Summer
has finally come to a close. Cooler temperatures and regular rainfall
perk up many plants in our gardens. Fall is a great time to plant trees,
shrubs and perennials. If you plant them now while the soil is still
warm and the air is cool, they will get established before winter sets in
and will perform much better than spring planted specimens because their
roots will grow all winter as long as the soil temperature remains at
40 degrees or above. This is also the only time to plant pansies, annual
dianthus, flowering cabbage and kale for winter color. All of these
plants want a location that is well drained and gets as much winter sun
as possible.
The sooner you can plant these the better they will grow
for you. Daffodils
can be planted now until the end of December. Most other spring
flowering bulbs can be planted now as well. The notable exception is
Tulips. Ideally, you should plant them the first week in December. If
you plant them now with warmer soil temperatures their flower quality
will not be as good.
When purchasing spring flowering bulbs, store them
in your refrigerator. A temperature of 38 degrees is ideal. Do not store
any fruit in the refrigerator at the same time because it will give off
a gas which is detrimental to the bulbs.