Plant bulbs that will be avoided by hungry critters

Allium, or ornamental onions, are some of the best bulbs to plant for resistance to animal browsing. They come in many varieties.

Try the popular June-blooming Globemaster with a 10-inch, pinkish-purple flower on a 2- to 3-foot stem; it lasts up to a month. The drumstick onion, Allium sphaerocephalon has reliable burgundy blossoms, about 1-inch wide. Allium moly, lily leek, is a small species that is 10 to 14 inches tall with yellow flowers.

These are just a few of the many ornamental onions that can be grown with little effort in Midwestern gardens if planted this fall. Daffodils are also easy to grow and are not eaten by animals while tulips and crocuses are readily eaten.

• Try to buy mums and asters when their flower buds are just beginning to open. The color will last longer in your garden. Generally, mums and asters will last for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on weather conditions.

Season-extender mums will be available later in the season and can extend color through October and sometimes later, depending on the weather. If you are planting mums in a shady site, then it is best to wait until the flowers are more open before planting. If the mums are tight in bud and then planted into a shady area, the flowers may not open.

Typically, pansies will not develop much in the autumn season, so it is best to buy large plants that are in full flower to install in your garden. Also, plant them close together for a better show.

• There is still time to seed bare spots in your lawn. Be sure to loosen up the soil before spreading and raking in the grass seed. Water lightly as needed (can be twice a day on warm, sunny days) to keep the seed moist. Blue grass generally takes about two weeks to germinate. Once the lawn area has a good covering of sprouted grass, your watering should shift to being less frequent and deeper.

• Check your gardens for dry plants and spot water as needed. Even though it has been a rainy year overall, the recent weather has been dry and I have been noticing wilting plants in area gardens, including mine.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.