Fall Foliage Fiesta

• Posted on 14 September 2023
• 0

Massive selection of trees and colorful conifers! Now OPEN Sundays Noon – 4pm!

As the oppressive sporadic heat of the past months gives way to the seasonal changes that the soon arriving autumn brings; the autumn switch magically changes the weather from sweltering conditions into transitional mode: likely much cooler weather and rainfall are on the way.  These seemingly synchronous changes may seem coincidental some years, but the timing is always perfect.  Say goodbye to ninety-degree days, and letting go of summer!

The official date when the autumnal equinox occurs is next Saturday, September 23rd.  At that time, all parts of the world receive roughly ‘equal’ amounts of both daylight and night.  The word, equinox, is derived from Latin, literally meaning, equal night.  This occurs twice annually, both fall and spring.  The length of our days will then reduce at the fastest pace all year; every day through October 1st we will lose 2 minutes and 16 seconds of sunlight.

Don’t fret!  Even though the last gasps of summer are slipping away, for most gardeners, fall is the favorite season… with spring a close second.  It might be the other way around for you, but from a horticultural sense, fall should take the top spot.  Why?  (I thought you’d never ask!)

For most plantings, fall is much better than spring.  It is true that spring has its own magical spell, but fall planting gives us gardeners a much needed break: it takes a lot of maintenance out of the equation.  Cooler temperatures and increasing rainfall make fall planting a naturally, much easier landscaping path, than does spring.  Even though most plants go dormant in the winter, their root systems continue to grow all winter.  That makes fall plantings much more drought resistant than the same plants installed in the spring.  That saves you water and time.

Ask your gardening questions here; we’ll get your questions answered on, “The At Home Show”, Live, every Saturday at 8a; or on your schedule, along with our podcast version on YouTube Music: keeping your Fall Foliage Fiesta going all autumn!

David Bates