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Let’s take some time to
answer a few more of your timely emailed gardening questions!
Our first Local 12
emailer asks, “Are the ornamental peppers being sold in garden stores for
fall decorations edible? I heard they were not.”
Yes, those peppers are
very edible! But beware…some are very hot! Protect your ornamental peppers
from early frosts, and eventually bring it indoors to grow over the winter.
Give it a sunny spot indoors and you should get flowers and more peppers
well into the winter.
Speaking of edibles,
don’t forget that many of the fall color plants flowers can be eaten.
Petunias, mums, dianthus, pansies and violas all have edible flowers. And
don’t forget other fall magic flowers that are edible including variegated
sage and this wonderful brightly colored Swiss chard. Look…a fall planter,
that’s edible as well!
Our next emailer asks,
“Does deadheading my mums as the flowers become spent help to produce more
flowers for the fall?”
Unfortunately it won’t
increase flowers for the fall, as the flower buds are all set at the same
time. But, it does clear the way for the flower buds to have more sunlight
and more room to open up fully…and deadheading mums keeps them looking a
little nicer as well.
By the way…to be more
successful in getting your mums to come back next year: 1.) Get them planted
as soon as you can to give them time to get rooted in before winter, and
keep them watered as needed 2.) Deadhead the spent flowers so the plant
will concentrate on putting energy into the roots rather than those old
flowers 3.) Don’t cut them back at the end of the season. Studies in colder
temperatures have found that leaving your mums dead foliage alone over the
winter, and then cutting it back in the early spring, may actually help to
improve its winter hardiness. |
