Novartis
MS Education Link
Hear
Mark Silverman, DO
discuss
information about
multiple sclerosis (MS)
and a prescription
treatment option.
September 25, 2012 6:30pm
Ginopolis Restaurant
27815 Middlebelt
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Please RSVP by September 24, 2012
by calling 800-973-0362.
Light food and beverages served.
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September 13 e 2012
metro
Time To Plan
Your Fall Garden
Glen Goldberg
Special to the Jewish News
A
utuinn in Michigan is a
spectacular season. Nature
explodes with brilliant colors
that gently ease our transition from
summer. Your garden is now ready for
a fall makeover. As with all good land-
scaping decisions, it's best to start with
a plan.
This is the perfect time to take an
inventory of your yard. Think in terms
of what you can do now for "instant
gratification," such as planting some
late-blooming flowers and perenni-
als. At the same time, think ahead to
next year. Look for
spaces to be filled
with shrubs, peren-
nials or ornamental
grasses. Begin a list
to take to the gar-
den center.
An essential flow-
er for any fall dis-
play in our region
is the chrysanthe-
mum. Reliable,
hardy and avail-
able in a variety of
shapes and sizes,
these flowers will
not disappoint. They are available in
every color except blue and range in
height from less than a foot to more
than 4 feet. There are nickel-sized
mums called pompons; quill mums
with tubular petals; single, daisy-like
mums; spider; decorative; and spoon-
shaped petal mums. Football mums are
a hybridized variety with huge blooms.
Other autumn floral choices include
cyclamen, cornflower, late-blooming
lilies, asters and pansies. Its not unusual
to see a pansy or two still blooming well
into November. Alyssum and lobelia
make bold comebacks as the weather
cools.
Although several kinds of perennials
add vibrancy to your fall garden design,
Sedum Autumn joy is a multi-seasonal
beauty. Sedum debuts in beautiful style
in early spring, then exhibits beautiful
foliage as the weather warms. In late
August and September, sedum forms
dazzling pink flowers. Even as tem-
peratures fall below freezing, sedum's
grand show continues. Its burgundy
seed heads beautifully accent the winter
landscape.
Consider using shrubs to add special
autumn interest. Their leaves can run
the spectrum from deep blue, purple
and rich mahogany to brilliant yel-
low, fiery red and orange. Check out
euonymus, spicebush, chokeberry, sand
cherry and viburnum.
Container gardens and garden art
also can help spruce up empty spac-
es. It's an easy way to revitalize with
every season. Are your annuals looking
a little tired? Revive your beds with a
stunning display of cool-weather flow-
ers. Lucky for us Michiganders living in
zones 4 and 5, there are several choices,
like mums, ornamental cabbages, kales
and pansies. Browse the selections at
the garden center. It will be restocking
many fall favorites so take a look and
explore new possibilities.
This is also the
time to plan for
spring by plant-
ing bulbs this fall.
Purchase only
high-quality, top-
size bulbs. Cheaply
priced bulbs tend
to flower less reli-
ably. The months
of October and
November are the
ideal time to plant
because the soil is
still warm enough
to promote growth.
Although this might seem like a lot of
work, you will be so pleased with the
results next spring.
Here's a gardening side effect: Did
you know that spending time out-
doors digging in the dirt can decrease
anxiety and make you smarter? The
effect is temporary, but you can thank
Mycobacterium vaccae, bacteria that
occur naturally in soil.
The American Society of
Microbiology has discovered that
inhaling these bacteria stimulates
serotonin levels and neuron growth.
Serotonin helps regulate our learning
and memory functions as well as our
mood. An imbalance or deficiency of
this neurotransmitter may be tied to
depression. So the next time someone
tells you to "stop and smell the roses:'
you can respond philosophically and
scientifically.
Autumn gardening in Michigan has
much to offer. Be creative. Take advan-
tage of the cooler temperatures and
enjoy the sights and scents of nature's
metamorphosis.
Glen Goldberg is the owner of Four Seasons
Garden Center & Custom Landscape
Services in Oak Park.