Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2019

78 www.MPMcalendar.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature T he heat. Oh my gosh, the heat. August makes us beg for relief. We dream of feeling one cool breeze to let us know fall is a reality, that there will be a moment without humidity wrapping its sticky, warm arms around us. Ah, yes, the salvation of falling fall temperatures. But what about the garden that has been languishing in the heat with us? Its parched beds beg for our attention as we stand in the air conditioning knowing we need to get out there and do something. But what to do first? How do we revive the color of the parched wasteland in front of us? A quick disclaimer, I am a warrior, not a gardener, waging a constant battle with vines that have a strangle- hold on my azaleas and camelias. They are a constant antagonist in my campaign to bring order to my yard. That being said, there are people who are true gardeners. I turned to them for advice on what to do — and what not to do — in the fall to bring color to a garden, prepare for color in the spring and how and when to best prune trees and protect a lawn. It is a formidable task, but experts are here to help. For constant color, Catherine Burrous, master gardener at Boone Hall Farms, suggested marigolds. Keep deadheading them, and they keep blooming. … Yellows, oranges, golds and even a buttery yellow. Snapdragons provide tall stalks of blues and pinks at the back of the bed, while bouquets of dianthus fill beds with pink, white and even green blooms. Gardening Advice from Catherine Burrous: “Choose plants that thrive in your USDA Hardiness Zone. Charleston area is in Zone 8-8.5. Lots of great choices!” For bright hits of color, choose geraniums or begonias from shelves of nurseries in October and November. Crotons add lovely orangey-red colors and can turn into houseplants when the cold comes. An oft-overlooked option for fall is native grasses. Plant them in late summer, and they bloom in fall with waves of blush pink. Don’t know what to choose? Abide A While Garden Boutique looks like the Garden of Eden full of fall blooms and lush foliage. Ask one of the many friendly staff. They will explain options and fill your cart with great choices. Need some green? Think kale, collards and mustard greens. A favorite green that blooms in the fall with yellow stalks of flowers is farfugium, or “tractor seat” plant. The workhorses of any Lowcountry garden are azaleas, BY SARAH R. GRAHAM Growing STRONG The Do’s andDon’ts of Fall Gardening Photos by Nicole Hein. Campfire coleus.