October at Bridge Gardens
October 12, 2023
By Kathleen Kennedy
Autumn is a time to celebrate the garden! You’ve worked hard all year to seed, plant and tend the garden, grow delicious fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs. Hopefully you also took time to sit back and enjoy the beauty that you created and savored the food that your garden provided. Now it’s time to celebrate the harvest season!
I invite you to join us for our annual Autumn Open House on Saturday, October 21, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
This free event offers you and your family a variety of fun ways to enjoy Bridge Gardens, including the return of our garden-wide scavenger hunt with a collection of Rick's and my recipes as one of the prizes. Our new "Tales on the Trail" story walk will be in place for you and your children to explore in the new woodland garden path, and live music and light refreshments will be provided for all.
The event is free, is rain or shine, and donations are gratefully accepted. Last year's event had a wonderful turnout, and everyone enjoyed their time at this annual fall celebration of the garden.
Autumn is also a good time to think ahead. If you loved your daffodils, crocus, and other colorful bloomers last spring that lifted your spirits after winter, now is a great time to pick up more bulbs at a reputable local garden center or reliable online resource and get them into the garden.
Tuck a few in groupings of 5 to 15 and you'll be enjoying this forethought next spring. I love the many colors and shapes of daffodils because they are deer resistant, as well as grape hyacinths, and crocus. But there are so many beautiful, easy-care bulbs to choose from, including tulips, chionodoxa and ornamental alliums. Many bulbs are planted throughout Bridge Gardens and bloom from late winter through spring, I hope you'll be sure to check them out after our winter thaw.
Now is also a good time to tackle weeds like crab grass, that patch of mugwort in your back garden or those vines of bittersweet and porcelain berry. Read on for Rick's tips in the Weed of the Month section, below, to help you identify and manage these invasive plants. It's easy to think that there's not much to do now, but a little garden sanitation in October will make your spring garden easier to manage.
I believe there is merit to the "leave the leaves" movement that encourages a less than spotless fall clean up. Many valuable insects, including pollinating bees and wasps, overwinter in the leaves and leftover stalks of perennials. If moles and voles are a problem in your garden and you feel you must clean your beds, be sure to leave a few areas untidy to provide habitat and cover for these important pollinators.
The hours spent tending your garden can be so restorative. I hope you'll get out there to enjoy these glorious autumn days. And, I'll see you at our Autumn Open House on October 21!
Be Well, Kathy
Kathleen Kennedy
Senior Manager of Outreach
kkennedy@peconiclandtrust.org