Dramatic light, rich colors, and plants at their apex create a sense of splendor in the September garden. We know that gardening days are waning, which adds a poignancy to our appreciation of fall's beauty.

Garden owner, Tom Smith, identifies a Pinus strobus 'Ground Hugger’ during a tour of his garden by Root staffers.

photo by E Barth-Elias

Passion – it directs our lives and seasons them with spice. Many folks are passionate about their gardens, and I admit to being one. I am “stuck” on conifers – never met one I didn’t like – and find that Japanese maples, yin to a conifer’s yang, are pretty hard to resist. I do not pass go but go directly to dwarf and miniature plants and containers. I love the challenge of creating color and texture in shady corners. 

When out and about it is easy to see the passion invested in other gardens - the love of

colorful foliage, blooms, particular plants, garden art, engaging design. Who could resist a June garden filled with hordes of colorful, blooming lilies strewn along a lovely path? The memory of walking through that particular garden so many years ago still makes me smile. I am not above having conversations with complete strangers about their plants and their techniques, and well remember walking with my husband in a new neighborhood a number of years ago. We passed a small front yard filled with benches of bonsai specimens of all sizes and shapes. What luck! The owner happened out and my compliment on his display resulted in a lengthy conversation about his collection and a tour of his enchanting back yard. That was a good day.

For years I have been touring other people’s gardens – friends, acquaintances, a gardener friend of a friend – you get the picture. Always on the lookout, I have tour-buddies who share my enthusiasm. It is an enjoyable time for both the garden owner and us gawkers. We always go with a plant from our garden or some garden accessory in hand: a favorite perennial, a preferred tool, perhaps a cement stepping stone or trough we've made in our wheelbarrows. That is touring etiquette.

I suspect that you are a gardener with a passion, or a gardener whose passion is waiting to be unleashed. This month my entreaty to “look around” is about enjoying the gardens and the gardening passion around you. The spring planting and prepping is over, summer watering is letting up, and September is a wonderful month to enjoy your work, but also to appreciate the skills and techniques displayed in other beautiful gardens. Don’t limit your adventures to private gardens. Arboretums, city parks, the zoo – there are countless gardens to explore. Make a connection with fellow garden enthusiasts. Grab a friend and make a touring plan. Look around!

K Edgington

The hood-shaped flowers of Aconitum napellus

photo by E Barth-Elias

Poisonous! That’s the first thing that leaps to mind when I think of monkshood (Aconitum napellus). This showy perennial with the perplexing name is actually an herb, but don’t go sprinkling it on your chicken fricassee unless you really don’t like your guests.

Monkshood is a cottage garden perennial that was popular in European gardens for hundreds of years. Also called wolfsbane or the devil’s helmet, it was eventually brought to the New World and established here. A similar species, Aconitum uncinatum, is native and can be found in meadows in the eastern U.S. and Canada. Both are part of the ranunculus family which includes buttercups, delphiniums, and anemones.

Monkshood is a stately (2-4 feet), back-of-the-border perennial that requires full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. The azure blue flowers are a welcome sight in late summer and the finely toothed dark green leaves are attractive in their own right. The uniquely shaped blooms are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; the nectar is nontoxic. Monkshood likes moderate moisture and is hardy from zones 3-8, preferring cool summers and low humidity.

So, is it really poisonous? You betcha! The seeds, blooms, and roots contain aconitine and other compounds that are all poisonous when eaten raw. (Toxins can also spread through the leaves in small quantities.) The effect is immediate, causing neurological and cardiac symptoms and ultimately death. Throughout history, monkshood has been used as a poison on arrows when hunting both land animals and whales and was quite popular in ancient Rome as it was a little less messy (and obvious) than a stabbing.

Ironically, monkshood has been used curatively in the past for ailments such as rheumatism, heart palpitations, gout, and pneumonia. This ‘medicine’ was used as a salve or cooked and distilled to neutralize the toxins but experts warn to stay far, far away from any of these remedies as accidental poisonings do occur (especially in Asia).

Is there a place for monkshood in your perennial bed? That depends. Placement in the back of the border, away from the vegetable patch where its roots can’t be mistaken for something edible, is a smart choice. Think twice if you have small children or pets and remember to wear gloves when handling monkshood. Assuming you’re not eating it, it’s just as safe as other common poisonous plants such as foxglove, delphinium, and hemlock in the landscape. Despite the drawbacks, it will reliably form vibrant blue clumps of flowers that are deer, rabbit, and pest-resistant (thanks to those same toxins). With a few sensible precautions, you can add an air of mystery to your garden with this beguiling gem as gardeners have for hundreds of years.

ACONITUM UNCINATUM: NC State Extension

J Gramlich

Clockwise from to left: Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light', Sporobolus heterolepis, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'., Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation', Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea 'Skyracer', Spodiopogon sibericus

photos by J Poremski and E Barth-Elias

Privacy, texture, naturalistic style, color, deer resistance, multi-season interest, movement, focal points, wildlife support – what ticks all of these garden design boxes? Ornamental grasses, of course! They’ve had quite a run in the landscape industry, often with love/hate results, and can be the making of a garden, or an out-of-control, labor-intensive headache. We checked in with Master Gardener, Jeanne Poremski, to get some tips on which grasses she recommends and how to use them.

Jeanne’s horticultural training is rich, with a Certificate of Horticulture from the Pittsburgh Civic Garden Center, classes at Cleveland State University (Grasses of NE Ohio) and Kent State University, and a myriad of classes and seminars through her affiliation with horticulture societies and the Ohio State Master Gardeners.  Retired from her design/maintenance business, Jeanne Poremski Gardens, she continues to study and to plant, and lucky the gardener that learns from her expertise and experience. 

Ornamental grasses trickled into the American design consciousness in the 1960s, when Kurt Bluemel and Wolfgang Oehme brought a European focus on the use of ornamental grasses in the landscape to the states and pioneered their use in American gardens. Their work inspired landscape architects, who incorporated grasses into commercial and public spaces. By the late 1980s home garden designers, as part of a movement to create more naturalistic gardens, were using a variety of grasses. The use and the overuse of ornamental grasses in these landscapes brought with it problems. Many of the grasses were difficult to maintain, requiring heavy equipment to prune and divide. Some reseeded and were invasive, requiring excessive maintenance and becoming a problem in lawns, where their coarse blades and white cut edges ruined lawn aesthetics.

The “big four” ornamental grasses in the 1990s and early 2000s include calamagrostis (Feather Reed Grass), miscanthus (Maiden Grass), pennisetum (Fountain Grass), and panicum (Switchgrass). Because of reseeding and maintenance issues, only one of these four made it to Jeanne’s “short list” of recommended grasses.

Today’s grass propagators are developing new varieties with enhanced color, reduced seeding, and manageable maintenance. Jeanne recommends a combination of old and new offerings as grasses for today’s homeowner to consider. All but the miscanthus can be pruned with hand tools.

JEANNE’S SHORT LIST OF RECOMMENDED GRASSES (Click on the Latin name to learn more.)

Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ (Aureola Japanese Forest Grass) One of Jeanne’s favorites, this shade-loving grass is an attention-getter with an irregular green stripe on its bright yellow blades. With its graceful, draping form, one would expect this beauty to be a bit “fussy”. Not so. Once established, it is happy under trees and in other challenging sites. Use it as an edger, on banks, near boulders, or in a mixed border in singles or groups. Its sister, All Gold, is another selection worthy of consideration. 

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’  (Morning Light Maiden Grass)  Although this grass requires a bit of energy to cut down (as in power tools), its silver color, fine texture, and 4-6’ tall plumes that sway in the breezes have earned it a place on Jeanne’s short list. This classic grass provides a drive-by focal point, and Jeanne suggests using it singly as a shrub replacement.

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea 'Skyracer' (Skyracer Purple Moor Grass) Tops in Jeanne’s estimation, this fountain-shaped grass forms 3’ clumps. In late summer its flower scapes reach up and fan out, quivering in the breezes, and turning a buttery-yellow in the fall. Birds, especially finches, love the seeds and can often be seen perching on the seed heads. Plant this attention-getter singly. Jeanne suggests cutting back foliage in the fall to prevent flattening during the winter.

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation' (Standing Ovation Little Bluestem) This charming, silver-blue native sports 2½’ mounds of upright foliage. In August it flowers and tops off at 3’, followed by silvery-white seed heads that persist into the winter. Leaf blades are blue with red tips, turning maroon red in fall. Jeanne suggests using any number of this new beauty – 3, 5, or 11! It’s a winner.

Spodiopogon sibericus (Frost Grass) This is a beauty that should be more widely known and available. With its erect bamboo-like growth and wispy flowers it creates architectural statements in the garden. Add in the wine-purple foliage tints in fall for multi-season interest. Site this well-behaved plant in sun or part shade, but brighter fall colors will be achieved in full sun. With its 3-5’ height and 1½-2’ width it can be used singly as an accent, or planted in small groups. 

Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) Jeanne rounds out her list with this small, mounded native, and loves its fine texture and 18-24” size. When in flower, it has a popcorn or peanut butter fragrance. Sporobolus h. mixes particularly well with perennials, and Jeanne suggests growing it as a single accent or in small groups. 

Ornamental grasses have earned a spot in our gardens. Their shimmer in the sunlight and swish in the breeze are a sensory delight. Their linear or cascading forms enhance garden vignettes. Their changing colors adorn each season. Birds and other creatures revel in the seeds. Jeanne tells us she would not have a garden without them, but being selective in their use adds complexity and interest to mixed beds while keeping maintenance to a minimum.

K Edgington

A centipede’s bright colors warn away predators.

photo by E Barth-Elias

Political chaos in the arthropod community isn’t unusual—as the most successful animal on earth, comprising 75% of all animal species, you’d expect to find Type A personalities competing for power. But there’s also a lot of turnover in your average backyard. The death of President Wendy the wolf spider by pink fuzzy slipper had occurred only this morning (accompanied by hysterical screaming, adding insult to injury). Wendy’s predecessor, Dave the daddy longlegs, had been dismantled two days ago by a curious child learning to count. Sudden and undignified departures are par for the course.

So there it was, another power vacuum, which the political consultants (always flies for obvious reasons) love more than fresh roadkill. They were buzzing as usual when fate intervened; Morty the millipede poked his head out from under a pile of leaves. “What’s up?”

After typical careful consideration (none) the flies pounced. “You!” they screamed, “the perfect president!” But Hortense the centipede, appearing from under a nearby log, discreetly swallowed the spider she was munching, and to everyone’s surprise, declared her candidacy.

The backyard was in an uproar. Wiggly bodies, lotta legs—nobody knew the difference between a millipede and a centipede so how to vote? My dear Editor was concerned—she loves arthropods and democratic ideals—so when she asked for a primer on the differences between millipedes and centipedes…my dear Editor gets what she wants!



Millipedes and centipedes are both members of the Arthropoda phylum and the subphylum Myriapoda. Millipedes are class Diplopoda and centipedes are class Chilopoda. There is still much unknown about these creepy creatures. Found on every continent except Antarctica, there are about 3,000 known species of centipedes and 8,000 of millipedes—but scientists think there may be 8,000 species of centipedes and 80,000 of millipedes. Fossil records from over 400 million years ago suggest that ancestral myriapods may have been the first animals to move from water to land.

Both have bodies made of segments linked together. Centipedes have one pair of legs per segment, totaling 15-177 pairs (always an odd number); millipedes have two pairs per segment, from 40-400 pairs. While Ohio millipedes and centipedes are usually no more than one and three inches long, respectively, the Giant African millipede and the Amazonian giant centipede grow to 12 inches long. Check it out HERE.

A millipede’s legs are positioned under its rounded body; a centipede’s legs are located on the sides of its flatter body. Centipedes are therefore much faster than their millipede friends. Horty and her kin scuttle away to cracks and crevices when attacked. Slow-moving Morty curls into a ball, using his hard exoskeleton to protect his soft belly, and releases a bad-smelling and tasting substance from glands known as ozopores containing multiple irritants. (Both tactics seem useful for politicians.) This substance can irritate human skin, so wash your hands after handling a millipede.

These spineless (literally) myriapods have one pair of antennae (a millipede antennae is short, a centipede antennae is long) to help feel and smell. They breathe through spiracules—small holes on their bodies. They don’t see well, but that’s no problem as they operate mostly in the dark (another asset in politics). They are excellent at sensing vibrations.

Centipedes are found in deserts, caves, forests and your basement. They can live for several years, overwintering in moist, dark places, and laying eggs in soil that hatch spring through summer. Millipedes generally live in the soil, favoring moist spots under rocks, logs and leaves. Millipedes are also relatively long-lived, overwintering in the ground with eggs hatching in the spring. Both molt several times as they develop, adding segments to their bodies and legs.

However, only a centipede can drop a leg if a predator grabs it, later regenerating a new one. (The leg may continue to wiggle which can be unsettling…) Birds, toads, moles and lizards are among the many predators that will grab a leg or any other part of centipedes and millipedes.

Both creatures can truthfully claim to make the world a better place, but in radically different ways. Peaceful, herbivorous millipedes slowly plow through the soil, munching on decaying plant matter and dead insects, worms and snails, aerating and enriching as they go. The slogan “Scavengers doing good” is an apt description.

The aggressive, carnivorous centipede is a ruthless predator, with a pair of claws serving as venom-laden fangs (forcipules) located beneath her head. (The claws are actually modifications of her first pair of legs.) With these formidable weapons, the centipede captures and paralyzes her prey — worms, spiders and insects—before devouring it. Centipedes may also use their long legs to give prey a deadly “hug”. Centipedes can bite humans with their “fangs”, which hurts but isn’t serious unless there’s an allergic reaction.

Centipedes play an important role in controlling the population of other arthropods. Horty’s campaign slogan — “I eat arthropods”— is accurate, but might not win over arthropod voters… 

HERE'S a video recap of the differences. And interesting videos on CENTIPEDES and MILLIPEDES.

Further information:

CENTIPEDES: Ohio State University Extension

EVERY LEG COUNTS: THE MILLIPEDES OF OHIO: Ohio DNR

MILLIPEDES OF OHIO FIELD GUIDE: Ohio Division of Wildlife

C Christian

Clematis x 'Nelly Moser' - Pruning group 2

photo by Linda Fray

There’s something about climbing plants that makes almost any structure they are mounted on seem quaint and beautiful. Images come to mind of thatched cottages in England draped in wisteria or bowers of roses. There are so many climbing plants that making a definitive list is almost impossible, but several emerge at the top of many “favorites” lists. They are roses, clematis and climbing hydrangea. 

Roses (Rosa spp.) have been a symbol of romantic love since ancient times. Greek mythology tells us roses sprang up wherever Aphrodite’s feet touched the soil. In Islam, the fragrance of roses represents the sacred soul. And while it isn’t the same as a bouquet of red roses on Valentine’s Day, being able to walk beneath an arch of fragrant roses holds its own special charm.

The term “climbing roses” is a bit of a misnomer because, unlike actual climbing plants, roses do not have tendrils or twine around supports. They produce hearty canes that must be supported on another structure such as a pergola or trellis or provided other support as they grow up a wall. Climbing roses bloom either once a season or repeatedly throughout the season depending on the variety. Click HERE for information about selecting and planting climbing roses and HERE for information about pruning them.

New varieties of roses are being introduced all the time. Two organizations, All America Selections and the American Rose Society keep tabs on roses. The All America Selections focuses on new varieties while the American Rose Society rates old and new roses.

Clematis (Clematis spp.) is another favorite climber. It carries the moniker “Queen of the Vines” for its delicate stems and variety of colors. The name clematis comes from the Greek word klema, meaning vine branch. It is a member of the ranunculus family, which includes buttercups, anemones and peonies.

There are more than 290 named species of clematis and hundreds of cultivars. The choices in clematis are dizzying. They come in a wide array of colors, shapes and sizes. You can pick the season you would like your clematis to bloom, although what’s wrong with having summerlong blooms? There are bell- and urn-shaped flowers and flat blossoms that range in size from less than an inch to more than 8 inches across. You can have a tall vining plant up to 30 feet, or a short one of less than 2 feet. The attractive, fluffy seed heads can last into winter or for only a short time.

If you’re not wedded to climbing clematis, there are shrub and ground-cover varieties to choose from. Or, because we are gardeners, why not try them all?

The trickiest facet of growing clematis is pruning, which is dictated by season and whether the plant grows on old or new wood. Pruning group 1 should rarely be pruned, except for shape and size, because it grows on old wood. Pruning group 2 blooms two times in the season. The first blooms on old wood and the second on new. If you need to prune, wait for the second flush of leaves before cutting back. Pruning group 3 is easiest. It blooms on new wood, so you can cut it back to the base before the next growing season. Click HERE for some more information about pruning clematis.

Clematis are lovely, come in a panoply of sizes, shapes and colors and have a variety of characteristics to choose from. What’s not to love? Click HERE for more information about growing clematis.

Hydrangeas are favorites of many gardeners because they are beautiful,  relatively easy to grow and offer a variety of forms and flowers. Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subspecies petiolaris) is an easy-care climber that, because of clinging tendrils, can adapt to just about any surface. However, this climber can damage wood siding or wood-faced structures and masonry with lime-based mortars.

Like all hydrangeas, H. anomala likes consistently moist soil but grows well in either sun or shade. This plant requires patience after transplanting because it takes several years to produce its delicate,  lace-cap blooms. The large, outer sepals are sterile. Nearly hidden underneath are smaller fragrant blooms attractive to pollinators. Even better, these plants have no serious pest or disease issues.

This plant will grow to about 80 feet if left unpruned, and pruning isn’t necessary except to prevent growth where it isn’t wanted. Climbing hydrangea have year-round interest because once the deep green leaves turn yellow and drop in autumn, H. anomala has cinnamon-colored exfoliating bark. Read more about growing climbing hydrangeas HERE.

There are many beautiful vines to adorn our world. Perhaps the key to finding your favorite is to find out which one climbs its way into your heart.

 S Vradenburg

September Checklist

• Continue garden harvest and cleanup. Plant a cover crop in open soil.
• Tidy up perennials. Remove dead/diseased foliage and weeds but leave the remainder for birds and winter interest. FALL CLEANUP WITH POLLINATORS IN MIND: Almanac
• Divide perennials to keep plants vigorous and multiply your stock. A GUIDE TO DIVIDING PERENNIALS: PennState Extension
• Move outdoor houseplants to a less sunny location to acclimate to indoor conditions. Spray vigorously with water to dislodge pests before bringing them inside.
• Discontinue fertilizers and pruning to allow plants to go dormant naturally. (OK to fertilize lawns.)
• Replace tired annuals with mums, asters, ornamental kale, and others for a colorful autumn.
• Consider lawn core aeration to improve drainage, decompact soil, and improve nutrient exchange.

J Gramlich