Planting Ahead

Just when you thought it was safe to stow the gardening tools, curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of coffee and await the first frost, voices urge you to grab a spade and get back out there.

If it's Saturday morning, chances are those voices belong to Mike Raley and Anne Clapp, beloved hosts of WPTF's The Weekend Gardener. The dynamic duo say there are things to do in your garden every season of the year. Fall is no time to throw in the trowel. If you don't believe it, tune in to AM 680, Saturday mornings from 8 until 11 and listen as callers, who "have a problem right now and can't wait," dial in direct from their gardens to ask the advice of experts. Or, better yet, seek out the show on location where fellow enthusiasts often arrive with their problems in tow, pulling out plastic bags filled with spotted leaves or live bugs. While the station has broadcast a gardening show since the 1920s, the pairing of Mike and Anne in the 1990s proved to be a real boon for the station. The show, which some speculated couldn't fill a half-hour slot, expanded to a full three hours with more calls than air time and requests for remotes from some unlikely locales such as one recent broadcast from a plumbing supply company. The callers and clients alike know that if they're on the show they will be heard.

The program is popular, and its loyal listeners run the gamut from professional nursery growers to self-professed brown thumbs who dream of one day having something in a shade of green to show for all their efforts. Mike and Anne profess to be somewhere in between those two extremes. That's part of their charm. They don't come across as snooty know-it-alls, and that's because they're not. Mike came to WPTF 31 years ago as a part-time producer, whose experience in gardening consisting of pulling weeds in his mother's yard when she made him. His degree is in political science.  Anne's grandmothers and mother shared their love of gardening with her along with a special fondness for camellias, but she pursued a degree in textile science. Anne was teaching in the College of Textiles at N.C. State University and judging camellia contests when she was tapped as a substitute co-host on Mike's show in 1991. She went fulltime three years later. 

Their overall philosophies about gardening also set Mike and Anne apart from the perfectionists whose impossibly gorgeous lawns and flower beds grace the pages of Southern Living. Amid Anne's collection of 200 camellia bushes, she has planted in "drifts of one." An avid collector, she is constantly making room for one more specimen she can't live without. She thrives on what each new specimen teaches her. "The most interesting part of gardening for me is to learn what the soil, light and water requirements are for a new acquisition," she says. "Sometimes I get it right the first time." Other times, well, "a good gardener is one who has killed a few things. It's the mark of someone who's trying new things. A good gardener experiments." Mike also has the occasional specimen in his garden, but for more sentimental reasons. He planted a whimsical Harry Lauder Walking Stick in honor of his funny friend, Garry Dornburg, a long-time WPTF producer and color commentator on the Wolfpack Network, who died in the late 1990s. 

He also believes "you should have something of interest in your garden that someone will stop or at least slow down to see." Ideally, Mike would like his family to join him in the garden, but so far none have shown an interest. Like his mother before him, he is lucky if he can get his teenage son to pull a few weeds now and then. The two confess that their gardens don't get the attention they deserve because they are always on the air talking about gardening instead of actually gardening. Anne is also host of Channel 14's For Your Garden with shows Friday evenings at five minutes before the hour, Saturday and Sundays on the even hours only at five minutes before the hour. In her spare time, she tends the roses at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. Mike also serves as host of the WQDR morning show on 94.7 FM, and spends his spare time pouring over dozens of reference books on gardening to be on his toes when a caller asks a tough question.
   
Despite their busy schedules, Mike and Anne do remain active in their gardens year-round and have a few tips to share with fellow enthusiasts.   In the fall months, Anne likes to plot her spring garden on paper. When she puts bulbs in the ground, she often marks the spots with golf tees so she won't plant something else on top. Her best advice to gardeners is to "have seating in your garden so you can enjoy your creation," and to "share your flowers, fruits and vegetables or even your cuttings" with neighbors and friends.
    
Now is also the time to prepare plants and bulbs you would like to add color to holiday decor. Mike recommends Amaryllis, Paper Whites, tulips and daffodils. Buy the largest, firmest bulbs you can find, pot, water and store in a cool, dry place. The plants should be kept in the dark from early October until the end of November, away even from lamps, Anne cautions, then brought out to enjoy for the holiday season.  

The fall is also the ideal time to plant or move shrubs and trees. If something hasn't been doing well in one spot in the yard, it can be moved to another, Mike says. Just make sure it's dormant.  If you're buying, purchase name varieties from local nurseries and be sure to consult the experts there on how to plant and care for your newest investment. Don't fertilize, but continue to water. Keep checking your plants for insect infestation, Anne says. If you find a problem and can't identify the culprit yourself, bag a specimen and take in to a nursery. If it's not serious, don't worry; a little soap and water will take care of most concerns, she says. "An otherwise healthy plant can stand a little nibbling."

A Fall Guide To Planting For those who enjoy gardening after the heat and humidity subside, the breezes pick up and the bloodthirsty bugs are somewhat sated,  here is a play-by-play guide for the fall months. 

October
If you haven't reseeded your lawn with fescue and blue grass, do it now. Lime can be distributed, but it's best to get a soil test. Consult a professional landscaper or lawn specialist readily available in the Yellow Pages. Then keep the falling leaves off your lawn; they can smother new growth. If you're going to be away for any extended period of time, hire a lawn maintenance service.  

This is also a great time of year to plan your spring garden and to purchase flowering bulbs. Buy the largest and firmest you can find, Mike advises. Store them in a cool place, about 40 degrees. Do not store the bulbs in a refrigerator that contains fresh fruits and vegetables, Anne says. The ethylene gas emitted by the ripening produce will mature the flower inside the bulb, and you'll get no blossoms in the spring.  Bring in your houseplants and continue to deadhead your roses.

November
Around Thanksgiving, you can fertilize your fescue blue grass lawn. Use a good quality, slow-release fertilizer found at home improvement stores and nurseries. The one you choose should have a pound of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet. Before the first frost is also a good time to lay sod.  Cut roses back to waist high. You can continue to plant and move trees and shrubs. This is the ideal time to begin planting fruit trees; remember that even those that self-fertilize benefit from having other varieties nearby. Consult an expert at a local garden center for the recommended pollinator for your fruit trees. Mulch all trees and shrubs well. If you do this, Anne says, you can get years out of annuals and grow plants that are usually recommended for a warmer zone.  

Pansies and some perennials can be planted in November. Again, you can water, but don't fertilize. Spring flowering bulbs may be planted now with a little fertilizer.
 

December
You can still plant trees and shrubs and prune them as well, even your evergreens which you may want for decoration indoors.   Fertilize your cool season lawn early in the month. Warm season grasses should be left to go dormant. Plant spring bulbs and cut roses back if you haven't already.  If you're picking out a live Christmas tree, consult a good nursery for a cold-hardy variety you can plant in the yard when festivities are done.

If picking out a cut tree, get the freshest one you can find. Shake it to see if needles fall off; if they do, you can do better. Cut at least an inch off the trunk and place in hot water for a few hours before moving to a water-filled stand. Keep checking the water level. Poinsettias are very susceptible to cold damage. Find a place in your house with plenty of light, no drafts and temperatures in the 60 to 70 degree range. Don't over water. Just add water when the soil feels dry.

Jane shealy is a freelance writer