The Autumn Switch

• Posted on 20 September 2018
• 0

Fall Foliage Fiesta; 10% off ALL trees! Now OPEN Sundays Noon – 4pm!

The oppressive heat of this week will give way to the seasonal changes occurring on Saturday.  The autumn switch magically changes the weather from sweltering conditions into transitional mode: much cooler weather and rainfall are on the way.  This seemingly synchronous change may be coincidental, but the timing is perfect.  Say goodbye to ninety-degree days; let fall begin!

The official time when the autumnal equinox occurs is at 8:54 pm CDT.  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.  As I mentioned in a previous article, Shorter Days Ahead, the length of our days are now reducing 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 now 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 though you’d never ask!) I’ll be glad to tell you.

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.

Our Fall Foliage Fiesta is going on now through September 27, 2018.  For the next week, you will receive 10% off ALL trees.  We have unloaded more truckloads this week. Shop now and save!

David Bates