The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Yes, it's true, fall is for planting. September is the ideal month to plant all sorts of things. Nursery professionals have known this for years. The challenge is to get all you guys to buy into the concept.

When you think about it, fall weather is much like spring weather. The day lengths are about the same and the night and day temperature fluctuations are similar. These are good growing conditions if you are a plant.

Lawns love this time of the year. Why shouldn't they? They're plants too! After being tromped on all summer by the kids and left to die while we were on vacation, grass plants somehow realize it's safe to start growing again. Fertilize and water them and by the end of the month, they should be gorgeous. If your lawn is totally trashed, then you might consider over-seeding. You've got until early to mid October to resurrect the lawn or it will look like heck all winter and probably become a weed patch by spring. Depressing, isn't it?

Late summer is a great time to move plants. Take a hard look at your garden. Are you happy with how everything looks? Have you got some holes to fill or some spots that are too crowded? You can dig up perennials this time of year or buy new ones at the garden center and plop them in the ground, and in spring they will go nuts. By planting now, you will save an entire season. There is a huge return when you plant in the fall.

Fall is the consummate time to plant new shrubs and trees. In addition to moving existing plants around the yard, you can introduce news ones just as easily. It's okay to plant now. Did you hear that? It's okay to plant now. I would submit that for some things it's even better to plant now than back in spring when it was so wet. And what makes it all the more exciting is that garden centers have new stock arriving daily, fresh new crops of shrubs and perennials that are vigorous and healthy and ready to be taken home and planted. So don't be afraid of planting now.

It is time to redo our containers. I know that for many of us, the geraniums and petunias still have some color, and the natural tendency is to milk them for all they're worth. But if we want some decent looking pots for the winter then we need to plant them this month while there is still some warmth in the air. Jerking out that summer color is a small sacrifice for all the months of enjoyment we will receive this winter and early spring. Nurseries are well stocked with hardy color and interesting textural plant material that will survive our northwest winters.

We can even plant veggies this time of year. Yank out the zucchini, corn and beans and replant some lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, onions and Swiss chard and enjoy fresh produce all winter. With the help of a simple plastic cover (known as a cloche) you can extend the veggie gardening season well into the winter and get a jump start on the spring.

Perennial veggies like strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus can be divided and replanted in the fall. Strawberries especially need to be rejuvenated every 3-4 years and the easiest way to do it is to dig up the whole bed, throw away the mother plants and replant the beds with the young and vigorous runners. Be sure you enrich the soil with compost and organic fertilizers before you replant.

Spring blooming bulbs like daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinths are now arriving at the garden centers. This is the time to plant them, not in the spring when you see them blooming. In the last several years we have been selling "beautiful blends" which are pre-mixed blends of bulbs that are color coordinated for fantastic floral displays. All you have to do is dig a hole and dump the bag of bulbs in, and when they bloom in the spring you will look like a hero. You can also plant them in containers if you are short on space and then, when they finish blooming, all you have to do is dump out the pot and plant something for the summer.

So don't be a slacker. Fall is a fabulous time to plant new stuff or move old stuff around in the garden. Get busy before it's too late.



Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at

435-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net