Someone asked me the other day, “What’s good to plant this time of year?” It’s a good question.
I often receive e-mails asking for advice or ideas for solving all sorts of gardening problems and landscaping situations. You may have wondered about some of these yourself. Hopefully, these answers will solve your problem, too.
What is good to plant at this time of year?
In this area, fall is a good time to plant just about anything. If you want an ornamental tree with spring flowers, or a shade tree to keep the house cool in the summer, now is the time to plant. The ground is moist, so digging is much easier, and the warm soil will encourage root growth. Shrubs of all types, as well as perennials, settle in nicely when planted in October and November.
Don’t have color in your garden from fall foliage like you see in other yards? Take advantage of fall sales at local nurseries. There are tons of plants now in fall color to choose from.
Why do trees turn colors in the fall?
The shorter days and cooler temperatures of autumn cause trees to switch into energy-storage mode, at which point their leaves stop producing chlorophyll. For the few weeks before the leaves fall to the ground, they are colored only by their other natural pigments. It’s these colors — red and purple anthocyanins, yellow and orange carotenoids — that make fall foliage so glorious.
Some years, the show is more dramatic than others. The best conditions for intense leaf color to develop are dry, sunny days followed by cool, but not freezing, nights.
A warm, wet autumn will almost surely result in less-than-spectacular foliage, because the process of chlorophyll loss will be less consistent.
Freezing temperatures, meanwhile, can cause leaves to drop suddenly, denying them the opportunity to enter their slow, colorful dormancy.
When do we usually get the first frost here?
I have kept a weather calendar since 1992, and based on my records, there was a light frost Oct. 29, 2002. I’ve seen a hard frost as early as Nov. 7, but more commonly, frost comes later in November. In 1997 to 1999, frost didn’t occur until the first week of December. Be prepared.
How long can I leave my house plants outside?
Halloween is a good time to take them in. We usually don’t have the heater on full blast that early, so plants don’t suffer shock from going from a cold environment to a heated one. Be sure to inspect them for insect pests and wash them off before taking them inside.
I have to confess, I roll the dice and leave spider plants, wandering Jew, Hawaiian shefflera and creeping charleys outside under the overhang. I’ve been pretty lucky most winters.
Some winters, my tree ferns and bananas suffer. How can I protect them in a cold spell?
Many subtropical plants benefit from extra mulch to help them survive a hard frost. People from the East Coast know all about this. Just be sure to pull it away from the stem or trunk come spring, or the mulch can cause rot.
If you have a question, e-mail me and I’ll be happy to help.
• Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at ja******@ao*.com.
