Geri Nikolai: When it comes to fall plantings, it's all about color
Our leaves are about to hit peak color. Here are tips from the Illinois Landscape Contractors to get the most splash from that spectacular show:
- Go for the gold. There are lots of gold fall flowers to choose from.
- Mix them with a contrasting color, such as violet or deep blue. Choices that work well include varieties of asters or the pale lavender spikes of Russian sage.
- Be careful when selecting chrysanthemums if you plant them outside and want them to come up next year. Some are winter-hardy, others are not.
- Perennials that produce gold or yellow flowers and bloom until frost include Achillea, Coreopsis, Echinacea (coneflowers); and Hemerocallis (day lilies).
Book for animal lovers
Animal lovers may want to check out a book by Kathy Stelford of Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in rural Sycamore. "Every Life Matters: Inspiring Stories of Wildlife Rescues and Releases" is about some of the patients she has nursed back to health and sent back to natural homes.
The book is $25. Visit www.earthagconsulting.com for more information.
Reuse those bags
I continue to hear from readers with ways to reuse plastic bags. Cathy Adams saves them for a day-care center that uses them for soiled diapers, and a food pantry that fills them with groceries for the hungry. I'll bet there's a day care or food pantry in your neighborhood that would welcome the bags you're now sending to the landfill.
Think spring now
In answer to a reader's question, yes, there's still plenty of time to put spring-flowering bulbs in the ground. Lowe's has some tips on how to get the greatest impact:
- Plant them in odd-numbered groups.
- Focus on your favorite color, or try shades that accent already-established plantings. Look for various hues of the same color or complementary tones such as purple and yellow. Blend solid and bi-colored flowers such as a deep purple tulip next to a lavender and white one.
- If you want color all spring long, check out bloom times when you buy bulbs.
Plant a cutting garden, for flowers you can bring indoors, with bulbs that bloom in stages so you have fresh flowers all spring.
Geri Nikolai writes about home and garden for the Rockford Register Star. Contact her at 815-987-1337 or gnikolai@rrstar.com.