The Mountain Gardener: Fall is the perfect time to plant

Those lazy, crazy, foggy days of summer are behind us now. What a strange summer it was.
Checking the unscientific weather records I’ve kept since 1999, I find no other summer that was as cool at this one. I know this comes as no surprise to you tomato growers out there.
At the other end of the spectrum, though, a few years — the summers of 2006 and 2008, for example — were real scorchers.
Now we’re all looking forward to Indian summer, which is the best planting season of the year.
There is plenty of time to plant California natives, Mediterranean plants or any other perennial, shrub, grass or tree. By planting from mid-September through mid-November, gardeners ensure that roots have a chance to grow all autumn and most of the winter without having to supply nourishment to the leafy portion of the plant. Roots of deciduous plants still grow even after plants drop their foliage, as long as the ground temperature is above 50 degrees. Cooling day and night temperatures slowly harden off the top of the plant to prepare for the cold days of winter.
Another reason fall is the no-fail planting season is because plants put in the ground in fall need less water to establish. The plants themselves use less water, because photosynthesis is slowed by shorter days, even if it’s occasionally hot. Evaporation rates also slow down during fall, so water in the soil lasts longer. Sometimes we get lucky with fall and winter rains perfectly spaced so the ground never completely dries out.
Even cool-season annuals, such as snapdragons, pansies and violas, Iceland poppies and primrose, planted in early fall have time to develop better roots before flowering. They start blooming earlier and they bloom over a longer time.
So get out the shovel, prepare your soil and make a shopping list.
Plants that thrive in dry, shady spots benefit especially from fall planting, as they need established root systems before next year’s dry season. Dry shade sometimes occurs in places beyond the reach of the hose but also under native oaks. To protect the trees’ health, it’s a requirement that any plants underneath thrive with little or no summer irrigation.
Plants of proven success under these conditions include native currants and gooseberry. Claremont pink flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum) are beautiful in spring, with pale pink flower clusters that darken as they age. The powdered, blue-black berries are edible, though the seeds are bitter. To get a taste of the fruit, though, you’ll have to compete with the birds. Chapparal currant is another tough reliable shrub that blooms early and often, flowering from December through March. The pendulous flower clusters are 2 to 6 inches long and range in color from dusty pink to rose red.
Other winning shrubs for dry shade include mahonia, nandina, osmanthus, snowberry, coffeeberry, aucuba, barberry and upright manzanita.
Groundcovers that thrive under oaks and in other dry, shady spots include hellebore, evergreen currant, correa, manzanita and sarcoccoca.
Whatever conditions you have in your garden, don’t miss out adding some great plants during the fabulous fall planting season.
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











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