October 2007: Conspiracy of memories GREEN SCENE Agarden is a commitment. When your roses succumb to our Mid-Atlantic heat and humidity, when slugs eat holes in your hosta leaves and in anything else that grows close to the ground, when vines creep up and smother everything in their path, when insidious ailments attack your prize plants and insects suck, shred and nibble on your plants, this is the time to also remember those moments that gave you joy and pleasure. The garden is worth your work, your compromise, your involvement and, at times, hard labor. You recognize this best when butterflies drift through your tall zinnia, hummingbirds stand at attention in front of your window and heavy solid moth burrow into your pink phlox. It is worth it on those late summer nights when the nightblooming cereus opens up its magnificent blossoms, showering the garden with a scent made in heaven. Even the autumn clematis - so rampant and flowing - looks mystical at night with thousands of white starry blooms tumbling over each other. When dogwood leaves begin to turn a coppery red and the sweet gum tree starts its fireworks of carmine and orange, when purple house finches take turns at the feeder and blackbirds take their daily dip in the birdbath, this is when you will understand how commitment rewards you with joy and closeness to nature. But try to prevent disappointment by recognizing your garden's limitations and your own and appreciate those plants that performed well rather than seeking those glamorous exotics. Gardening does not have to end in October! Look for plants that will give you color and texture during the winter months. Plants with brightly colored berries or evergreens are popular choices. Berries are the "flowers" of winter. They provide food for wildlife and add color to your garden. Winter flowering shrubs offer enticing possibilities for blooms and scents. Viburnum, witch hazel, winter jasmine and camellias do fairly well during the late winter/early spring months. Witch hazel shrugs off several degrees of frost and a heavy weight of snow. Their distinctive flowers cannot fail to light up a garden, and hardy camellias reward you with striking blooms when the rest of the garden slumbers. Red twig dogwood (cornus stolonifera) takes center stage with stem color ranging from dark coral to bright carmine, and paperbark maple (acer griseum) has showy bark that peels off in strips, revealing cinnamon brown color. Think about holiday giving - why not a flamboyant, vivid colored and stately amaryllis? This plant has its origin in South America, but new cultivars arrive on the market each year. Bulbs should be firm to the touch with a thin outer layer, like an onion. Reject those with greenish mold, decayed or desiccated look. Amaryllis is so easy to grow on a sunny windowsill. They perform best when slightly pot-bound and should be staked and tied to support the heavy blooms. A departure from the traditional red plant is the very new and very choice amaryllis. Evergreen is a stunningly beautiful new cultivar with light green blossoms, which will enchant you. Pickled paperwhites? It is true! They stand up straighter and do not get tall and floppy when you give them a good stiff drink. Cornell's Flower Bulb Research Program confirmed that paperwhites grown in water with a 5 percent concentration of alcohol (one part alcohol to seven parts water) bloomed beautifully on stems one-third shorter than their teetotal friends. Gin, vodka, rum and tequila - all work well, but caution is advised. As with humans, too much alcohol can be problematic. Did you know that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to? But too much attention, such as excessive fertilizing, inhibits and embarrasses them. Dealing with deer - Faithful spraying of deer repellent will prevent gaping holes in your azaleas and decapitated branches on your yews and euonymus. Deer can jump any fence less than 8 feet, so make your plants, shrubs and trees unpalatable by altering their taste. Spray one more application now and then start the monthly program again in early March. "There is a harmony in autumn and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!" Percy B. Shelly Gotti Kelley, past president of the Navesink Garden Club, serves on the board of the Garden Club of New Jersey.