Winter Greens/Mustard/Beets

(October 2012)

Arkansas Gardener  Central zone report October 2012

We are all thrilled to put this summer behind us, and start moving forward.  There are so many dead plants in landscapes across the state, that replanting is definitely called for.  Fall is a great time to plant hardy trees and shrubs, perennials, spring bulbs and winter annuals.  With trees, some it is quite apparent are dead, while others may have simply gone into early dormancy.  You may want to wait until spring to assess if it is really dead or alive. Evergreen plants that are totally brown you can be sure are dead.  If you know for certain a plant is dead, remove it now and consider replacement options.  Prepare the soil well, plant, water and mulch.  Hold off on fertilization until spring. Now is a great time to dig and divide spring and summer blooming perennials.  There are also great perennial plants to choose from that can be planted now.  By doing the work in the fall, we allow the roots to get established while the tops are dormant, and they will be in a stronger position by next growing season.  Now is also a great time to seed wildflowers and many perennials including poppies, purple coneflowers, columbine, foxglove and the annual larkspur, Texas bluebonnets, bachelor’s buttons and cornflowers. What is in bloom in your garden?  If you took care of your yard, you should have colorful perennials, shrubs and annuals now.  Beautyberry (Callicarpa) is loaded with purple berries, and the foliage is turning a wonderful yellow.  The burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is turning red, along with Itea and oakleaf hydrangeas.  Roses are rebounding and the Knock-outs look particularly good.   Perennials such as Toadlily (Tricyrtis), turtlehead (Chelone), Japanese anemones, and goldenrod (Solidago) are all blooming. The Hellebores are starting to put on new foliage growth for a winter bloom, and chrysanthemums and asters are readily available for instant color at nurseries.  Summer annuals that survived the summer are still going, but if yours died, there are great options now at all nurseries, from pansies and violas, to snapdragons, dianthus, diascia, dusty miller, parsley, edible and ornamental forms of kale, cabbage, Swiss chard and beets.  We can even find blooming petunias, callibrachoa and verbena now, which have been overwintering well and blooming through several light freezes.  If your garden doesn’t have color in every season, you can quickly remedy the fall color now.

 All links to external sites open in a new window. You may return to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture web site by closing this window when you are finished. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information, or the accessibility for people with disabilities listed at any external site.

Links to commercial sites are provided for information and convenience only. Inclusion of sites does not imply University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's approval of their product or service to the exclusion of others that may be similar, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the products or service offered.

The mention of any commercial product in this web site does not imply its endorsement by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture over other products not named, nor does the omission imply that they are not satisfactory.