Frankenstein peonies! Decaying pumpkins! Here’s Halloween advice for PNW gardeners
There is still time to move or transplant trees and shrubs before the first hard frost. You also can dig and divide dormant perennials such as hosta, phlox and heuchera. Continue planting bulbs and raking leaves from the lawn and don’t forget to harvest the pumpkins.
Q. I would like to add more peonies to my landscape. Is fall a good time to plant peonies? My second question is what is an Itoh peony? — W.T., Olympia
A. First, yes fall is a fine time to plant peony tubers and also to cut back any peony foliage on plants you already have in the garden. Removing fall foliage means less disease in the spring.
Second, the Itoh is a new type of peony. The name means they are “intersectional,” created by crossing a tree peony with a regular or herbaceous peony. This cross gives the peony plant huge blooms a bit later in the season than regular peonies.
Like all peonies, the Itoh peony can stay in one location for many years and does not like to be dug up and moved around.
Halloween is near and some gardeners call the Itoh peonies Frankenstein plants as scientists rather than nature have combined the two species of peonies to get the monster blooms. Don’t be scared, flowering plants (think roses) have been improved by breeding for centuries.
Q. Should I cut back my bearded iris in the fall? — J.C., Sumner
A. Yes, you will have less insect and disease problems if you cut back the strappy leaves of your bearded iris to within a few inches from the ground. The shorter foliage also will help to prevent the wind from rocking the iris tubers out of the ground during winter storms.
Q. How can I stop a pumpkin from rotting in a porch display? — P.R., Enumclaw
A. Hairspray, spray gloss, water-proofing shellac or anything else you can apply to the skin to keep out moisture will prevent a pumpkin from going soft. Keeping the display under the cover of a porch is another idea.
Don’t carve a pumpkin until right before you want to use it for a display. Once carved, your Jack-o’-lantern will have lots of soft flesh that leave scary entrances for decay.