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It’s getting interesting.

It’s ironic that drought influences what is happening just when most of us had rainfall amounts that took the fingers on both hands to record the inches that fell.  It’s not our drought.

We didn’t have one but we all remember the reports of heat and lack of rain in the Midwest. That one covered large areas of this country and ran its ugly fingers into much of Canada. We have all heard about corn and soybeans and already see the impact in the grocery store.

In addition to crops, the drought stretched into the boreal forests of Canada. In many locations the evergreen cone crop, the berry producing trees and shrubs, and birch seeds are in real short supply. And, yes, there are birds that would spend the winter there if there was enough to eat.Without food, they will drift south. Irruption is the word used in birding circles.

Last year it was the snowy owl because of an exceptional summer breeding season. Pairs were raising four and five young rather than the typical one or two because of high lemming populations. It got crowded and some came south. This year it is about food.

This fall and winter it might be 11 species. If you are interested, find a bird book because I will offer little more than a list here. They are Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Bohemian Waxwings and maybe even Boreal Owls. From that list there are two that venture into our area most inters in limited numbers. Purple Finches and Pine Siskins are here in much greater numbers now. One week in with a new feeder at my new house I see two finches regularly and have counted up to 24 Siskins at one time. Pine Siskins favor evergreens with cones of which I have none in sight so they settle for black sunflower seed.

Prior to the last several weeks, I had never seen a Rose-breasted Nuthatch in Lancaster County. Now they are everywhere. Reports indicate that they have been seen in all 48 continential states this fall. Saw a number of them at Muddy Run last week, and have a single that visits my new feeder on his schedule.  Nuthatches are the bird that climbs down trees headfirst. We commonly have the White-breasted one. The Rose-breasted is a bit smaller with a dark eye line and a rose cast to its breast.The White-winged Crossbill, which visited Lancaster County in 2009, gets its name from its misaligned bill. They, too, favor evergreen cones. Of the remaining seven, I have seen two west of the Mississippi River. The others increase my incentive to get out into the fields and woods this fall and winter.

I certainly won’t find them all, but a new bird now and then is like icing on a cake.

The move has progressed to the point my wife addresses each of the remaining boxes with "Where am I going to put that?" and it is quickly lugged untouched to a distant unused bedroom.

Meanwhile, I stare at a large yard with wonderful large trees and little else but potential.  Have I learned anything from 60 plus years in the garden?- is the question that is bouncing around in my mind. Will my efforts follow a plan or will plants at a nursery catch my eye, follow me home and fall into the category of my wife’s few remaining unpacked boxes?  Time and budget certainly are key concerns.

Do I want an instant, near mature garden or am I willing to select smaller plants and wait until they assume the desired role in the landscape. The obvious is that time and budget run in opposite directions. You will pay more for now.

This time I vow to fill but not clutter the garden. My goal is that most plants, as time passes, will be viewed as individuals or at least not part of a jungle. I have viewed many gardens, my own included,and wondered what plant(s) perished at the hands of their more aggressive neighbors. There is one drawback here. The shade from crowded plants will greatly reduce weed emergence and competition.

One can’t think about a new garden or any planting without hearing the drum rolls for native plants. Ecologically, they make the most sense if one recognizes that they evolved along with the insects that find them attractive. Insect-feeding birds, nectar-seeking butterflies and pollinators are the other part of this evolution which frequently results in a natural balance. There are many different native pollinators which are every bit as important as honey bees. Preserving our native pollinators is a big vote for natives.Incidentally, honey bees are not native.  Birds, too, generally prefer berries from native plants. However, they also feed happily on mile-a- minute weed and have played a big role in the rapid spread of this thug.  

Non-natives usually are well behaved, but generally lack the same constraints outlined for natives a few paragraphs back. The runaway behavior of wild hops, cucumber vine, Norway maple and, of course mile-a-minute weed, is reason to think twice about non-natives.

In the native enthusiast community there is debate about whether cultivars or selection of natives are equally acceptable.I am aware of some nearby research trying to determine if the better landscape forms of natives are of equal value to the insects, butterflies and birds as the straight species one would find growing in the wild.

My new garden will follow a plan. Well, almost, at least. The plan will be drawn with a reasonable time line. I will try to keep my hands in my pocket when I see or am offered a plant not in the plan. I will also ask forgiveness each time I hold a plant that fits the "where am I going to put that" category . It will be fun and interesting.

One of the joys of gardening is to follow the focal points of beauty that march through our landscapes as the gardening season unfolds. I will fill today's space with brief descriptions of some of the shows I observe as we slide deep into October and away from the prime gardening season.

I can't help but sing the praises of two shrubs: Itea virginiana and Hydrangea quercifolia. Both are near the top of all lists of must have shrubs. They are truly four season plants. You get bloom, wonderful fall foliage and interesting bark. There are several standard cultivars of the native Itea. 'Henrys Garnet' may be a bit larger than 'Little Henry', but in all honesty I would be hard pressed to recognize the difference in the landscape. One is listed at three to five feet the other at four to six feet.

Itea will grow in sun, heavy shade or anywhere in between. My efforts to grow them suggest that adequate moisture is a big plus.

There are many cultivars of the Oakleaf hydrangea reflecting the size of the bush. The large conical flowers open white, fade to pink and end up a tawny brown. I also believe that in the near future we will see some cultivars with some flower variation. This one is also easy to grow, but I would avoid heavy shade, and think about winter winds when picking a site.

Ornamental grasses are in their glory this time of year. There is nothing that beats the bright red color and large white plums of Miscanthus purpurea at this time of the year. This one reaches my waist. It often looks dismayed in the nursery pots but seems adequately happy in any sunny landscape that isn't too wet. For those of you looking for natives, pink muhly grass and little bluestem have great fall display as well.

The secret to this and many of our most ornamental grasses is to realize that they do not establish well in cold soil. In the fall look, and make plans. Plant them in May and early summer.

Last on my list is the many fall asters. My favorite is 'October Sky'. That suggests the color. The naturally dwarf 'Purple Dome' New England Aster has a great bright purple color. The latest blooming is the Tatarian aster with big leaves and tall stems of purple flowers. It usually doesn't bloom for me until lat October and is still blooming at Thanksgiving. Asters are vigorous and easy to grow. Sizes range from less than knee high to head high. Poor lower leaf foliage is the most frequent complaint with asters.

With the exception of the grasses, any of the above plants could be still planted. One tip to help late planting is to mulch lightly after the ground freezes.

Despite the fact that I have seen it used in many neighboring, especially Amish, vegetable gardens I have lived in fear of fresh mushroom soil for years.

Last year my vegetable garden appeared a bit weak, so this year I stuck my toe in the water and, despite being pleasantly surprised, I remain a bit timid. Maybe next year I’ll stick in both feet.

Let me confess that my two vegetable gardens are rather large and that I did not use all that came on a tractor trailer. I tried to spread a light, even layer across the garden which I tilled into the soil before planting anything. Light, even layers are the key words in the last sentence.

Tomato plants have the reputation of being the garden’s canary in the mine shaft. Soil companies often use tomato seedlings to check for too high fertility in their mixes. If the plant survives three or four days the mix is considered to be safe.  I planted my tomatoes with the usual spacing and placed large cages around them as always. They quickly and quite literally overwhelmed the cages. They went over the top and through the sides. I snipped off branches until I finally surrendered. My tomato yields were unbelievable.  The only problem was that they sprawled over the pepper plants that were nearby without to much impact.

 When I found time to plant peppers the plants I got were tall and spindly. I thought a bit and removed at least a third of the top. The resulting bushy plants will cause me not to hesitate if I face that again in the future.  Like the tomatoes, the string beans grew vigorously and yielded heavily. Perhaps it was the vigorous growth or just normal, but they attracted hordes of bean beetles. That prompted me to try diamacheous earth as a control. Using my hand, I fed my bean leaves like hungry chickens.

I got great kill on the beetles but also got a lot of leaf burn because of the heavy coating. That got me to spend forty plus dollars for a plastic duster which appears to have the same effect on the beetles while using just a fraction of the material. With a bit more experience I’m sure the duster will be a good investment.  

Diamacheous earth is a white powder obtained by grinding deposits of sea shells. What is powder to us is like swallowing razor blades to the offending chewing insects. It is also quite effective on slugs, which I will remember as I plant more hostas.  I grew another beetle favorite for the first time in over 30 years. The same approach with diamacheous earth yielded the same results on potatoes as it did with the beans.

My potato experiment placed the seed potatoes on the surface and covered them with used potting soil (hay or straw would work the same). The yields were good but limited by the burned leaves and too skimpy a cover of soil.  

Finally I see the Amish gardens bank their established plants with what appears to be a layer of mushroom soil. I did that with my asparagus. It remained nearly weed free and looks like an impedible jungle. That thought needs more work next year.Will a layer on established plants safely provide both weed control and fertility? I’m sure if it lies on the surface from summer to the following spring all danger from excess fertility will be gone and you will have added wonderful organic material added to your garden.

There is a scourge striking one of the most popular garden annuals in the country. Its name is downy mildew, and it is a disease caused by a water moldPlasmopara obducens. The spores are spread by water and in the air.

Downy mildew was first found on impatiens in this country in 2008, but was not a real problem in the landscape until last winter in Florida. There, impatiens are planted in the fall for enjoyment over the winter months before it gets too hot. As early as January, we started hearing reports of a strange disease causing yellowing of the foliage, stunting, and eventual complete defoliation and death. Another tell-tale symptom is whitish powder on the underside of the leaves.

It seems to have made its way north this summer.

If you have had problems with your impatiens this year, it is not your fault. Downy mildew is probably the cause. Longwood Gardens, the Penn State field trial at Landisville and other plantings in the area have all found the disease.

There are preventative treatments that growers can use, and we treated the seedlings and young plants with fungicide toprotect them for a short time. But as it wears off, if there are downy mildew spores in the area, the plants may become infected. Unfortunately, there is no "cure" and once plants are sick, the only thing to do is bag them up and put them in the trash. DO NOT compost diseased plant material.

The spores also persist in the soil for several years, so if you had diseased plants this summer do not plant impatiens there again for 3-5 years.

There is some good news- begonias, New Guinea impatiens and coleus are resistant to this disease. As with everything in gardening and life, challenges are cyclical, this is just our latest challenge.