Take It Easy in the Garden

September is the quarter-marker month that reminds me I live in Central Florida. Temperatures got to their peak and are now beginning to gently fall. The subtle changes in overnight temperatures, along with the continued reduction of daylight, pumps the brakes on the growth of most of our landscape plants.

This natural slowdown is often misunderstood. After months of vigorous summer growth, homeowners may notice landscapes growing less exponentially and assume something is wrong. In response, many increase irrigation or apply fertilizer to maintain the rapid growth of summer. Our best efforts in September will be to ease our plants into cooler nights and shorter days.

Now that our landscapes have mostly been reset since the freeze of seven months ago, it is important to allow old and new plants to rest. They have been very busy establishing and regenerating through the warm season. Trees, shrubs, and perennials have invested tremendous energy into rebuilding root systems, replacing damaged stems, and generating new foliage. Things are looking lush and vibrant.

New stems, leaves, and roots need time to mature and strengthen before cooler temperatures arrive. This process, often called “hardening off,” allows plant tissues to become more resilient to winter weather, drying winds, and occasional cold snaps. Landscapes that are allowed to gradually slow their growth often enter winter in better condition than those that are continually pushed with fertilizer and excessive irrigation. September is a wonderful month when doing less is best.

Since you will not be spending time on pushing your landscape forward, perhaps you can use this opportunity to add some “real fall,” types of things to your Central Florida life. Here are some apple cider–based moments for you to enjoy solo, with family, or with friends:

Book and Branch: when rest and reading have been put off for too long

• Rosemary Apple Mocktail: apple cider, fresh rosemary, sparkling water, and orange slices
• Relax in your favorite and most comfortable chair and tackle that summer reading list you kept putting off.

Back to School: a great way to allow younger people to feel special, (and enjoyable for adults, too)

• Apple Cinnamon Evening Cooler: apple cider, sparkling water, cinnamon stick, and orange slices (Make in a pitcher for several people.)
• When their spirits need a little lift, this beverage adds subtle sweetness to the return of fall and the renewal of their homework subscription.

Mums and Mocktails: for the green thumbs among us who need a more hands-on experience

• Apple-Ginger Sparkler: apple cider, ginger beer, and a lime wedge
• Grab a few chrysanthemums and some pots; share their rustic color in strategic places.

As daylight is more noticeably dwindling, slipping away earlier each evening, September offers an opportunity to slow our pace just enough to notice the transition taking place around us. Watch some football, make a casserole, and save some energy for October. Year-rounders and snowbirds have the whole month to plan the sweetest return of the entertainment season.

Nickie Munroe is an environmental horticulture agent with the University of Florida’s IFAS Indian River County Extension.