Aster is a genus containing over 600 species and cultivars of flowering plants. Plants are sun-loving and bloom in September and last well into October. Asters are an easy to grow perennial that grows well in average soils, but needs full sun. Asters come in blues, purples and a variety of pinks. All Asters are yellow in the center of the flower. They are daisy-like in appearance, even though they are a member of the sunflower family.

Many garden centers are well stocked with asters in September and October. Aster dumosus 'Woods Pink' is an aster that only grows 12-18" tall, making it a nice, compact plant for the fall garden. Flower colors in the 'Woods' series include blue and purple.

Remember that it has been found that long days and warm temperatures favor bulb development in the garlic plant. As soon as bulbing starts, leaf initiation ceases. Plant garlic cloves 3-5" apart in an upright position in the row and set them at a depth of 0.5-1.0" deep. Setting the cloves in an upright position ensures a straight neck. Be sure to allow 18-30" between the rows. Individual cloves can be separated from the bulb the day for up to two days before planting into the beds. Cloves separated for longer than two days tend to dry out and shrink. In general, think in terms of "large" because the largest cloves from the larger bulbs will always produce larger bulbs, which in turn will produce the larger cloves!

Every fall BYGLers are reminded of the need to trot out one of our favorite quotes from Wisconsin naturalist and conservationist Aldo Leopold. Namely, his eloquent quote regarding the normal seasonal inner needle yellowing of evergreen conifers such as pine, spruce, firs, and even falsecypress. We get questions about why these inner needles are yellowing, browning and eventually dropping. Here is Aldo Leopold's answer written in "Sand County Almanac":

"Pines have earned the reputation of being 'evergreen' by the same device that governments use to achieve the appearance of perpetuity: overlapping terms of office. By taking on new needles on the new growth of each year, and discarding old needles at longer intervals, they have led the casual onlooker to believe that needles remain forever green."

"Each species of pine (and spruce, and fir, etc.) has its own constitution, which prescribes a term of office for needles appropriate for its way of life. Thus the white pine retains its needles for a year and a half; the red and the jack pines for two years and a half. Incoming needles take office each June and outgoing needles write their farewell addresses in October. All write the same thing, in the same tawny yellow ink, which by November turns brown. Then the needles fall, and are filed in the duff to enrich the wisdom of the stand. It is this accumulated wisdom that hushes the footsteps of whoever walks under pines."