Fall brings on a regular routine for many of us. Kids are back in school. Days are shorter. Football and soccer games fill the calendar. And it is a great time to plant color and shade trees. Many beginning gardeners think that spring is the planting season of the year. But taking advantage of planting in the fall brings a lot of benefit and joy to your home.

Usually there are great values in the garden center which benefits your pocket book. Planting in the fall lowers the risk of plant not adapting to new ground,  and watering needs are met with seasonal weather. The small effort it takes to plant in the fall is nothing compared to the surprising beauty you gain the following spring watching your work blossom.

Check out the garden center for those values and tempting colorful plants waiting to be taken to your home.

The Katsura Tree is grown as an ornamental tree for its lovely foliage as well as shade. The foliage emerges with a bronze tint, which becomes green in summer. It has excellent autumn colour, from bright yellows to red-orange. In autumn, the leaves also acquire a scent--most often compared to cotton candy.

It does like moist soil and isn't very drought tolerant. It does especially well in areas like the Pacific Northwest.

Summer may soon be in the rear view mirror but show-stopping color doesn't have to be! Fall can be the most rewarding season of all, as plants make one final encore in an explosion of colors. Here are just a few you might want to plant in your landscape.

Mums

Chrysanthemums are a true fall tradition. They come in all sizes, shapes, and bloom colors--something for everyone.

And don't forget the fall grasses. There are many to choose from.
Chasmanthium l (sea oats) : growing to 2x2' with a great autumn golden oat-like spike that makes a great dried flower as well as a showpiece in your garden.
Hakonechloa macra  (japanese forest grass)  varieties 1-3 ft tall, with bright colored leaves, good in shady areas.
Blue fescue: an everygreen grass, hardy, blue, great accent in the yard, 1x1' mounded tuft.
And many, many more.

How often should I feed my lawn?

Answer:
We recommend feeding lawns every two months during the growing season. You can start off by applying a lawn food in late winter to early spring that contains a pre-emergent herbicide to help prevent crabgrass and other weeds from germinating.

After that, switch to a complete lawn food.

If summer weeds become a problem, apply a weed and feed fertilizer.

It's time to give your lawn a final feeding this fall, before it goes dormant, to keep it green through winter. If the lawn goes into the winter looking yellow, you won't be able to green it up until temperatures warm up again.

Happy Gardening!
Drake