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OCTOBER 2026
A Note from Amy
Invasive Removal & Editing
Woody trees and shrubs are busy pulling their food down from the leaves and needles into their roots for winter survival. If you have a woody tree, shrub or vine that is invasive, now is the time to take advantage of the sap going into the roots and apply herbicide to fresh cuts or hacks! This sap storage process is also why we do not prune woody trees and shrubs this time of year: they need every leaf and needle they have to photosynthesize food for winter survival. All of the food they can store now is what the plant uses to grow in spring too. Fall is also the time for planting, dividing and transplanting. Soil temperatures are still warm so get out there and edit those perennial beds.
All 3 Webinars Are Now Available to purchase to anyone who wants to watch them!
The feedback on the webinars was amazing and Amy had a lot of fun working on them. Many people asked if people who didn't attend could watch the recordings. Amy's daughter Carmen found a platform that will allow anyone to purchase the recording and watch anytime.
The three webinar titles are:
How to Prepare Your Garden in Fall
Beneficial Insects
How To Transition Your Garden to Native Plants
Each webinar costs $28.
Garden Coaching Session Notes
Amy's last day for on site coaching sessions will be October 30. October 2 will be the last day the booking system will open new appointments.
In the January newsletter Amy will communicate the dates to sign up for spring coaching on site sessions.
Virtual Coaching sessions will continue into November. New November appointments are now open. There aren't many openings as Amy has a lot of speaking engagements coming up that she needs to prepare for.
Now is The Time...
Now is the time to remove invasive plants like Callery Pear Trees (like Bradford, Chanticleer, Cleveland, etc.), Buckthorn, Amur and Tartarian Honeysuckles, Invasive Asian Wisteria (not the native ones), Burning Bush, Japanese Barberry, Wintercreeper Vine and more.
The best way to do this is with a fresh application of herbicide, like Stump and Vine Killer from Bonide, to a fresh cut stump. Amy shows a demonstration of how to do a stump application method in her video from Sept 28, 2026.
Tree of Heaven gets a separate note: This is the time to remove it but you should not make a full stump cut. You should use Glyphosate and follow the Hack and Squirt Method. Here is a great article from Penn State about managing Tree of Heaven: https://extension.psu.edu/tree-of-heaven
In My Garden
As promised last month, Amy has planted her parkway / hellstrip. She decided on a 10' x 10' bed from the sidewalk to the curb to the driveway. Mr. Powers Plants used the Spearhead Spade to dig out the turf grass and weeds and added a mow strip. It took about 3 hours and after it was done, the soil level was about 2-3" below the height of the surrounding concrete. This made it easy to plant and apply mulch without the mulch running over the concrete during heavy rains.
October Garden Checklist
Native Plant Spotlight
Pasque Flower
Amy's Design Tip: Amy has wanted to grow this plant for years but could never find it. It is very hard to grow from seed because it can go into deep dormancy when seed is collected. Amy ordered it from Blazing Star Gardens in August and she planted it in the parkway. The plant needs dry soil and lots of sun. If it sits in wet clay all winter the roots will freeze and kill this plant. Amy is crossing her fingers that the 24 she planted survive in its new home!
Fun Fact: Pasque flower (Pulsatilla) gets its name from the French word Pâques, meaning Easter, because it blooms around Easter in many regions.
Did You Know?
Did you know that honeybees aren't native to North America and that managed honeybees are actually considered livestock?
Honeybees were introduced by European settlers in the 1600s, and managed honeybees are actually considered agricultural livestock! Although they're important for crop pollination, they can compete with our native bees for pollen and nectar, particularly when floral resources are limited.
If you want to help save the bees, focus on protecting our native species! Plant a diversity of native flowers that bloom from early spring through fall, leave patches of bare soil for ground-nesting bees, retain hollow plant stems for nesting habitat, and avoid pesticides. There are 3,600 native bee species in North America and 28% of them are in serious decline. Habitat is what our native bees need most!
Here is a great article from the Xerces society with some great information about all things bees! https://xerces.org/blog/want-to-save-bees-focus-on-habitat-not-honey-bees
Pollinator of the Month
Pipevine Swallowtail
Plants They Love: Its caterpillars depend on native pipevines, including woolly pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa), for survival. Pipevine contains toxic compounds that the caterpillars absorb as they feed. These chemicals make both the caterpillars and adult butterflies distasteful to many predators. In fact, several other butterfly species mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail's appearance to take advantage of this natural defense! Now pipevines are very big vines up to 40' long so they need a very sturdy structure to grow on.
This is a wonderful example of why native host plants are so important. Providing nectar-rich flowers supports adult butterflies, but providing the right host plants allows them to reproduce and complete their life cycle.
Amy's Favorite Question This Month
What is the best way to remove lawn to start a new bed?
Ideally you would smother the vegetation in place. This allows for less disturbance to the soil which means less weed seeds will germinate and you have left the existing structure of the soil in place. It also means the vegetation, which is composed of organic materials, will break down and feed your soil microbiome and ground decomposing insects. You can smother in place with 5-6" of arborist wood chips or shredded hardwood mulch, or cardboard plus 3" of arborist wood chips or mulch on top. This process takes about 6-8 weeks and you plant right through the decomposing cardboard if you went that route. Eventually the cardboard will completely decompose.
Watch the Reel
Amy Recommends
Garden Weasel Transplanter
When planting small plugs or 4" pots I love using the Garden Weasel Transplanter. It is very inexpensive and my most used garden tool. I use it more than the Hori Hori knife because I like that it is narrow at the bottom and I can twist it to make an opening for my plugs. It is also serrated along the edges and I find the handle more comfortable...especially as I get older. Here is the link to it in my Amazon shop.
This Month's Videos
Coming Next Month
November we will be talking about leaving the leaves and also ticks. I have added some new products to my tick management routine.
