Anchorage Daily News

A faithful reader woke up last week and realized there will be snow on the mountains and, worse, down on the flatlands before we know it. We are losing too many minutes of light per day to even mention the number. The end is near.

I don't take quite that kind of panicked view of the inevitable end of the Alaska gardening season. However, I can see where it's a cause for a bit of concern. The way to handle the problem is personal, I know, but I'll suggest two ideas to stretch the season a bit or at least enjoy its benefits longer.

The first is to preserve some of the flowers from your yard. Why not? It really is easy, and what do you have to lose? There are several ways to dry flowers, two of which are noted below. But whatever method you employ, you will appreciate having done so come wintertime.

The easiest way to save summer flowers is to press them and let them dry out. We were given a small, commercially available press with proper screws and boards and blotting papers to accomplish the task, but you can make your own with blotting paper and dictionaries.

The process is simple: You place the flowers between blotting paper or even between two thick paper towels, place this flower sandwich on a hard, flat surface and then press it by putting heavy books on top for a couple of weeks. Carefully remove the dried flowers, or leave for viewing later. You can spray flowers with acrylic to further preserve them.

You can also microwave flowers. You'll need silica gel sold at craft stores and on the Internet. Heat a cupful of gel in your microwave for three minutes on high to dry it out, then pour an inch or so into a small container. Place the flower stem down in this, then fill around and over the flower with the silica. Obviously, the smaller the container, the less silica needed.

Heat this on high for two to five minutes, depending on the flower and the amount of moisture it contains. Experiment until you get the right timing for your oven and flowers. In general, roses take about two minutes and a lily takes about four, while delphiniums take about three minutes. After the gel has cooled, carefully remove it and spray it with acrylic if you want.

The second way to preserve summer is to keep some of it alive indoors. This you can do by taking cuttings or preparing whole plants to move indoors for at least part of the winter. Mints, parsleys and lettuces, for example, will do fine for a while in pots, as will pansies, marigolds, zinnias, dahlias and even tuberous begonias.

As a rule, and since there are so many plants to choose from, if the plant has a square stem, it will root when you take a cutting and remove leaves on a few nodes at the bottom of the cutting.

Make sure the cutting is long enough so you can remove a set or two of bottom leaves. Remove any flowers or flower buds. Use damp sand or perlite as a rooting medium. You don't need rooting hormone. Toss in a bit of compost or humus to keep the plant growing once roots do form. Let pelargoniums callous over for two or three days before you stick them into the rooting medium.

On the other hand, whole plants of pelargoniums, coleus, fibrous begonias and fuchsia will grow and flower all winter if given the proper conditions, which means just a bit more light than we have naturally. Dig up these plants and put them into pots or other containers. Put the pots on newspaper, and keep an eye out for slugs and bugs you don't want to bring indoors.

These are two easy ways to enjoy a bit of summer this winter. Whether you choose to or not, one thing is clear: The end is not that far off, but there is no need to panic.

Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame. You can reach him at www.gardenerjeff.com or by joining the "Garden Party" radio show from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KBYR 700 AM.

Garden calendar

• HARVEST VEGGIES: What are you waiting for? Don't touch those brussels sprouts, and leave the potatoes alone.

• FLOWERS: Keep your eyes out for the late bloomers. Every yard needs more -- ligularia (this year) and Inula magnifica. We buy for early color without thinking about late color, which is every bit as important.

• LAWNS: Mow when you can. Three inches is still the rule.

• STATE FAIR: See the bee exhibit, the large vegetables, the flower contest, and don't forget to look at the wonderful gardens at the fairgrounds.