Fall Perennials

Echinacea

When asked which is your favorite season in the garden I say fall! I know it seems like it should be spring when everything comes alive and starts to bloom. But fall weather is a great time to access your garden's needs. Is there a corner or planting bed that needs some color or is there a dead spot? The time is also right for planting perennials!

Shasta Daisy

I reworked a bed 2 years ago in September, making it into a perennial bed. The weather is perfect for planting and getting perennials in the ground in the south. Planting now will give perennial roots a good start. This is also a good time to pick up bargain plants. At the end of the season you can find great discounts on plants that are past their peak. You will often find these plants reduced 50 - 75%. This is when I like to get my perennials. I check the clearance rack before looking at fresh plants! The plants are super cheap because they look so pitiful and are often at deaths door! If a plant looks like it has a hint of life left I will bring it home as long as it looks bug and disease free. I will occasionally find a plant I can't bring back to life but the price can't be beat!

Hibiscus moscheutos 

Frost is not the problem you might think it would be in Fall. Especially here in the south, where frost don't come until around Thanksgiving and the soil doesn't freeze until much later. Even if frost kills the tops of the plants it won't affect root growth. Roots will continue to grow until the soil freezes. In the spring it takes a while for the soil to warm up so the roots of plants grow very slowly. In the fall the soil is still warm allowing the roots to grow faster. Since they aren't using energy to produce flowers all that energy can go into root development. You can get your plants off to a good start by planting in good soil and keeping watered during dry spells.

Daylily

To give your bargain plants a fighting chance give them a good soaking when you get them home. Set them in a tray or saucer to catch the water that runs through the pot, allowing the roots to soak up the water. Then plant as you would any healthy plant. They will need less water because of the lower temperatures and shorter days in the fall. But if rain is really scarce keep them watered until the soil freezes. Remember the roots are still growing.

Joe Pyeweed

Even if a few of your new plants don't make it, you can still come out ahead and it will give you a jump on spring gardening!

Garden Phlox

Here are a few Perennials to plant in the fall:

Aster
Astilbe
Balloon Flower
Iris
Bee Balm
Brunnera
Catmint
Columbine
Daylilies
Echinacea
Hosta
Lamb's ears
Oriental poppies
Phlox
Sedums

6 tips for Starting a Wildlife Garden

Now is a great time to start planning your garden and making additions. While you are in the planning stage consider starting a wildlife garden. Have you wanted to see more birds and butterflies in your yard year-round but don’t want to spend a lot of cash? Here are some tips on how to get started with out breaking the bank.

I developed my wildlife habitat over many years having to start with a nearly blank slate. Only 2 pine trees, one spindly oak tree were left by the builder and a large area of newly planted grass. Not much in the way of food, water or shelter for birds, butterflies or other wildlife in the yard. I started planting trees and shrubs adding feeders and nesting boxes all at once when I moved in but you can start on a smaller scale for a lot less money.

1. If your not sure this type of gardening is for you start small by planting a container garden filled with nectar-rich plants like lantana, floss flower and fuchsia. Then later you can add plants to your landscape on a larger scale.
2. Birds are attracted to water so build a small size pond using a whiskey barrel or something of similar size. If you can add a bubbler or something else to make movement in the water you will attract more birds. To use as a bird bath you will need to have a shallow area for the birds and a place for them to perch.
3. As you add to your landscape take advantage of late-season sales to acquire perennials, trees and shrubs as a discount price in the fall. Buy and plant wildlife favorites in the fall and you will be able to attract more birds and butterflies for next year.
4. Try and rescue native plants from local construction sites when you see them. Ask the developers if you can remove them before they are bulldozed. They are often happy to oblige. We had a house in Georgia that had plants rescued from a neighboring lot under construction.
5. Avoid insecticides whenever possible. This will allow beneficial insects to your backyard. You may suffer a little more damage in your garden but its worth it when you consider many birds like wrens, bluebirds and robins look at bugs as their favorite food.
6. Save money by not buying seed. Plant your landscape with seed- and berry- bearing plants like sunflowers, viburnums, coneflowers, zinnias, black-eyed Susan’s, blueberries and Cosmos.

Try one or all of these tips and in no time you will be attracting more birds, butterflies and other wildlife to your yard or garden.

Bargain Plant Buying Tips

I’ve been talking about shopping for bargain plants on the clearance shelf at garden centers so I thought I’d come up with some buying tips. Once the spring and summer buying rush is over you can find plans discounted 25-75%. I’ve picked up several perennials for $1 and even free in late summer this year.

· Save gas by calling garden centers first to see if sales have started.
· Check the small multi-plant bedding containers to make sure there is a live plant in each cell.
· Choose young plants that haven’t flowered yet and pick a bushier plant over a spindly one.
· Examine roots by sliding the plant carefully out of its pot; buy plants with plenty of white, healthy roots but not one so crowded that it is pot bound.
· Inspect leaves and roots for insects or diseases that will weaken plants or spread them to your other garden plants.
· Buy several of the same color and type of plant so you have enough to fill in pots and beds.
· Before planting at home prune blooming annuals 1/3 to ½ to encourage bushier growth and more blooms.
· Massage the root ball when removing a plant from its pot to release any tangled roots.
· Plant purchase as soon as possible, watering well.
· Group your new plants according to sun or shade requirement.
· Fertilize annuals following package direction, using a high–phosphorous product such as 5-10-10. (the middle number indicates phosphorous)

Many bargain plants look scruffy but with careful buying practices and some TLC they can soon be providing some color to your garden. Perennials may not produce until the following summer but at the bargain price it is worth the wait and fall is a great time to get these plants started in the garden giving them plenty of time to develop new roots and growth for next summer.