09/02/2026
Fall is nearly here, and if it would just cool down a little, I would really appreciate it. El Niño is here, and although we have had no rain yet, it is showing itself with all the high clouds and cloud cover we have been experiencing this past month. It makes for great sunsets but also more oppressive heat due to humidity. Most of you have probably heard the predictions for a wet winter. Unfortunately, the water seems to always find some way into my roof on this old house with all its additions. Maybe El Niño will weaken by the new year, and it will not be as bad as they think. Just hoping for a few sunny days mixed in so we can dry out a little.
The nursery is in a bit of a flux as our main source for dry goods is shutting down. All rather sudden, but their investors decided to get out of the lawn and garden business, and BFG failed to find alternative funding. This is the company that Deb and I would go to Reno for in October and do a lot of ‘Early Buy’ for spring with great terms and prices. It looks like other companies will pick up the slack, but it will take them and us a while to get up to speed. In the meantime, we might be stocking different brands of the same product, like neem or Bt. Two of our suppliers carry Bonide and Monterey, but not Fertilome. Terracotta pots might be another issue, or we will be changing from Deroma to something else. Suppliers have a minimum order unless we are willing to pay high shipping costs. At this time, we have most of what we need, and when we have enough for a minimum order, we will see who can supply it.
The first of our fall bulbs arrived: the saffron crocus. Saffron crocus are fall bloomers, and you can harvest their red stamens for saffron. Each flower produces only a few, so you can appreciate why saffron is so expensive. Our onion sets were supposed to be on the same order but have been delayed. Organic garlic is set for the first available ship date of Sept 15. I went with another supplier for organic seed potatoes, and they are scheduled to ship Sept 1. We are stocking up on cool season vegetable starts and fall seeds. We have a few cool-season flower annuals, but expect a lot more as we get deeper into September.
Many perennials are still looking great into fall, and some are just starting. The late bloomers include mums, asters, and dwarf plumbago. Long-blooming perennials that still look great through fall include Black-eyed Susans, Coneflowers, Coreopsis, Blanket Flower, and Salvia, to name a few. A lot of the sages do their best work this time of year. Some other blooming now ‘perennials’ that do not overwinter here are the summer snaps and Angelonia. If your containers are looking tired, you can always trim back and feed, and they will reward you with another month or two. Another option would be to replace a few things with fall color and then wait to totally refresh when we have cooler weather and a better selection of the annuals that give you color in the winter.
If you have a shade garden with Azaleas and Camellias, blueberries, or rhodies, then it is time to do the fall feeding. Use an acid food, as these are acid lovers, performing best with a lower pH. Feed now before bud set, as it is not recommended to feed them during that period/winter. Continue to feed your roses, as they will start to perform better as the weather cools. We just feed all our roses and trees here. Summer vegetables need food too if you are not ready for the winter garden. Just keep in mind that you do not want to wait too long to plant your broccoli, lettuce, peas, and more. It would be best if they were all planted by the end of Sept and October at the latest. Make sure you replenish the earth with Soil Booster, manures, worm castings, etc., before you plant.
Keep a lookout for more aphid hatches as the weather cools. Their favorite time is spring with all that tender new growth, but we are fighting aphids on our Crepe Myrtles now. Look for the yellow ones on your oleander and milkweed. They can show up at any time. You will want to wash off the shiny, sticky leaves, as this often turns into a black, moldy look later. We have kept the whitefly at bay, but it is definitely around and manageable. Spider mites got to our buddlejas, but spray and a ladybug release are helping with that. The ladies are helping with the aphids too.
I really like this time of year as the colors tend to be warm. Even the light quality is warmer due in part to the dust particles in the atmosphere in our dry west. The nursery just glows in the late afternoon/evening as the sun goes down. Soon we will be seeing color change in the foliage too. If you love fall colors, we have many trees and shrubs here that get good color as the chlorophyll leaves the foliage and the trees go into dormancy. The best trees are Crepe Myrtles, Chinese Pistache, Maples, Ornamental Pear, Dogwoods, and Raywood Ash. Shrubs with nice fall color include Spireas, Burning Bush, Barberry and Lilacs.
Every year we preach that fall is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, natives, and perennials. Some of you are tired of me saying this every year, but for those of you who haven’t... the soil is all warm from the summer. The plants are not growing as much as in spring on the tops, but put those roots in the warm soil, and they take off. The work is being done where you can’t see it, but come spring they are ready to take off, will be stronger through the heat, and will not need as much water. They say a plant put in the ground now will be twice as big as one planted in the spring by the end of the growing season.
Not only are we expecting our onion sets soon, but fall bulbs will also be coming this month too. Nothing says spring like daffodils and tulips. The daffodils are great planted in the ground and will multiply. My feeling is tulips might be better suited to pots, where you can keep them away from deer and dry store for next year after the foliage dies back. Tulips kept dry in the summer last longer, but still you can only expect a few good years of bloom. If you want these flowers in the spring, fall is the time when you plant them. Don’t forget the Sure Start, or, if you prefer, Bone Meal.
Your mantra for the month: Fall is for planting, Fall is for planting, Fall is for planting….
Open Sat and Sun Labor Day Weekend, 9-5; Monday, 10-2.
September Specials
Overstocked: 30% off
Arizona Ash and Catalpa Trees
20% off Airplants
Oxalis Iron Cross
Hostas
Hydrangeas
