Hello everybody!

It's official--FALL IS HERE!! This is the very best time for planting, since we now have cooler, shorter days and warm soil. This allows for plants to get established before trying to grow.

For Fall color:

Garden mums, pansies and flowering cabbage/kale are great for border plants and containers. Camellia sasanquas (blooms), beautybush (purple berries), holly & pyracantha (red berries) and burning bush (red leaves) are some of many choices for shrubs. Gingko and Maple are two good trees for fall color.

For all plantings, always prepare your soil by incorporating compost (bumper crop) with your soil, plant root ball slightly higher than original soil and water in with a plant starter (bonide plant starter).

Fescue seed should be planted now. To prepare the soil, a good raking may be sufficient to loosen your soil, however, if compacted or thick with undesirables or dead grass, dethatching and/or aerating may be better. To thicken up an existing fescue lawn, overseed with fescue (Andersons Tidewater Turf) at the rate of 3-5#/1000sq.ft. For thin to bare ground, apply 7-8#/1000sq.ft. at the same time, apply a starter fertilizer (high middle number [i.e. re-nu starter]) and last, pelleted lime 20-40#/1000sq.ft. (helps eliminate mushrooms,moss,and slows weed seed germination).

Fall vegetable plants can still be planted.

So... FALL IS FOR PLANTING & DECORATING!! Don't forget the pumpkins, gourds and indian corn.

Have a great fall!

As our expansion continues, we are open, and I look forward to seeing everyone!

Happy Gardening!
Dabney

p.s. mid-October on is a better time to plant bulb.