I love this time of year. The fall colors are at their peak and the maples remind me once again why they are so popular. Not only are they great shade trees, but they put on one heck of a show. Autumn Blaze is by far our most popular tree, and with it’s blaze orange/red fall color, it is a real beauty. Maples aren’t the only trees turning color though. The Quaking Aspen have a beautiful yellow color, and the Oaks are coloring up from a burnt orange/brown color all the way up to the beautiful reds that give the Maples a run for their money. Birch are starting to stand out with their white bark, and the crabapples are even looking nice with their bright red fruits that are hanging on for the birds this winter. Even the Evergreens are starting to show their colors…the yellowing needles in the centers of our Pines and Spruce are normal this time of year (as well as the arborvitae), so don’t panic. As long as the tips of the branches are green, the Evergreens are just showing off as well. Shrubs are looking just as good. The Burning Bushes are exploding with color, not to mention the Tiger Eye Sumac with it’s brilliant florescent orange leaves just getting ready to drop off the stems. The Emerald Carosel Barberry is turning a gorgeous red, and even the fruit section is alive with color as the Blueberries are putting on their red leaves to wish everyone a happy fall and to go into dormancy with a bang. The Hydrangea blooms are all drying on the stems, for some nice winter interest, and the dogwood stems have gone from their green summer color to their red winter color already (yellow stems for Bud’s Yellow). The Nursery Lot is going crazy with color!
Fall is a great time to plant. The soil temperatures are still pretty warm, so roots have a bit of a chance to establish, but the air temps are nice and cool so moisture loss is at a minimum. You don’t have to water as much, but make sure that the ground stays moist if we don’t get any rain. Once the leaves drop for the year, you shouldn’t have to water much, but DON’T FORGET YOUR EVERGREENS!!! Even though the hose is put away for the year, your evergreens still continue to lose moisture through their “leaves” (needles), so you will want to make sure that they have moisture available for their roots, right up until the ground freezes. Be careful not to overwater this time of year. Plants aren’t using as much water as they were, so you won’t have to water nearly as much as you did during the summer. Just check the soil before you water, you should water thoroughly when the top 4 inches or so of the soil is dry.
You can fertilize this fall, AFTER your plants go dormant, but I like to wait until spring. You should be looking over your plants this time of year and figuring out the health and vigor of your shrubs and trees. I recommend that you get a soil test done this time of year so that you have all the information you need in the spring to fertilize properly. As far as pruning goes, you can do some dormant pruning, but I prefer to wait until late winter. If you prune now, your plants don’t have time to heal their wounds before winter and the cold dry winds of that season will cause the stems to dry out where you made the cuts. If you wait until February or March to prune, you still get all the advantages of dormant pruning, without all of that cold winter wind. Plus, I don’t know about you, but 40°F now feels MUCH colder than 40°F in the spring. After a winter of cuddling up under a blanket, I love to go out on a mild winter day in March and play in my yard a little. I look for any excuse to get outside, and waiting to prune will give me LOTS of excuses to get outside. Also, remember not to prune any spring blooming shrubs now (or in late winter for that matter), like Lilacs and Rhododendron/Azaleas, because you will be removing their flower buds. They have set them now and are preparing for winter. Prune spring bloomers after they are done with their blooming. Never be afraid to remove dead or diseased branches at any time, this will not hurt the plant in any way.
Don’t forget to stop in and check out our sales in our Evergreen Section, also, our free tree delivery is still going on #15 container trees or larger, so come in and check out our fall colors!
Until then, have a Wonderful Fall, and I will see you soon! Robin