Given this extended autumnal bliss and looking at our 10-day weather forecast, there is still plenty of time for planting. Apologies if I am sounding like a broken record. This is a uniquely beautiful fall. I still have calendula blooming away and my crowded container-grown geraniums, nasturtiums, and petunias are making a noticeable rebound. I think I might actually give them one more round of seaweed fertilizer. We hear it all the time, fall is the time for planting. Our soil is still warm even though our nighttime temperatures are in the 30’s. Keep planting container-grown plants now or fall-planted bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and ornamental alliums - my favorite. The roots will establish in the warm soil, have less transplant shock, and wake up looking better than new come spring. I would often remind hesitant folks considering planting at this time of year, the plants are much happier in the ground than in nursery containers. In all honesty, you can plant any time of year. Digging a hole in frozen ground is challenging though. As I drove by all three local nurseries yesterday, they looked like they still had plenty of stock, usually, the prices are reduced this time of year. Sometimes in my experience, you can do a bit of wheeling and dealing if you plan on buying in bulk.
Here are a few plants worth mentioning that grow well here and are in fall color now. Prairie Fire Crabapple-Fire is an accurate description. Leaves are a vibrant blend of alizarin crimson and the lacquer you might find on some gorgeous antique Chinese furniture. The smaller tree should be used as a specimen planting. It has stunning magenta flowers in the spring and can grow to 15’ tall and wide. The pea-sized red crabapples are usually devoured by small flocks of cedar waxwing birds mid-winter. Interestingly, the crabapples are usually fermented at that point. Kevin and I joke that they are hitting the pub for a cold pint of cider. Alpine Currant is sometimes called golden or clove currant for the bright yellow, strongly clove-scented flowers it produces in early spring. I noticed several posts on the Fallon gardening Facebook page in early spring looking for identification on currants. These shrubs grow really well in our area and spread around town from our feathered friends. The blackberry it produces is the only thing in my yard that brings in the Orioles. If you can get them before the birds, they are great in jams, jellies, and ice cream. They are a good candidate for the hardwood cuttings I wrote about a few columns ago. Their small maple-shaped leaves are red and dusky purple.
Raywood Ash is wonderful, am not sure how we do not have one yet on our property. A Raywood can become a large tree 50’ tall, larger in other areas of the country. They are a substantial shade tree that can be considered drought tolerant in our area. They have long thin, pinnately arranged leaves that change colors to a combination of dark green, dark purple almost black, and maroon red. There are a few gorgeous ones in town. A few are on the south end of Maine Street that could use some help. Hint, hint, hint, city folks.
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