Both flowers and leaves of the herb, borage (Borago officinalis), are edible. Its star-shaped flowers turn from blue to pink as they age. Being an annual, staggering the seedling dates will offer longer bloom times.
Store lawn furniture and garden art that may be damaged by spending the winter months exposed to the elements indoors.
Don’t cut down hydrangeas with colored flowers or they won’t bloom in the spring. You can cut of the flower heads for neatness.
Begin removing fallen leaves and garden debris that could harbor disease or insect pests.
Attracting honey bees an native bees as well as being a host plant for the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and the spicebush swallowtail (P. Troilus) butterflies, tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) has big, showy, yellow flowers in mid-spring making it a very attractive tree for the landscape. The tall trees produce large quantities of nectar and serve as a much-needed, early food source for hummingbirds. Thriving in full sun and average to wet soil conditions, tulip tree is hardy in zones 4-9.
Clematis in beautiful shades of yellow include ‘Aureolin’, ‘rehderiana’, ‘tangutica’, and ‘Bill MacKenzie’.
Let the seed heads of sunflowers dry on the stalk or cut them and hang them upside down in a dry, well-ventilated indoor location. Once the seeds have completely dried, rub them off the head by hand and store them in airtight containers.
Planning an addition of blueberry plants to the garden next year? Consider a site with well-drained soil and full sun. Test soil pH for an ideal 4.5-5.5. Amend the soil if needed which may take a year or two to accomplish before you plant.
If deer have been a problem in the landscape this season, consider planting flowers this fall that are not favorites of deer. Choose daffodils instead of tulips, allium instead of crocus, astible or bleeding hearts over hostas.
Pinch off tops of tomato plants and the new flower buds. This will help ripen the existing fruit on the plant quicker.
Plant Something Massachusetts is a project of Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, and was originally established in partnership with Massachusetts Flower Growers’ Association.
