What to Plant in the Fall

Fall planting tips, hardy mums and pansies

 

 

What can I plant in the fall?

Pansies are a cool-weather flower. When planted in the fall, they will survive several light frosts, often remaining vibrant in your flowerbeds well into winter. Pansies also hold another surprise; they burst back to life again in the spring.
Another great fall flower is the hardy mum. It too will reliably return if you plant them in the ground at least six weeks before a hard freeze and make sure they get adequate water. After the frost has killed down the foliage, cut it away and cover the plant with 4 inches of mulch. As the ground warms in the spring look for emerging shoots. You will need to pinch these shoots are they grow. Using two fingers, pinch off the growing tip for every 2 inches of shoot length until the 4th of July. This pinching ensures that you will have beautiful blooms for the next fall season.

 

Another Fall Tip

If you buy clean straw bales for your Halloween decorating, don’t throw them away. Clean straw bales with no weed seeds can be stored in a dry spot over the winter and used when reseeding your lawn in the spring. It aids in moisture retention and provides warmth while the seed germinates. The straw actually speeds up the germination process and ensures that the seed will stay in place until the roots can anchor the plants firmly in the ground.

See Fall Gardening for more tips

 

 

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