Cutting back fall perennials
I came up with a cool way to garden in this awful heat wave we’re experiencing in Austin. Wait until your watering day (Austin is under mandatory watering restrictions, with two days a week to water), set up your sprinkler, and garden under it. Yep, from 7 to 9 am this morning, with temps in the low 80s, I enjoyed a cooling sprinkle while trimming back some of my fall-blooming perennials and pulling weeds. Sure, I looked a mess to anyone passing by, but hey—that’s the price you pay for comfort. It also kept the mosquitoes at bay. Bonus!
As you can see in the photo above, my Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha ) was in serious need of a haircut. This fall-blooming perennial can get very tall by autumn, and it tends to flop if left untrimmed. So I always cut it back by about one-third in early summer to keep it more compact. Here it is in the middle of its trim.
And here it is all neatly trimmed and well watered, as was I. Now it’s ready for fall.
Frankly, so am I.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Fall seems very far away right now, doesn’t it? I hope y’all get a break from those high temps soon! It was slightly cooler here this morning (emphasis on the slightly) but still not pleasant. I should have followed your example and turned on the sprinklers.
It was slightly cooler here this morning too, but not enough to make gardening pleasant. The sprinkler was just the trick for that though. —Pam
Desperate and dedicated gardener you are, Pam! I’m not at all ready for fall, but I certainly understand why you are.
I would actually be OK with summer right now if we had some rain and seasonable temps (in the mid-80s to low 90s). However, August temps in June are discouraging. But, optimistically speaking, maybe the rains will come late this year. —Pam
Salvia leucantha blooms in autumn and spring here in southern Portugal, I always trim it in winter and summer. They can get very tall and messy if not trimmed.
We get a few blooms in early summer, but the real show is in the fall. Isn’t it interesting how we can grow some of the same plants, though gardening so far apart? —Pam
Is there a magic button somewhere that will “skip to fall?”
Maybe a legislator could propose a law to eliminate the months of July and August.
Now that’s an idea I could get behind. —Pam
Sorry about your unseasonable temps. We’re right on target, but extremely humid. I went out and staked some tomato plants, and I was soon dripping. Lots of rain makes for lots of weeds, but we’ve had years like yours.
Don’t you just love Mexican bush sage?~~Dee
Yes, it’s a wonderful plant. I spoke to my mother in Tulsa this noon, and she said it was cool and rainy up there. Oh, how envious I was. She did mention the humidity though. —Pam
Please tell me that you were wearing your bathing suit while watering under the sprinklers! I would have loved to have seen your neighbors’ faces if you had!
Oh no, Vertie. I wouldn’t have dared expose myself to either the neighbors or the mosquitoes. —Pam
Yep! It’s that time. I always hate to cut back something that is flowering but I have already cut back some salvias and the lantanas. Next is Salvia leucantha. It has a few flower spikes but they pale compared with the fall color.
We’re just like kids at heart wanting to get under the sprinkler!
Jenny
Yes, I cut back the Salvia greggii a little also. And the rock penstemon, which was in full bloom but getting very leggy. It’s OK, because I know it’ll all be blooming again soon and looking better than ever. —Pam
I can just imagine you out there under the sprinkler. It sounds like fun!
It was, Carol! —Pam
HI Pam, what a great idea to keep cool and water at the same time. We cut back the salvia greggiis too, it will help for better bloom later. We cut the tall garden phlox back by half to keep it a little shorter by bloom time too. I was wondering if the penstemons would rebloom, not Husker Red but maybe Red Rocks and Rondo? We are so dry here it is pathetic. No watering restrictions like you, but my hand watering is getting less fun, doing it every day.
The native rock penstemon I’m growing will rebloom with a little pruning. I don’t know about the hybrids. I hope you get some rain soon, Frances. Boy, do we need it too. —Pam
This sounds like an excellent idea, Pam – and if I wait until tonight the straw hat can stay inside. I don’t have much to cut back in front – since most of it was planted in spring, but there are always weeds.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Yes, weeds are something we can always count on, aren’t they? I hope your sprinkling and weeding went well. —Pam
You poor lady having to garden under a sprinkler, no wonder you are looking forward to fall.
We are actually experiencing a cool down. It has been in the lower 80’s the past couple of
days. Wonderful!!! Your Mexican sage looks great. It must like the heat.
It loves the heat, Lisa. It’s one of those easy plants for Austin. —Pam
I’ve been doing all of my gardening in the early morning as well. It’s surprisingly nice outside at 6:30 AM.
*crosses fingers and hopes for rain*
My fingers are crossed too, Lori. —Pam
Water AND work at the same time – why didn’t I think of that?
It’ll keep you cool, Mary Beth, and remind you of childhood at the same time. —Pam
Sometimes I forget to prune the autumn blooming things. Thanks for the reminder that they should be done. I have several mums and some asters the are in need.(-: Sorry about your water restrictions. Looks like everything is holding up real well there in spite of it all.
I don’t have any mums right now, but you’re right—those are prime candidates for a summer trimming. Asters too. —Pam
LOL — what’s a sprinkler? When I was a child, running under the sprinkler was a regular summer pastime, but my children will not experience it. We’re not allowed to use them in Sydney any more because they aren’t very efficient. I now use weeper hoses made of old tyres. They deliver water to the roots rather than the foliage, which is a good thing in a humid climate. Enjoy your beautiful summer garden!
Overhead sprinklers aren’t recommended here in Austin either, and I do use a number of soaker hoses, which sound like your weeper hoses.. But for the largest sections of my garden I’m still relying on the old standbys. Sometime soon I hope to have a drip irrigation system installed. But then I won’t be gardening under the sprinkler either. 😉 —Pam
What an innovative idea for getting the job done, Pam! I’m wearing a sweatshirt again this morning and wishing for warmer temps. We are at 58º right now, with a cold wind blowing. A happy medium would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Sorry you’re under such harsh watering restrictions. I hope you get relief from the high heat and some good rains soon.
I must trim my aster!
A sweatshirt? Wow. I’m sweating every time I go outside in my lightest clothing. Ugh. Our watering restrictions are actually pretty reasonable. I may do a post about them soon. We’re not low on water (yet), but the city government is training people to reduce their water consumption and wasted water through mandatory restrictions on when we can water. —Pam
That is such a great idea! When our temps rise here in (Indiana) to the humid unbearable point (which won’t be long) I’m going give your watering technique a whirl when I’m puttering in the garden. 🙂
Enjoy and stay cool when that day comes, Karen. —Pam
So did working under the sprinkler bring back any childhood memories? 🙂 Pam, we put in a drip system early this sping and everything is watered automatically now, even the bird bath fills itself. It is the best decision we’ve ever made and was amazed how inexpensive and simple it was to do. So easy in fact, I even ran lines to the trees in the front yard.
That’s good to know, Randy. I dream of the day when my garden is watered automatically. —Pam
I was wondering how you did your watering as I was lugging my hose around. My plants that need supplemental water are too scattered around the yard to handle with a sprinkler and too far apart to water with soaker hoses. I find my system is water, mulch, pinch back. It’s all I seem to do. I wish I had time to work on some of my garden plans and schemes.
You know I’ve never had luck with Mexican bush sage. It always looks wan and droopy and just doesn’t get very big (and then freezes back in winter.) I’m having much better luck with my Jerusalem sage, as long as I pinch back the old leaves and dead head it. I think it’s my new favorite plant.
I actually do most of my garden planning in summer, as I stare out at the garden from the exile of the A/C’d house. I read a lot of garden books and dream of fall planting season. I wonder if your Mexican bush sage just wanted more sunlight. —Pam
Seems like we are in different continents. I have watered the garden twice this season. The rain and cool temps have set back everything 3 weeks. The hikes to the local mountains like Mt Rainier may have to be compressed into a few weekends while we wait for snow-free trails.
It does seem like much of the U.S. has had too much rain this year instead of too little. That’s how we were last summer, but how quickly things can change. I sure would enjoy some of your cool weather and rainfall right now, but I hope you get some of the warm and dry weather you’d prefer. —Pam
What a great idea, Pam. Did you enjoy today’s reprieve from the heat? We even got a few sprinkles, but not enough to do much but change the color of the mulch for a few minutes. I’ve gardened in the mist/light rain, but I’ll admit I never thought of imposing it on myself!
I loved summer today, Diana! In fact, I posted about how cool it was, relatively speaking. Unfortunately, we didn’t get more than one or two drops of rain—not even enough to darken the mulch. —Pam
Hi,
I’m thinking of starting a garden blog. I’ve made all the mistakes of a novice. I have taken a lot of inspiration from your garden as well as others in the central Texas area. Please keep up the beautiful work.
Best regards,
LB
Hi, LB. Thanks for the comment. I hope you do start a garden blog. It’s a lot of fun, but be warned—it’s also highly addictive. 🙂 See you around the blogosphere. —Pam