Many gardeners are saddened when the weather begins cooling, because they believe the colder weather will hail the end of color in their garden. A yard filled with beautiful flowers in summer and fall suddenly seems impossible to duplicate when the weather is cold and the sun is hiding. But there are two plants that are becoming increasingly popular for cheering up winter gardens.

Let us introduce you to "flowering cabbage" and "ornamental kale." These ornamental plants look much the same as their cousins bred for the table, but have been bred specifically for their showy colors and ruffled foliage. They come in a variety of colors, ranging from white to pinks, purples, or reds. (The ornamentals are edible, but not bred for taste.)

More important, these plants can survive winter temperatures as low as 5 degrees (and with some protection, they can survive even lower temperatures). While a sudden severe cold can be deadly to seedlings or new transplants, these plants will do just fine if given time to acclimate. What is more interesting, a light to moderate frost will even help intensify their brilliant colors. They actually prefer the cold and don't do at all well in the summer months.

Both flowering cabbage and ornamental kale prefer to be planted in the full sun but will tolerate some shade (although their colors might not be as intense). As with all other annuals, they do best when planted in rich soil. So, for best results, amend the soil before planting. We also recommend feeding them every two weeks to keep them looking their best. In addition, they do very well in pots, making them great for adding a bit of color on patios and around entrances.

Perhaps one of nature's greatest miracles is the flower bulb. It goes into the ground as a crusty brown bulb, and over the course of four to five months bursts through the soil and becomes a beautiful blooming flower. And who doesn't love to see daffodils or tulips and other flower bulbs in their full-blooming glory? For many of us, it's the first sign that spring has truly arrived.

Tulips, crocus and daffodils are the traditional standby bulbs. But for those who like the unusual, there are many spectacular varieties to choose from. They can be layered in containers or in your flower bed so that the colors just keep popping up. It's best to consider how many layers (or rows) you want to plant and work, from low bulbs in the front of your planting bed (or outside edge of container) and then gradually increase the height towards the back of the bed (or inside of the container).

Three bulbs need to be chilled for 4-6 weeks prior to planting in order to replicate their natural native growing environment: crocus, hyacinth and tulips. Simply place them in a paper bag in the back of your refrigerator and do not remove until your holes are dug and you are ready to plant. Drop them into their holes and cover them immediately.

Two spring-blooming bulbs that perform better on their own are bearded iris and amaryllis bulbs. Bearded iris re-produce themselves and spread out over time, so give them lots of room. The giant Dutch amaryllis perform better forced indoors in containers where their beauty can be enjoyed without venturing outside.

Lilies, narcissus and hyacinths need to be planted in the fall as well. Don't forget that hyacinths and Oriental lilies are fragrant. Plant them where your nose as well as your eyes can appreciate their beauty.

And last, fall is the prime time to plant garlic bulbs, onion sets and seed potatoes. Plan ahead so you can enjoy a delicious summer harvest by planting these bulbs in the ground by the end of November.

So don't be disappointed when your neighbors have beautiful flower bulbs popping up in their gardens next spring and you have bare ground. Plan and plant ahead! Choose your bulbs now and plant in the fall to see the beauty of their blooms in spring.

Autumn is a good time to prepare your lawn for the year ahead, and the best time to tackle any long-term improvements. Tasks such as raking out lawn debris, eradicating moss, feeding, and aerating will improve the quality of your lawn greatly if carried out on a yearly basis.

Under some conditions, grass clippings and debris can form a thick "thatch" on the surface of your lawn. This affects growth of the grass and should be removed with a lawn rake. Raking also removes moss.

If grass growth is poor, aerate the lawn. You can do this by pushing the prongs of a fork about 15 cm (6 in) into the ground. Brush a soil improver into the holes made by the fork. Use sand or a mixture of fine soil and sand if the ground is poorly drained. Alternatively, use peat, a peat-substitute or very fine, well-rotted compost if the ground is sandy. Reseed as necessary; fall is an excellent time for reseeding.

If your lawn is in poor condition and needs reviving, apply an autumn lawn feed. It is essential that you use one formulated for autumn use, as spring and summer feeds will contain too much nitrogen. If the grass contains a lot of moss, apply a moss killer. Use one recommended for autumn use; the mixture known as lawn sand, sometimes used to kill moss, contains too much nitrogen.

You can (and should) tidy an uneven edge whenever it's necessary, but doing a full job of it in autumn will relieve the pressure at busier times of the year. Hold a half-moon edger against a board held in position with your feet.

Now is the time to prepare your soil to plant wildflowers. Plant at this time and you will have larger plants with many more flowers than if you planted them next spring.

To have a good display of spring flowers, you can just sprinkle out the flower seed and rake it into the top 1/4" to 1/2" of the soil and let mother nature do the rest. But if you want to ensure a great color display next spring, it is best to prepare your ground as you would any other seed bed.

• Start by removing weeds.
• Next add a good compost on top of the ground. A 2 cubic ft. bag will cover approximately 100 square feet.
• Turn over the ground with a shovel or rototiller. You may skip this step if the area is exceptionally large.
• Rake out the area, removing any weeds or dirt clods. Sprinkle the seed evenly and rake lightly so that the seed is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.
• Water well so the ground is moist but not soggy.

Most of the seeds will sprout in 3 to 8 weeks. Help Mother Nature a little by watering during dry spells and feeding with a balanced commercial fertilizer. Then stand back and watch that old neglected area turn into a riotous array of color next spring.

1. Thoroughly clean up the vegetable garden; pull up the last of the summer crops and compost the remains (if you have had fungus or disease problems, skip the composting and get rid of them instead).
2. Plant trees, shrubs and vines.
3. Choose plants for fall and winter color in your garden.
4. Buy daffodils, grape hyacinths, ranunculus, anemones and Dutch irises; keep them in a cool, dry place until planting time.
5. Plant cool-season vegetables and year-round vegetables, including carrots and some perennial vegetables.
6. Dig up, divide and replant perennials; put unwanted ones in the mulch pile.
7. Feed fuchsias.
8. Continue to treat blue hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate.
9. Feed roses early in October; don't fertilize in November.

With the onset of the lovely cools of September and October, and the practiced hand of the summer gardener, it is the perfect time for perennial division. By rights, we should be doing this twice a year; plants that flower in the spring and early summer should be divided in the fall, and plants that flower in summer and fall should be divided in the early spring. Dividing our perennials not only provides multiple new plants, it benefits the plant by increasing the root strength, thus producing more blooms, as the division in essence creates multiple young plants with room to spread. In fact, when you see one of your plants growing into the space allotted for another plant, that is an indication that the former needs to be divided. It is best to divide prior to the signs of needing it; when it looks its best, the end of that year is the optimum time to divide. If the center of the plant has grown weakly leggy, and sports fewer flowers and smaller leaves, it is definitely time to rejuvenate and divide!

We begin with digging up the plant. Angle your spade or shovel at a 45 degree angle at the drip line, and cut down and under the clump from various points around the outer edge until you are able to lift the plant out of the hole. Digging this far out from the center of the plant ensures that you will be lifting with most of the roots intact. Wash the extraneous soil from the roots for easy determination as to where to divide. Remove any sections that look dead, damaged or diseased, and trim back to healthy white tissue. Eroded crowns and discolored stems should be discarded. If you plan on giving away some of the divided plants, have containers with fresh, amended soil at hand. It is best to have surveyed your garden and pre-determined where the new plants will go, keeping in mind that each garden denizen will grow, thus is in need of plenty of spacing between plants. If you haven't the time to complete the project all at once, put the divisions that you haven't yet re-planted in a bucket, cover with a wet newspaper, and store in a cool place such as the garage. If, while on hold, the divisions dry out, soak in full water for about an hour and then get them into the earth! Any earth in your garden that used to contain the removed plant should be filled with fresh amended soil so that its new occupants will enjoy good drainage and air circulation.

There are several different ways to divide, depending on the type of root system. These can be divided into five different kinds: roots that form clumps (or offsets, which are small plants growing at the base of a larger plant); surface roots; underground running roots; taproots; and woody roots. When dividing the first of these,--the clump or offset root system--snap the connection between any of the sections to obtain a piece with ample roots and three or more growing "eyes." Denser clumps may be cut apart. Surface roots are those that run just below the soil line, and form new crowns when they reach an open space and then make contact once again with the soil. To divide these, simply cut between any of the stems with a sharp pruner, or a sharp knife. Plants with taproots should be divided with a sharp knife; make a slice down the length of the root, maintaining at least one eye, some taproot, and some side roots. For a perennial with underground running roots, dig up the primary plant and cut away any eyes or suckers that may be forming. And finally, perennials with woody roots often form new roots when stems rest on the ground, or are covered with mulch. Simply cut between the rooted stem and the mother plant.

Remember to place all new divisions into holes at least as wide as the root base is when spread out; gravity works in the plant’s behalf by sending chemicals flowing downward from the tips of leafy stems to the roots.

And now you can feel good about having brought health to your loyal perennials, and increasing your garden stock!

How can I get my flowers to bloom more?

Answer:
Most flowers and flowering plants need three essential ingredients to bloom: sunlight, nutrients, and warm soil. Even shade plants like azaleas and camellias need some sunlight in order to bloom. If your flowers are sun lovers, make sure they get at least five hours of sunlight per day--the more sunlight the better.

Key nutrients for blooming plants are phosphorus and potash. While most plants need some nitrogen to help them grow and stay green, too much can focus the plant on growing instead of blooming. Nitrogen is also more readily available in the soil and more easily taken up by the plant.

Feed flowering plants with a high phosphorus and potash but low nitrogen flower food. If that still doesn't work, starve them of nitrogen by feeding it with a 0-10-10 fertilizer.

Finally, make sure you don't water your plants too often. Allow the soil to dry out some between waterings, thus allowing the soil to warm up. If you water too much, the plants will often produce excessive fleshy growth and no blooms.

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