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Autumn Is Time For Planting

Autumn is time for spring bulbs.

“Autumn is for planting.” This is a common marketing campaign among nurseries at this time of year. Also, it is generally true. Of course, as with most generalizations, there are some exceptions. Bare root season is during winter. Summer bulbs prefer planting after the coldest weather of winter. Many species nonetheless prefer planting during autumn.

Cooling weather is less stressful for new plants while they begin to disperse their roots. Yet, the soil is still warm enough to promote healthy root dispersion. Later, rain will keep the soil evenly moist and provide all the moisture new plants need. Even if growth is not evident above the soil, it is probably active below. Roots grow until cold winter weather.

Simultaneously, most common pathogens and weeds are less vigorous during autumn. Many diseases need spring and summer warmth to proliferate. Insects are similarly less active now that the weather is cooler. Although weeds have dispersed their seed, some of it will not grow until next year. New plants can have the whole garden to themselves.

Planting in autumn gives the plants an advantage next spring too. Although they appear dormant through winter, they slowly continue to disperse roots. By spring, their roots are more dispersed than they would be if planted in spring. They are ready to grow as soon as the weather warms after winter. There is less delay to disperse their sustaining roots.

Many bulbs and bulb like plants are naturally dormant by late summer or early autumn. Spring bulbs, such as daffodil, hyacinth, crocus, tulip and allium, will soon be in season. Not only are they dormant, but some also bloom better after vernalization by winter chill. Bearded iris are already dormant and ready for division. So are many larger perennials.

Because some plants are dormant or visually tired by now, some nurseries have sales. This could be a good time to purchase certain items at a discount. Daylily is an example of a perennial that begins to defoliate about now. Nurseries do not want to keep them in stock while they are dormant and mostly bare. New foliage develops shortly after winter.

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Six on Saturday: October 10, 2026

After a week of summerish temperatures in the nineties, autumn is beginning to express itself, although some plants still believe that it is summer.

1. Weeds are going to seed now more than the rest of the year. While most disperse seed almost continually through their growing season, some disperse more prior to autumn.

2. Cotinus coggygria, smoke tree retains is purplish foliar color rather well until the end of summer. Pollarding enhances such foliar color, although it also compromises bloom.

3. Cornus X ‘Eddies White Wonder’ dogwood is already beginning to show a slight bit of autumn foliar color. Only a few leaves are like this while all the rest remain bright green.

4. The same dogwood is also blooming with a few flowers. I do not know if these are late from last spring or early for next spring. It does this annually and still blooms for spring.

5. Feijoa sellowiana, pineapple guava supposedly ripens about now, but actually ripens for late autumn or even early winter. These fruit are abundant but still need to plumpen.

6. Leycesteria formosa, Himalayan honeysuckle is producing its first two berries here! I realize that each of several trusses should produce several berries, but these are the first!

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Lantana

Trailing lantana can also bloom white.

Autumn weather is not yet too cool. Trailing lantana, Lantana montevidensis, can bloom until cooler winter weather. It is almost never completely without bloom while weather is warm. Eventually, it sheds some of its foliage as it blooms less or not at all for winter. It dislikes the shade and dampness of fallen leaves. Raking removes most of such debris.

Trailing lantana trails with sprawling and thin stems. It is generally less than a foot high, but can spread more than six feet wide. It can climb higher than a foot into shrubbery or other support. Its inch long leaves are strongly aromatic. Its tiny lavender flowers bloom in small, dense and circular trusses of about twenty. One cultivar exhibits white blooms.

Trailing lantana is most popular as a small scale ground cover. It can alternatively grow with a mix of flowering perennials. It cascades nicely from big pots or elevated planters. Though undemanding, it prefers good sun exposure. Partial shade compromises bloom. Trailing lantana tolerates mediocre soils and lapses of irrigation. It is vulnerable to frost. Also, it is toxic to grazing livestock. It is readily available from nurseries, in four inch and gallon pots.

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Autumn Weather Eventually Becomes Cooler

Some foliage turns color for autumn.

Cool season vegetables and cool season annuals might still seem early. The weather is not yet notably cool, although it is not as warm as it was for summer. Nevertheless, it is now autumn. The weather will become increasingly cooler and eventually rainier before winter. Plant growth will decelerate. Some foliage will become both colorful and messy.

As the weather cools, irrigation will become less demanding. Evapotranspiration, which is evaporation from foliage, decreases substantially. Deciduous plants defoliate, so can not transpire. Evaporation from soil also decreases. Rain will dampen everything that is not under a roof later in autumn. Then, irrigation will be redundant until the rain pauses.

Rain later in autumn typically accompanies storms. Stormy weather can damage trees, or potentially destabilize some. It is therefore important to address arboricultural issues now, prior to stormy weather. Arborists will be busy later, so may not be able to respond to emergencies immediately. After autumn, winter storms can be even more destructive.

As plant growth decelerates, pruning and mowing will become less necessary. Hedging may not be necessary again until growth resumes in spring. Late pruning can stimulate new growth. Such growth would be susceptible to damage from stormier winter weather later. Rain might sometimes delay lawn mowing, which should be less frequent anyway.

Some deciduous foliage becomes colorful as the weather cools and the nights lengthen. Even more of it becomes messy. As autumn progresses, it necessitates raking from turf and hardscapes. Unraked foliar debris causes mildew within lawns, and shades out the grass. Foliage also stains hardscapes, clogs drainage, and becomes a slipping hazard.

Gardening certainly evolves with the seasons. Some tasks become less demanding for autumn, or unnecessary. Others become more important. This autumn may precede an extreme El Nino winter. It is therefore advisable not to neglect garden maintenance as it becomes necessary. Minor concerns can become major when the weather gets stormy.

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Six on Saturday: Bark II

Six more mostly big conifers continue from last Saturday.

1. Juglans hindsii, Northern California black walnut is one of two of these six which are not conifers. It is also one of two that are exotic, though it is native to adjacent counties.

2. Cupressus macrocarpa, Monterey cypress is the other one that is exotic, although it is native to an adjacent county. Both it and California black walnut are almost native here.

3. Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine does not mingle much with redwood or Douglas fir, so is the dominant big conifer within its forests. It is the Official State Tree of Montana.

4. Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas fir mingles mostly with redwood or oak forests. Only a few venture into nearby ponderosa pine forests. It is the Official State Tree of Oregon.

5. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood is the Official State Tree of California, and the tallest tree species in the World! It really is a pleasure to work around so many of them.

6. Rhody has the nicest bark. He is the other one of two of these six that are not conifers. It is difficult to get a good picture of him. Even with a treat, this was the best I could do.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

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Beet

Most beets are famously deep red.

Like several of the cool season vegetables, beet, Beta vulgaris, is a root vegetable. It is, however, the same species as chard, which is leafy greens. Although beet varieties are different from chard varieties, beet foliage is also edible. Beet is biennial, so its roots are not palatable after their first year. They become tough and bitter as they bolt and bloom.

Most beet varieties produce big and round roots that are deep red. Others can be white, yellow or internally striped with red and white. Some have cylindrical roots, or roots that are shaped like carrots. Their foliage is mostly deep green, typically with red midribs like that of chard. Foliage stands only about half a foot broad and a foot high above ground.

As a root vegetable, beet should grow from directly sown seed. Transplanting damages or disfigures roots. Seed should go into organically rich and loose soil about now. Their successive planting may involve subsequent crops every two weeks until spring. Crops can be small if they are so frequent. Beet needs full sun exposure and regular watering.

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Successive Planting Prolongs Vegetable Harvest

Productive vegetables can become overwhelmingly abundant.

Cool season vegetables are now becoming seasonable. Regardless of warm weather, it is technically autumn, so the weather will get cooler. It might be tempting to sow all seed and plant all seedlings for vegetables at once. There should be no rush, though. Spring is half a year from now. Until then, successive planting can prolong vegetable harvests.

Successive planting entails cultivation of small crops throughout their seasons. The first vegetable crops, or groups, should begin as soon as they are seasonal. The last should finish at about the end of their seasons. Various vegetables grow at various rates. Some begin or finish earlier or later than others. Timing should not be too complicated, though.

Each crop of vegetables should ideally finish production as its subsequent crop begins. The typical duration of production should determine the frequency of subsequent crops. For example, each beet crop is productive for about two weeks. Each subsequent crop should therefore begin two weeks after its preceding crop. Production can last all winter.

Successive planting is not merely for cool season vegetables. It is as effective for warm season vegetables, and some spring and summer bulbs. The earliest cool season crops can replace the first warm season crops to finish. The process continues for weeks until the cool season vegetables replace all others. There is no rush for successive planting.

Large vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, require more space. They also require fewer crops because they mature relatively slowly. Successive planting for them may involve only one early crop and one late crop. Each crop might be productive for more than a month. Individual plants within each crop might mature at different rates.

Cucumber and pea are actually fruits rather than vegetables. Their vines are productive until they succumb to the weather. Those that start now may produce until the middle of winter. Those that start after the middle winter may produce until spring. Therefore, two crops may be the extent of their successive planting. One may suffice for mild climates. Cucumbers are actually warm season vegetables that grow for autumn and early spring.