Garden Tips: Think fall with these suggestions

By Heather Prince
www.thegrowingplace.com

September 12, 2013 2:36PM

The container pictured here can easily be transitioned from fall to winter, keeping the ivy and the berries and adding more greens. | Courtesy of Heather Prince

Updated: September 12, 2013 2:48PM

School has started and our schedules suddenly seem crammed. Try to take a moment to stop and savor the harvest season.

Plant a row of lettuces, radishes or spinach for a late season salad. Soon pumpkins and gourds will arrive, making delicious meals and fun decorations. Mums and asters are starting to take the stage with starry blossoms. Ornamental grasses are beginning to bloom and showcase their many pretty seedheads.

Many of our late summer prairie plants are still looking great and offering a much-needed food source for migrating butterflies and hummingbirds. Birds are migrating, too, and are looking for food and water. It can be a great time to spot warblers making their way south for the winter.

Stop and smell the last roses of the season and leave their blossoms to form rose hips for winter interest.

And get outside and take a walk in the woods to enjoy the beginnings of fall color.

Or if you’re looking for a place to enjoy some old-fashioned fall fun, check out The Growing Place in Aurora during its fall festival from Sept. 21 through 22. Enjoy crafts, seasonal foods, hayrides, live music and more.

Garden Tip is courtesy of Heather Prince, The Growing Place, 630-355-4000, www.thegrowingplace.com