YOUR GARDEN GUY: Now’s a great time to plant ornamental veggies

Go for it! Fall is the time for planting trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. Now through December is the best time to plant. Because of the cooler weather, plants root quicker and stress much less. Do not plant when the soil is wet or muddy. It makes a huge mess and it is not good for the roots of the plants.

It is still a great time to plant pansy, ornamental cabbage, ornamental kale and ornamental mustard. These ornamental veggies are stunning in containers and in seasonal beds. Don’t forget about parsley, which loves the cooler months.

My Encore azaleas are full of blooms! I had my doubts about these when they were first introduced, but I doubt no more! Read the labels, some of the Encore azaleas get large.

Now is a good time to clean the metal surfaces of garden tools. Using steel wool and a household oil, rub the surfaces to remove rust and corrosion.

Over-seed warm season grasses, such as Bermuda, with rye grass before the end of October. Avoid over-seeding Centipede lawns; it can weaken growth in the spring.

Do you still need to spray a herbicide on some persistent weeds? Wait for a sunny day when the temperature outside will be a least 70 degrees. Of course you have to spray before the first frost, which is when many warm season weeds will go dormant.

It’s time to start planning and planting your cool weather seasonal beds. Contact me for more information.

Todd Goulding provides residential landscape design consultations. Contact him at www.fernvalley.com or 478-345-0719.

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 10:07 PM with the headline "YOUR GARDEN GUY: Now’s a great time to plant ornamental veggies ."