| There's a change in the air. Nights and mornings are turning crisp; afternoons, still warm.Trees are beginning to show the first hint of fall color. These changes hail the beginning of the FALL PLANTING SEASON. |
| BULBS: Plant or chill tulips and hyacinth (species tulips like Tulipa clusiana and T. saxatilis need no pre-chilling). Plant daffodils, Dutch iris, crocus, babiana, freesia, muscari, scilla, watsonia, sparaxis, tritonia, ranunculus, ixia, leucojum and more. NOTE: Only tulips, hyacinths and crocus benefit from 6-8 weeks of chilling in the refrigerator. Ask if your bulbs have been pre-chilled. Visit nurseries soon for the best selection. |
| ANNUALS:
Switch to
cool-season annuals toward
the middle or end of the month. Look for pansies, primrose, Iceland poppies,
ornamental kale, forget-me-nots, snapdragon, sweet peas, stock and more. For some really fun stuff, try Annie's Annuals, available by mail order and at select Sacramento nurseries (Bushnell's, Sierra Nursery & Rock, Redwood Barn Nursery , Davis Co-Op, Capital Sunrise, and Windmill). |
| NATIVE
PLANTS: Fall
is the best time for planting natives! For a great selection, attend the
California
Native Plant Society, Sacramento Valley Chapter's annual plant sale (see calendar) Most nurseries, including Bushnell Gardens Nursery and Capital Nursery, carry a varying supply of natives. Just ask. For native bulbs, try Far West Bulb Farm. Cornflower Farms, a local wholesale native plant grower, is a great source of natives. |
| WILDFLOWER SEEDS: Fall is also a great time for planting wildflowers. Try Peaceful Valley Farm Supply's Central Valley Wildflower Mix containing: California Poppy, Deerhorn Clarkia, California Blue Bell, Sweet Alyssum, Plains Coreopsis, Sulphur Cosmos, African Daisy, Blanketflower, Showy Blue Gilia, Gazania, Showy Evening Primrose, Mountain Garland, Chinese Houses, Globe Gilia, Scarlet Flax, Arroyo Lupine, Five Spot, Black-eyed Susan, Goldfields, Tidy Tips, Yellow Lupine, Moss Verbena, and New Mexico Evening Primrose. Native California wildflower purists? Try the California Native Wildflower mix , containing: Tidy Tips, California Poppy, Godetia, Five Spot, Sky Lupine, Chinese Houses, California Blue Bell, Mountain Garland, Globe Gilia, Showy Blue Gilia, Bird’s Eyes, Goldfields, Yellow Lupine, Arroyo Lupine, Baby Blue Eyes, Beach Evening Primrose, Blue-Eyed Grass and Mountain Phlox. |
| PERENNIALS: This month is a great time to plant hardy perennials. |
| HERBS: It's never too late to plant perennial herbs. Nurseries are very well-stocked with the likes of rosemary, thyme, tarragon, etc. |
VEGETABLES:
Plant
cool-season
veggies like carrots, green onions,
peas, radishes, spinach, lettuce
and more. See the Vegetable
Planting Calendar for more info. To chart the best time for planting
in your area, download and print the UC VRIC's Fall
Planting Schedule, counts backward from your garden's average first
frost date to determine when to plant each variety. (download requires
free Adobe® Reader®). According to UC VRIC, Sacramento's average first frost
date is November 14. |
LANDSCAPE
TREES: Fall
tree-planting season is upon us! It happens to be the best season for
landscape tree planting. It's an especially good time for selecting fall-color
trees because you'll be able to see what you're going to get in the way
of color, since color can vary from tree to tree (even of the same species). |