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I've had terrific success in my part of the world with this. Our springs give way to very hot summers very quickly but fall is wonderful and many of our winters are mild.
You're the third person who has written to me from TX with that same type of advice! I was thinking mostly of New England, where only losers (= really smart people) plant stuff in the fall - why do they sell it in the spring, then? But I'm glad to hear it works for the southwest too. Thank you for your comments!
I couldn't agree with you more, Carrie. (Really cute picture, too.) Another thing I like about planting perennials in the fall is that the garden vibration slows down, it's starting to cool off, and the butterflies, hummingbirds and bees are everywhere. And I've had a delightful surprise this fall - praying mantises galore! I took a neat picture but I haven't learned how to send it. Maybe next time.
Carrie, I loved your article--I planted a whole bunch of inexpensive plants from Bluestone Perennials last Fall and they came up like gang-busters. My only advice: be sure to label your Fall plantings well, and even better, make a detailed plot-plan-- because over the winter and early spring those little white labels "migrate" or blow away entirely and then you are faced with a bed-full of extremely vigorous, delightful. . . whaaat?
I need this bit of advice taped to my checkbook and debit card:LOL: I'm perennially challenged (suck at them) and through various co-ops and co-op groups I always buy buy buy the poor little plugs. We order early but the orders are tending to show up in the heat of summer.
The last batch I got today (echinaceas) and they are the best of them that I've ever received and I think it must be due to the lower temps.
I always buy from the clearance/half price tables tucked in the rear of my favorite higher end nursery. I've picked up some great plants and know that they will return the following year like Phlox, coreopsis, gaillardia and now I think I need to look for a pretty blue balloon flower:lol:
I accidently found out about planting in the fall when I had one of those years when I was laid up after surgery, and then My mom was laid up with a heart attack, and my daughter had a colicky baby and I was helping her alot. I knew that alot of my plants needed dividing, and since I never got to them in the spring, I divided them in the fall. Was I ever surprised when they came up looking better than the few new ones I had bought. Now when I do buy something new, I wait until the end of the spring season, leave them in the potand kind of stick them in the ground until fall, and then plant them. they come up looking like they have been there forever and they are much more vigorous than any planted in the spring
