There is a false perception in the gardening world that fall is the end of the growing season. Fall is actually an ideal season for planting hardy perennials, shrubs, & trees. Fall planting enables the root system of trees and shrubs to grow before the hot summer returns. Here’s a list of benefits for why you should plant in the fall.

• The cooler autumn air temperatures are easier on gardeners and plants. The soil is still warm which allows roots to grow until the ground freezes. In the spring, plants don’t grow until the soil warms up.
• Fall has more good days for planting than spring does, when rain and other unpredictable weather can make working the soil difficult.
• Gardeners usually have a lot to do in the spring. Preparing, planting, fertilizing, and maintaining gardens can lead to a very busy spring. Planting in the fall can help spread out the work load.
• Late season is usually discount time at garden centers that are trying to sell the last of their inventory before winter. (Most of our plants are 35% off right now with only a few exceptions)
• Fall showers are plentiful, but it’s easy to deeply water plants if it doesn’t rain at least an inch per week. Plants are going to be using less water. A new plant will always need a good initial soaking but will need less supplemental watering in the fall.
• Pests and disease problems fade away in the fall. You don’t need fertilizer either. Since fertilizer promotes new, tender growth that can be nipped by winter weather; we recommend people to stop fertilizing by late summer.
• The window for fall planting ends about six weeks before your area gets hit with a hard frost, usually late September or October.

 

Fall is the only time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. Plant several varieties with different bloom times and you can enjoy bulbs throughout the spring season.

We carry a variety of Allium, Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinth, & Tulips that will be arriving Monday September 22^nd.

Don’t forget your lawn! 


Make sure your lawn can withstand the stress of winter. Most lawns will benefit from a late fall application of a winterizer lawn food. These fertilizersare higher in potassium than regular lawn food to make grasses more winter-hardy.

Fall Lawn and Garden Clean Up

Pick up debris, rake leaves, cut spent blooms, mulch, prune and pull the last weeds of summer. Weeds may look dead, but perennial weeds are just going dormant for the winter and will be back full force in the spring. Cover marginally hardy shrubs to help with their survival as well as having plentiful blooms next year; we recommend using shrub covers, but burlap works just fine.