September 2022 Wimberley Gardening Tips

After a memorable summer of some of the worst weather Texas ever produced, most of us are ready for something new. We can be thankful that traditional September weather is a lot more agreeable. The average high temperatures for this month go from the seventies to around ninety. Plus, we have the medium rain chances. All in favor, say “aye!” September in Wimberley, Texas, is the perfect time to stop by all the cute shops. For instance, you can find so many unique retail shops and restaurants on the Wimberley Square.

Nothing says autumn like the brilliant colors displayed by some of our favorite native trees, and this is the absolute best time to plant trees in south Texas. We have mostly evergreen native tree cover in the Hill Country, but the deciduous trees that splash fall color across the hills are some of the most gorgeous. If you’d like more reds, oranges, golds, and yellows in your landscape, then consider planting Red Oak, Bigtooth Maple, Prairie Flame leaf Sumac, Texas Ash, American Smoke Tree, Shumard Oak, or Cedar Elm. You can specifically find the Red Oak, Prairie Flame Leaf Sumac, and the Cedar Elm in the garden center at the store.

We started September 2022 with a 10% sale on all plants in the garden center and nursery. You missed a great sale that had everything on sale from trees to vegetables. If it was a plant, then it was 10% OFF!

Whether you plant one of these Texas beauties or another well-adapted tree, remember that trees are some of our best defenses against the effects of climate change. Their ability to lock up carbon in their tissues while creating fresh, breathable oxygen for us. Planting now gives them the longest possible time to become well-rooted and established before having to face their first Texas summer. Pick up your free copy of Tim’s Tips for Planting Trees and Shrubs in the Garden Center. Plus, you can plant a tree for the future of Texas!

September Garden and Yard Chores

Every September chores include dividing your iris, amaryllis, cannas, daylilies, liriope, and wood ferns. Gently dig around the existing clumps with a sharp shovel or garden fork and loosen them into smaller bunches with your fingers. Trim the tops back by as much as 75% with sharp scissors or clippers. Spread out the roots and replant your new clusters into garden soil enriched with cottonseed meal and rock phosphate or blood and bone meal, and water them thoroughly. You’ll be glad next year when you enjoy even more of these beautiful and reliable perennials.

Keep Your Yard Green All Fall

Mid-September through Mid-October, is one of the recommended times for planting grasses from seed. The temperatures have usually moderated, and rainfall is more likely, making it exactly the time to get turf started. Try one of our native grass seed mixes, the Wildflower Research Center’s Habiturf, or good old-fashioned common Bermuda, fescue, and Gulf Annual Ryegrass. All do fine when started at this time. Please feel free to pick up a free copy of Tim’s Tips: Planting Grasses from Seed, available only at King Feed.

Autumn is a great time for building new compost piles. With the bounty of fall leaves from shrubs and trees and the grass clippings from lawn trimming, you’ll be able to start up an extensive collection of organic materials that can decompose over the winter and be ready to add to your garden in the spring. Composting is not difficult, but there are a couple of practices that can guarantee reliable results every time. You can find them in your free copy of Tim’s Tips on Composting at the store.

Fall Vegetables and Fruits To Plant

Be sure to leave room in your garden for the cooler season vegetables, available beginning this month. Broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, endive, mustard greens, and lots of other delicious greens will be ready to choose from our garden center. Choose from our full assortment of little starters or seeds in the garden center. Plant them as soon as the weather begins to break for the best results, reinforcing the nutritional value of your soil with compost, cottonseed meal, and rock phosphate as needed.

We will also have the full range of beautiful cool season flowers beginning toward the end of this month. Lots of gardeners swear that cool season flowers usually take less weeding, watering, and fussing than their warmer season cousins. Pansies, violas, snapdragons, ornamental peppers, mums, dianthus, and ornamental kale and cabbage will brighten up your fall and winter flower garden. We’ll have those and lots more choices all winter long! 

Winter Yard and Garden Preparation

Winter cover crops provide “green manure” to decompose in your compost or till into your garden to increase the fertility of your soil. Sometimes they directly provide the nitrogen stores in your garden soil, as with legumes like clover, iron and clay peas, or hairy vetch. Some, like Elbon rye, can even be useful for controlling nematodes in your veggie garden. One of the most popular, Gulf Annual Ryegrass, also known as Winter Rye, is mostly used to keep a pretty and green presence in yards and to reduce muddy spots and erosion. It can be planted right over your existing lawn without disturbing your existing turf. Plant them all over the next sixty to ninety days for the best results.