Fall is a time of opportunity for gardeners

QUINCY — Spring isn’t the only time to plant flowers. According to Nancy Richardson, a sales and landscape consultant at Emerald Desert Nursery, in Quincy, there are a variety of plants that bloom in the fall and can be planted in fall.

“Certainly the most popular fall blooming perennials would be chrysanthemums and asters,” Richardson said. “Dahlias, which is a tuber planted when the soil is warm in late spring, is also very attractive in fall garden beds and bouquets. Other popular color splash perennials include Rudbeckia, ‘Goldsturm’, Baptisia, Coreopsis, Goldenrod Gaillardia and Veronica. These are sun loving, irrigated garden bed perennials.”

Flowers aren’t the only plants that are beautiful this time of year. Some ornamental grasses peak in the fall and grow well in the Columbia Basin. Some examples are Karl Forester, a feather reed grass; blue oat grass; fountain grasses such as Hamlen, red head, or Moudry; morning light and gracillimus, a maiden grass; and purpurascens, a flame grass. Richardson said that grasses with blue to lavender blades, such as little bluestem and standing ovation, or burgundy-tipped blades and seed heads, such as Cheyenne skies and Shenandoah, stand out against the green foliage of other plants and grasses.

According to Richardson, any of the plants listed above can be planted this time of year. (Editor’s note: Richardson was interviewed for this article more than a week ago.)

“The same with trees that give us beautiful fall colors, like maples,” Richardson said. “The ground is warm in the fall and the evening temperatures are cool, which is ideal for planting. Spring blooming bulbs, like crocus, tulips, daffodils and alliums, should be planted. It is also a good time to plant evergreen shrubs and trees.”

When buying plants in the fall, Richardson recommends keeping a few things in mind: how big the plant has grown over the summer, what colors the plant is, what kind of care the plant needs and the USDA Hardiness Zone.

“The USDA Hardiness Zone is very important for winter survival,” Richardson said.

The typical zone for the Upper Columbia Basin is a five. This means that the plant can withstand temperatures down to minus 20 degrees. This is especially important for areas that have to deal with the harsh winds of winter.

“It is the freezing winds we want our plants to be protected from,” Richardson said. “Snow is actually insulating. When we have a dry winter, it is harder on the plants. So the lower the USDA Zone, the hardier the plant to withstand freezing temperatures. Along the Columbia River where it is a bit warmer, a plant zoned six, hardy to minus 10 degrees, can often make it through winter without a problem.”

Perennial plants zoned as an eight or a nine are better suited for Western Washington. If they are planted in the Columbia Basin, they should be planted in the spring and treated as an annual, not expected to make it through the winter.

When purchasing plants, what will be blooming in each season should be kept in mind.

“In landscaping, it is good to offer interest for every season according to the appropriate space available,” Richardson said. “Nothing says spring quite like planting a clump of daffodils or a border row of crocus in the fall, and can be done so in both large and small spaced garden beds.”

A variety of plants should be used to keep the garden bed looking alive and colorful.

When planting in the fall, plants should still be given plenty of water.

“Even though the temps are cooler, the plants still need a good drink of water, both as they are planted and until temps drop to 40 degrees at night,” Richardson said. “Traditionally, at the end of October, night time temps drop down to low 40s, even to freezing. It is best if plants can be set in while water is still convenient for planting. Water is a key element to planting success in both spring and fall. The roots need enough time to absorb the water when planted before the ground is consistently frozen.”

While water should be given freely in the fall, fertilizer should be avoided. Fertilizer is designed to stimulate growth, something not desired right before winter. The growth of trees, shrubs and perennials actually slows down as temperatures get colder and daylight hours become shorter, conditions that put plants to sleep, also known as dormancy.

As plants head toward dormancy, there are some actions that gardeners can take to prepare them for winter. Richardson said to make sure that flowers are all removed from the plant. Debris should be removed from the area of the plant. Then garden compost or a fine bark mulch can be placed around the base. Compost and mulch helps insulate the ground from freezing temperatures, gives the plants decomposed organic matter to feed on and helps trap moisture in the soil.