Lauren Wiseman:
Adrian,
Well, maybe I shouldn't give up on my hostas just yet. I will wait for your assessment before making any rash decisions.

Is my foundation bed by the front door really that, as you call it, "sad"? You should have seen it last year when it was overgrown with shrubs that blocked my front window and any natural sunlight from flowing into my living room. Last September, (long before I donned leopard print wellies and owned a gardening fork) I had my lawn service excavate the area. They cleared out the ratty plants to open up the front of the house to the neighborhood and let in much-needed sunlight.

But I agree, the area still needs some work. Two of the azalea plants dried up and turned brown this summer. And, if I had known then what I know now about ground covers, I would never have agreed to plant liriope and pachysandra. I have already removed all of the liriope, which was a much easier task than when I dug it up from the front bed. Because these were planted more recently, they came right out of the ground. I hope the pachysandra, weeds and random patches of grass will be as easy to remove.

I would love to plant some flowers along the edge of the bed. Maybe I could plant some tulip bulbs this fall to bloom in the spring. A variety of color may liven up the area.

Unfortunately, one of the vines of my Early Girl tomato plant cracked. I had the vine tied to a stake, but with half a dozen tomatoes blooming, the vine got too top-heavy and broke, although not all the way. I acted as any good tomato surgeon would: I planted another stake and retied the vine in three places. I contemplated taping the vine at the crack but was not sure it would help.

Two stakes now hold the heavy plant, but will the tomatoes still ripen with a crack in the vine? And when will all my green tomatoes on the other plants finally ripen? Aren't we almost through with the season? I was planning on making some homemade marinara sauce. I'm craving Italian!
-- Lauren

Adrian Higgins:
Lauren,
Let's have none of this end-of-season talk. Where do you think you are, Maine? This is Washington, where, believe it or not, some of the best weeks of the gardening year are still ahead of us. In fact, I love September and October the most. It's when plants and gardeners alike recover from the misery of the heat, humidity and drought of summer and savor a second spring of sorts before the late fall and winter arrives (itself a potentially beautiful time of year in the landscape). Foliage that has made it unscathed through the summer is full and mellow and begins its beautiful dance into fall. We think of big shade trees as the source of fall color, but many shrubs and even perennials go through wonderful successions of hues.

I'd like to say I'm sorry the azaleas croaked, but I'm not. As unnamed varieties, their future size and habit are a complete mystery. There are so many varieties, sizes and habits of azaleas that planting an unknown one is ill-advised. How would you know the spacing between them, for one thing? I can think of some superb varieties of hydrangeas that would do well there, including Annabelle and some of the new ever-blooming macrophyllas. I like the way their blossoms turn from white to rose to tan over the next few weeks.

Japanese anemones would be good; they provide tall, daisy-like flowers in white and pink in September. Beautyberry is a lovely arching shrub that can take dry conditions and produces astonishing purple berry clusters in the early fall. Sorry, I'm having too much fun. When I next pay a house call, I will tell you about other plants I have in mind for that area.

Tomato vines are not pliable, but even when they are split and kinked, they will produce fruit that will ripen if the tear isn't too bad. However, it is important in May and June to anticipate the eventual size and bulk of a tomato plant and provide a level of support that will meet the vigor of the vines.

As for the tomatoes, I can't wait to try what you have. We could also bring along other varieties for sampling. Let me know when you think they will be ready.
-- Adrian