown or if it is a different color it should be destroyed. Bright orange roots are usually invasive and very fine black roots be-long to trees or unwanted shrubs. Your plant roots are as beautiful as the flowers they produce above ground. Tiny white roots indicate new growth. Those should be protected if possible. However some plants are winter creepers and continue to grow, these need to be evaluated to see if they are worth keeping.
• Remove all bulbs and surviving perennial plants from your containers and plant them in the ground. Put them in a place of desire and re-use them next year. If some freeze its best to leave the seeds drop and seek out the volunteer plants for next year.
• Store tender bulbs and roots in a below ground shelter including clay and concrete flower pots and garden art.
• Up date your garden journal and maps used to guide you through the next season. Bottle closed top Gentian, Gentiana andrewsii, did well in my garden and the flowers continue to last well into the fall season. Keeping “her” in a cage gave protection from varmints that like to eat blossoms.

Bottle closed top Gentian

Corson is a graduate of Adams Central High School, Manchester University and Ball State University. She and her husband, Ron, were married and enjoyed many years of traveling before they settled at Lake Papakeechie to raise their family. Soon after moving to the Syracuse area, Corson joined the Syracuse/Wawasee Garden Club and then became a Kosciusko County Master Gardener in 2002, the same year she retired from teaching.

“Early on my interest in gardening came from a lineage of farmers and their wives, including three generations of generosity, giving me an enormous collection of heritage trees, shrubs and flowers. History and traveling has given me special interest in native flowers, hosta, the art of bonsai and many plants that have been naturalized.”

Individuals who wish to contact Corson for further information or questions may email her at [email protected].