Organic Gardening News

Gardens come in so many shapes and sizes, from small, asymmetrical spaces with little nooks perfect for pots to broad acres with seemingly endless land for garden beds. The beauty of having a garden, though, is that there are always ways to make the space work for you – it's just a case of being a bit creative. And few people are more creative than Joanna Gaines when it comes to making the most of any space.

Joanna recently posted pictures of her garden on Instagram, showing her stylish and practical raised garden bed layout. As you might expect, she has created a space abundant with greenery and flowers, including dahlias, zinnias, white lace flowers, scabiosa, pink globe amaranth, and plumbago. However, they're also ideally designed for growing vegetables and herbs. Her beds feel intentionally placed, with each side of the garden mirroring the other in perfect symmetry. Each raised bed is far enough apart from its neighbor to allow for easy access when planting or watering. In fact, the overall design seems rather perfect.

If you're looking for raised garden bed ideas to add to your own yard, you've come to the right place. Here's why it's so effective – and how to get the look.

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Why Joanna's Raised Beds Work So Well

Joanna's raised beds are predominantly arranged in two matching blocks of rows and columns, mirrored on either side of her garden. Towards the back of the planting area, she has also included one long planter on either side, as well as two smaller U-shaped ones.

Arranging lots of planters close together in rows and columns is a traditional approach to growing crops and is efficient when planting, harvesting, or watering. This raised bed garden layout works because everything is close by, so a gardener doesn't have to walk far to tend to each of their plants.

This approach also allows gardeners to make the most of their available space, leaving only enough room to walk comfortably between the raised beds.

The U-shaped planters towards the back are a great way to add visual variety to the yard, breaking up the repetition of the straight lines. But I love how Joanna has added one more row to bridge the gap between the main rows and the shaped raised beds, making the pattern shift feel less abrupt.

Shop Raised Beds to Get the Look

Self-Watering

Garden in Minutes 17" Tall, 2x6ft All-In-One Raised Garden Bundle

This all-in-one raised bed has its irrigation built in for low maintenance, and it divides the space into a super convenient grid for square foot planting.

Modular Design

Vego Garden 17" Tall 9-in-1 8ft X 2ft Metal Raised Planter Bed

This slender metal bed is perfect for sitting in rows like in Joanna's layout. But because it's modular you have the flexibility of different layouts. Available in six colors.

Budget Choice

Best Choice Products 8x2ft Outdoor Wooden Raised Garden Bed

This spacious 8-foot raised bed has a handy center divider for organizing different crops, plus an included liner and easy-to-assemble dovetail panels.

A More Comfortable Way to Garden

One simple but easily overlooked benefit of Joanna’s raised bed layout is that the beds give her plenty of convenient places to perch while working outdoors. Josiah Stoltzfus and Chris Newton of Saunders Hardscape, who design raised hardscape gardens, were quick to point this out.

They explained: “Raised beds are a great way to bring together multiple components, including hardscaping, landscaping, and crafting a functioning space. But a simple pro to having spaced raised beds like Joanna’s is that the hardscape lets you sit on the edge to work or bend over without going all the way down to ground level!”

You’ll be thanking yourself when your back hurts less in the yard, or when you’re tired and need somewhere to sit down and catch your breath.

(Image credit: Getty Images)Better Airflow for Healthier Plants

This was a major benefit pointed out to me by Kyle Turner, President and CEO of Pro Active Pest Control. Every raised bed has enough space around it to prevent the plants from becoming overcrowded, which not only looks great but also offers health benefits for your greenery.

As Kyle explained: “What I like about this raised bed layout is the spacing. When raised beds are arranged in a clean grid with wide walkways between them, you improve airflow around the plants. Better airflow helps foliage dry faster after watering or rain, which reduces the conditions that many pests and plant diseases prefer.”

(Image credit: Getty Images)Easier to Keep Clean

The clear walkways around Joanna’s raised beds also make it easier to keep the growing area clean and tidy. With plenty of room to move between the beds, gardeners can spot and remove fallen fruit, damaged vegetables, and other plant debris before they begin to attract unwanted visitors.

Kyle continued: “From a pest-control perspective, the layout also encourages better sanitation. Defined paths help keep gardeners from compacting the growing soil and make it easier to remove fallen fruit, damaged vegetables, or plant debris that can attract insects and rodents.”

(Image credit: Getty Images)Don’t Forget to Line the Bottom

If you’re keen to add raised beds to your garden, there’s one essential task Kyle recommends doing before filling your raised garden bed: lining the bottom.

He explained: “One recommendation I make, regardless of bed type, is to line the bottom with quarter-inch hardware cloth, like this Hunka wire cloth from Amazon, before filling the bed. It’s one of the most effective ways to keep burrowing pests out of vegetable gardens.”

If your raised beds are sitting on a hard surface, such as concrete or a patio, lining the base will also help protect the material underneath.

Joanna’s garden shows that raised beds can be both practical and beautiful. With thoughtful spacing, clear walkways, and a layout that makes the garden comfortable to use, even the most functional elements can become part of the overall design.

We gardeners have enough on our plates in autumn, what with fall cleanup and preparing our gardens for winter. Planting seeds for next year’s flowers can seem like a bridge too far. But there’s an easy way to take that item off your garden to-do list: installing self-sowing flowers.

Self-sowing flowers do their own seeding and return every year. They drop their seeds at the end of the growing season in order to propagate the species. By planting the right flowers today, you’ll get effortless blooms next year. Why not leave the seed sowing to Mother Nature, the original gardener?

Here are the most beautiful self-sowing flowers that bloom in fall for easy autumn color that returns every year.

Self-Sowing Flowers for Autumn

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of self-seeding garden plants that flower in autumn. So setting out a complete list is beyond the scope of a single article. But most of us don’t need dozens of plants to get started.

The following list of plants will fill your garden with a mix of brilliant and beautiful colors that come back year after year without any effort on your part.

1. Black-Eyed Susan

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Botanical Name

Rudbeckia hirta

Hardiness

Zones 3-9

Are black-eyed Susans the most easily recognized of all fall flowers? If not, they’re definitely in the top five. Black-eyed Susans produce yellow golden daisy-like blooms with dark “eyes” in the center from summer through the first frost in fall. The flowers are supremely cheerful, creating a bright and happy display that provides nectar to pollinators like bees and butterflies.

How hard are black-eyed Susans to care for? Plant them in a sunny location in well-draining soil and they don’t need much else. They are drought tolerant and self-sufficient and reseed easily.

The most important matter to keep in mind is to stop deadheading in late summer. Let those seedheads form. They will provide food for wild birds in winter while still self-seeding sufficiently to make the gardener smile next September.

Shop a variety of native black-eyed Susan plants online from American Meadows.

2. Sweet Alyssum

(Image credit: TonyBaggett / Images)

Botanical Name

Lobularia maritima

Hardiness

Zones 9-11

Sweet alyssum is popular with gardeners and pollinators alike thanks to its tiny white or purple flowers that seem to come in wave after wave. This low-growing plant needs a full sun or partial sun location and well-draining soil.

The flowers carry a powerful, sweet fragrance that attracts bees, flower flies, stingless wasps ,and butterflies. They look right at home in cottage gardens or prairie landscapes. In warm regions with mild winters, sweet alyssum can bloom almost all year round. Otherwise, they flower during the entire growing season including fall.

The key to getting alyssum to self-seed is to leave the dry seed cones on the plants starting in late summer. They offer food for the birds and also reseed easily in open soil.

Explore an array of colorful alyssum seeds from Botanical Interests.

3. Borage

(Image credit: Alamy)

Botanical Name

Borago officinalis

Hardiness

Zones 2-11

Borage, also called starflower, is a fast-growing annual herb with bright blue, star-shaped flowers and fuzzy leaves. It can be considered a crop as well as a flower since the edible leaves have a crisp, cucumber-like flavor. Plus, the charming flowers can also be added to fresh salads for color and flavor.

The flowers appear in summer and keep on blooming into autumn. It’s easy to care for in the garden and so tolerant that it can grow happily in less-than-perfect soil. It is best to place borage in a site with partial or full sun. There is no need to save the seeds since the plant does a fabulous job of self-sowing in milder climates on its own.

You can pick up a packet of organic heirloom borage seeds from the Home Depot.

4. California Poppy

(Image credit: Jon Farmer / Getty Images)

Botanical Name

Eschscholzia californica

Hardiness

Zones 6-10

California’s official state flower is a long-blooming, brilliant orange poppy with delicate, blue-green fern-like foliage. California poppy is an exceptional plant that covers fields and wild hillsides throughout the growing season right up through fall. This gorgeous poppy is also a nectar and pollen source for beneficial insects, including native bees and butterflies.

California poppy can grow on almost any well-draining soil regardless of the nutrient content, but you’ll see more flowers when the soil is poor. It does need a full sun exposure. The flowers appear from February to September, with the highest numbers in spring. When the cool season arrives, poppies drop abundant seeds that sprout the following year.

You can buy a colorful mix of California poppy seeds in bulk from Amazon.

5. Cosmos

(Image credit: Lam Chung Yan / Getty Images)

Botanical Name

Cosmos bipinnatus

Hardiness

Zones 2-11

Can any annual be better than this one? Cosmos produce beautiful blooms in a variety of shades of pink and white. They continue flowering all through the growing season.

These annuals are amazingly easy to grow, self-seed generously, and return the following season with minimal effort. They sit atop the long, slender stems. Do you want them small? Do you prefer them tall? You’ll find varieties of cosmos that top out anywhere from 1-6 feet (0.5-2 m) tall.

Cosmos are happy plants that liven up any landscape. The species is native to Southern and Central America – both warm areas – so it's no surprise that they prefer to be sited in a warm, sunny spot in well-draining soil.

Try these 'Sensation Mix' cosmos from Home Depot for a variety of pink and white blooms.

Admit it, we sometimes think of container gardening as a bit of a compromise. We may see it as a way of doing things on a smaller scale, perhaps because we feel limited by natural light, regional issues, or just space. For urban growers and small space gardeners, container growing is a way of trying things to see what happens. Yet the truth is that pot-based living isn’t always a compromise, but a step up!

While many of us grow herbs in pots, container gardening isn’t always our first choice for vegetables. We might squeeze a few pots of small crops in around the edges as an extra, when the reality is that certain edibles genuinely perform better in pots than in traditional ground beds. Growing vegetables in containers means you have more control over soil texture, moisture retention, pests, and ambient heat.

Containers provide an unmatched seasonal advantage as summer shifts to fall, providing excellent cultural benefits for a range of classic-sunseekers and cool-season crops. So if you’ve ever dreamed of growing veggies but don’t have the space for a bed, the dream is still alive. Whether you want to extend late-summer harvests or kick off a rapid fall crop, these vegetables thrive with pot life. Here’s why containers are about to become your secret weapon for lush late-season flavor.

Growing Vegetables in Containers

Growing vegetables in pots helps you dodge several big issues of garden beds. You can eliminate the risk of weeds and better isolate and manage pest issues. Without rocks or heavy clay to obstruct growth, root crops can expand into neat, unblemished shapes. During early fall, containers unlock another superpower. As sun angles shift and night temperatures drop, pots allow you to maneuver crops into microclimates, parking heat-lovers against sun-baked brick walls to retain warmth, or tucking tender plants under eaves during unexpected cold snaps.

Navigating USDA hardiness zones in containers does require a slightly different approach than ground beds. Because potted soil is exposed to ambient air on all sides, container roots generally experience temperatures that feel one to two zones colder than the surrounding earth. While annual cool-season crops thrive across zones 2-11 (depending on planting time), warm-season crops you started earlier in the year rely on container mobility to dodge frost snaps in cooler zones.

(Image credit: AGfoto / Getty Images)

If prepping your pots in fall, be careful with feeds. Heavy nitrogen fertilizers should be avoided in fall, as they force weak, sappy growth that is vulnerable to frost damage. Instead, you can top-dress tired pots with rich worm castings or finished organic compost, and feed with a diluted seaweed tonic such as diluted TPS Seaweed Fertilizer, available from Amazon, which helps to strengthen root resilience in young plants in a gentle way.

Protect your plant life and reduce your own ongoing daily workload by making sure you’re using a fast-draining potting soil. Where necessary, top up drainage with a few handfuls of horticultural sand or perlite to keep potting mixes light and free-draining. Elevate planters on pot toes, such as the excellent Lemon Road Terracotta Pot Feet, also available from Amazon to keep drainage manageable right through fall.

1. Fast Radish

(Image credit: Maryna Laroshenko / Getty Images)

Although it seems unlikely a root vegetable would be ideal for container growing, radishes are surprisingly versatile. Their roots are shallow, the plants are compact, and they grow quickly. In traditional beds, their delicate roots collide with stones, or heavy clay. In a shallow pot filled with fluffy potting mix, they expand effortlessly into smooth, uniform globes. You can cultivate dense, high-yield crops in window boxes, shallow bowls, or trough planters without taking up too much space.

September is ideal for a second-wave of this cool weather crop in zones 2-11. Choose rapid-maturing cultivars like French Breakfast, Cherry Belle and heirloom Watermelon radish for peak crispness in 21-28 days. Sow every 2 weeks for continuous succession harvests. Choose a vessel 6-8 inches (15-20cm) deep and blend a lightweight potting mix with coarse horticultural sand or perlite. Keep evenly moist, as erratic watering causes expanding roots to split open. For a crispy fall treat that also roasts beautifully, buy Cherry Belle Radish Seeds from Burpee.

2. Dwarf Peppers

(Image credit: Quangpraha / Getty Images)

Peppers are natural heat lovers, making them ideal candidates for container life. As nighttime temperatures drop in fall, potted peppers can be wheeled against brick walls or into garages overnight to retain the ambient warmth needed to develop tasty mature reds, oranges, and purples. Opt for prolific dwarf varieties like Apache, Redskin or Shishito. You can still buy Bonnie Plants Shishito Live Starter Plants from Amazon if you hurry. These starters save you a few weeks of waiting, so you can crank out the crops even quicker.

Provide a 3-5-gallon container for each plant, with ample bottom drainage, and grow in the sunniest spot you can find for the season. Make sure the potting mix is amended with coarse perlite and add a diluted liquid seaweed or potassium tonic to support late pod maturation. Pinch off tiny late flowers so the plant channels all remaining energy into ripening existing fruit before hard freezes arrive. Grow as annuals in zones 3-10 or tender perennials in zones 9-11.

3. Baby Beets

(Image credit: Virginija Vaidakavičienė / Alamy)

Beets grown in beds can turn tough or misshapen when they hit rocks or heavy clay. In containers, smooth, stone-free potting mix allows beet roots to swell into flawless baubles of flavor. You can snip tender greens for fall salads while waiting for the sweet roots to mature. Choose compact varieties such as Early Wonder, Baby Ball, or Bull's Blood (renowned for its magenta foliage). Everwilde Bulls Blood Beetroot Seed Packs from Walmart are budget-friendly and give you 200 seeds for pots.

As the air cools, these cool-season plants convert starches into natural sugars, producing exceptionally sweet roots. Use a wide, 10-inch (25cm) terracotta bowl or fabric pot. Fill with a lightweight potting mix blended with perlite and coarse horticultural sand. Sow seeds half an inch (1.25cm) deep and top-dress with worm castings to provide gentle organic nutrients. Thin seedlings to 2-3 inches (5-8cm) apart so each root has room to expand to lush, ruby loveliness in zones 2-11.

4. Dwarf Tomatoes

(Image credit: Kburgers / Getty Images)

Tomatoes are classic container crops and in many ways they can be happier in the right pot than in the ground. They can be picky about garden bed soil, water, and light, so a container is an ideal way to provide the perfect conditions in zones 3-10, especially for dwarf and tumbling varieties. Keeping vines elevated off damp dirt drastically cuts down on leaf diseases, allowing balcony gardeners to harvest sweet, vine-ripened fruit from tight footprints. While tall indeterminate vines decline in fall, potted toms give you late-season agility. Compact determinates like Tumbling Tom, Micro Tom, or Patio Choice thrive in pots and hanging baskets.

Use a 5-gallon container for upright cultivars, or a 10-12-inch (25-30cm) hanging planter for trailing cherry varieties. Use a high-quality potting mix enriched with organic matter and a pinch of garden lime to supply calcium and prevent blossom end rot. As temps drop, hanging baskets and small pots can be carried indoors. Wheel heavier tomato pots and trellis combos inside using a caddy like the Bloem 14-Inch Terracotta Rolling Plant Caddy from Amazon.

5. Short Root Carrots

(Image credit: Christine Rose Photography / Getty Images)

Carrots are notorious for becoming stunted or twisted in rocky or clay-heavy beds. Containers eliminate those obstacles entirely. In a deep pot filled with fine, loose potting soil, root tips push downward effortlessly, producing tidy shapes as well as delectable flavors. Choose a pot 10-12 inches (25-30cm) deep with clear drainage holes. Fill with a fine blend of coconut coir, potting soil, and perlite. Sow thinly across the surface, dusting lightly with vermiculite, and keep damp until the fronds appear.

Fall carrots harvested after crisp nights are extraordinarily sweet, and this is a great month for sowing fast-maturing short-root varieties. Look for round or short-conical cultivars like Paris Market, Chantenay Red Core, or Nantes Half Long. You can currently get great deals on short root options such as Thumbelina and Royal Chantenay Carrots, both available as seed packs from Eden Brothers. Just avoid high-nitrogen feeds, which cause carrots to grow bushy tops at the expense of roots.

6. Salad Greens

(Image credit: Nigel Cattlin / Alamy)

Just about any type of leafy salad green is easy to grow in pots: leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, chard, kale. Greens have shallow roots, so they don’t need a lot of space. They grow quickly and benefit from being elevated, so that the leaves don’t trail in the dirt and lure as many slugs on board. Greens can suffer from too much heat in summer, so pots also allow you to move them around to catch the sun, but also move into partial shade during unexpected heat spells to prevent bolting.

Greens have shallow root systems and thrive in wide, shallow bowls 6 inches (15cm) deep in zones 2-11. Leaf lettuce is easier to grow than head lettuce. Select cut-and-come-again loose-leaf varieties like Lollo Rossa, Buttercrunch, Toscano Kale, or wild arugula. ust water consistently and add a diluted liquid seaweed tonic every 2-3 weeks. Grab a bargain with Back to the Roots Organic Gourmet Blend Lettuce Seeds from The Home Depot, which you can harvest in 35 days. Snip outer leaves as needed, leaving the central crown intact for crops up to hard freezes.

Shop Veggie Pot Essentials

(Image credit: Kwanchai Chai Udom / Alamy)

To get the best performance from your potted vegetable garden through fall and beyond, these curated container essentials ensure optimal drainage, gentle health boosts, and effortless mobility when seasonal weather turns cold. Then all you have to do is sit back and wait for the yummy fall harvests to see you through to winter.

Fall Container Trio

Tip-Top Toes

Lemon Road Lemon Road Terracotta Pot Feet for Planters

Give drainage an easy lift with these discrete pot risers. By elevating heavy planters off patio pavers, they optimize airflow around the base and ensure heavy rainfall can drain instantly, keeping your veggie roots rot-free.

Gentle Nutrition

TPS Nutrients Seaweed Fertilizer Organic Liquid Kelp Plant Food

The right seaweed & kelp tonic builds root resilience and cold tolerance without forcing weak, frost-vulnerable growth. Dilute this tonic for fall top-dressing and feeding autumn greens, root crops, and fruiting vegetables late into the season.

Roll With It

Bloem Bloem Plant Caddy With Wheels, 100 Lb Capacity

This durable, weather-resistant wheeled base makes light work of relocating heavy pots. It allows you to effortlessly wheel large statement planters into sheltered spots or garage corners when unexpected early freezes threaten.

A vegetable garden doesn’t require a lot of garden space. If you have a sunny patio or balcony, you can grow many veggies and herbs in containers with total confidence – and plenty of tasty benefits! You can double up with some of these crops in pots to make even more of having less space. Use this list as a starting point for growing inspiration, and have fun experimenting with compact, tasty container crops.

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Peonies are a favorite for many gardeners. They don’t need a lot of care once established, and reward you with abundant, gorgeous flowers. They can even live for up to 100 years if they’re happy with their growing conditions.

While peony care is generally hands-off over summer, fall does require a little effort on your part. Some tidying and winter prep will pay off next year with healthy new shoots and big blooms. Fall is also a good time to divide or plant new peonies.

Here’s what you need to know about September peony care.

1. Remove Diseased Foliage

(Image credit: Getty Images)

One of the only things that can challenge you as a peony grower is disease. Peonies are prone to fungal and bacterial infections, especially as temperatures cool and rain increases in early fall. Start checking your plants for diseased-looking leaves and stems at the end of summer and the start of September.

Remove any foliage that looks damaged, has dying tissue or has spots or powdery residue. Clean and disinfect your shears after trimming back diseased leaves and before using them on healthy plants. Dispose of diseased leaves and stems. Do not put them in the compost pile.

2. Cut Back All the Foliage

(Image credit: Mulevich / Shutterstock)

Because disease can be an issue, and the vectors for disease can remain in the soil and spread, it’s best to remove all of your peonies’ spent foliage in fall. New shoots will come up in spring even if you cut them all the way back. Our editors love Fiskars bypass pruning shears from Amazon because they're sharp, built to last, and also very easy on the wallet. Sharp shears mean you won't damage the plant when you're doing your deadheading and cutting back.

You can wait until the foliage starts dying back naturally, especially if it looks healthy and you have already removed any that looks diseased.

If you see a lot of disease, cut it all back earlier. Cut your plants to within a few inches of the ground and dispose of all the debris. Don’t leave it in place, where disease can fester.

3. Divide Peonies, If Needed

(Image credit: Khorzhevska / Shutterstock)

Fall is the best time to divide peonies, but only if they need it. September provides cooler weather and more rain to minimize stress, but also gives transplants time to establish before winter. Despite taking care, peonies do not like to be moved, so only tackle this chore if they really need it, generally only every five to ten years. Overcrowded peonies look dense and tend to produce fewer and smaller flowers.

To divide peonies, first cut back the foliage. Carefully dig out and remove the clump from the ground, gently brushing or washing off dirt so you can see the roots. Use a sharp, clean knife to cut the roots into sections. Each division should have three to five eyes (these look like pink or white buds) and substantial, healthy roots.

4. Plant New Peonies or Move Established Ones

(Image credit: Maryviolet / Getty Images)

September is also the best time for planting new bare root peonies or moving existing plants, if you must. You might need to move plants if trees have grown, creating too much shade, the soil isn’t draining, or you are doing a garden redesign.

Choose a spot with full sun and soil that drains well. Give peonies plenty of room to grow, so they don’t get overcrowded or suffer from lack of airflow. It’s very important that you plant peonies so that the eyes are no more than one to two inches (2.5 to 5.0 cm) below the soil surface. Water new peonies and transplants well to help them establish.

5. Add a Layer of Mulch

(Image credit: Alamy)

Once you have new peonies in the ground or have cut back foliage from established peonies, it’s time to consider winter protection. Especially if you have cold winters, a light layer of straw, pine needles, or bark mulch can keep the roots a little warmer and hold some moisture in the soil.

Don’t layer the mulch too thickly and leave a bare space over the soil that covers the crown of the plant. Piling mulch up here can create damp conditions that lead to rot. Miracle-Gro Organic dye-free mulch from Lowe's will provide great winter protection and will prevent weeds.

What Not to Do for Peonies in September

(Image credit: VH studio / Shutterstock)

Just as important as what to do for them is what not to do. These are some mistakes to avoid for September peony care:

• Applying fertilizer, especially nitrogen-heavy products
• Cutting healthy foliage back too early in the season while it’s still gathering energy
• Leaving foliage on the ground
• Composting diseased foliage
• Planting new or divided peonies too deeply
• Mulching too heavily, especially over the crowns
• Letting roots and crowns get soggy and not addressing soil drainage issues

September is one of the most important months of the year for a plant that doesn’t need a lot of care the rest of the year. Now is the time to do many of these tasks, which will ensure your plants are healthy and blooming vigorously next year.

Shop Fall Peony Essentials

Miracle-Gro Organic All Natural Mulch

Organic, dye-free mulch will protect your peonies through winter and keep weeds out of the garden.

Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears

A crowd-favorite amongst our editors for their build quality and a price tag you can't beat.

Corona Tools Garden Tool Sharpener

Easily sharpen your pruners and loppers and keep your cuts clean.

Need more ideas for timely gardening jobs and seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

I have a confession to make: until I married a professional gardener, I thought lawn care was basically a case of throwing some fertilizer down in the fall when the grass looked like it needed cheering up.

My husband, unsurprisingly, does not agree. In fact, whenever I mention fertilizing the lawn, I can practically see him preparing himself mentally for the conversation. Because according to him, one of the biggest mistakes we make with fall lawn care is assuming that all grass needs the same treatment at the same time.

Annoyingly, he's right; the best time to fertilize your lawn in fall depends on what kind of grass you have, where you live, and how your lawn is growing. Let's dive on in, shall we?

What We All Get Wrong About Fertilizing Our Lawns In Fall

The first thing to do before you reach for the fertilizer spreader (or start whipping up a batch of homemade lawn fertilizer) is to figure out what kind of grass you have.

Cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass actually benefit from fall fertilization, while warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysia, and St. Augustinegrass need a much more cautious approach as winter approaches.

(Image credit: Owen Thomas Cox / Shutterstock)

For cool-season grasses, fall (particularly early to mid-September) is actually one of the most important times to fertilize these grasses. At this point, the lawn is recovering from summer stress while also preparing for winter, and nutrients can support root growth and carbohydrate storage.

Or, as my husband puts it, "you're basically helping the grass get its house in order before winter." Which, I'll admit, is much easier to remember.

Still, that doesn't mean you should blindly follow a calendar; your local temperatures and the condition of your lawn matter more than whether your phone says September 15, as cool-season grasses grow most actively during the cooler parts of spring and fall.

Shop Lawn Fertilizer:

Greenview Fall Lawn Food

TPS NUTRIENTS Fall Fertilizer

Scotts Turf Builder Winterguard Fall Weed & Feed

As my husband points out, this means that there is an opportunity to fertilize cool-season grasses later in the season, provided the grass is still active, the soil isn't frozen, and you're using an appropriate fertilizer.

Things get a little more complicated with warm-season grasses. Adapted to growing during the warmer months and slowing down as temperatures fall, a big dose of nitrogen late in the season isn't necessarily doing you any favors.

In fact, applying too much nitrogen when warm-season grass is preparing for dormancy can actually encourage tender new growth at exactly the time you don't want it. Or as my husband puts it: "You wouldn't give someone a double espresso and tell them it's time for bed."

(Image credit: Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost / Getty Images)

Another one of my husband's pet peeves? People thinking that more fertilizer automatically means a better lawn. Especially as excess chemicals can be wasted or lost through runoff and leaching, winding up on driveways, sidewalks and streets.

Still, the biggest thing I've learned from living with a professional gardener is that, sure, dates are useful, but your lawn doesn't know what month it is: it responds to temperature, moisture, sunlight and its own growth cycle.

There isn't one perfect fall fertilizing date for everyone. If you have a cool-season lawn, fall can be one of the most valuable times of year to fertilize; if you have warm-season grass, you'll need to be much more cautious as the growing season comes to an end.

Try to relax, then, and ditch the suspiciously detailed lawn-care calendar. Paying attention will serve you far better in the long run.

Every week, our gardening experts at Gardening Know How scour the shopping aisles to bring you the very best garden deals we can find. These aren't simply the cheapest or most discounted garden deals, but worthy products with a minimum 4-star review that offer excellent value for money.

This week, heading up our top 10 garden deals of the week is a Bloodgood Japanese Maple Tree with a $41 saving at Trees.com, just in time to enjoy its glorious fall foliage. This is a compact tree: though it's capable of growing to 15 feet high, it's easily kept smaller and will even flourish in a container. And what a show! Bloodgood maple leaves emerge a rich magenta in spring, transition to green or purple tones (depending on sunlight levels) in summer, then keep bright crimson leaves for weeks through fall. In winter, the tree's smooth, silvery branches with red tones are revealed, giving four seasons of interest.

In fact, Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' tops our list of recommendations for Japanese maple varieties that dazzle all year long.

Save $41

Bloodgood Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese maple 'Bloodgood' grows in partial shade or full sun (this variety is resistant to leaf scorch), and thrives in zones 5-8. So, if you're looking for a focal point for your front yard to boost your curb appeal, here's your easy-to-grow solution, and it's one of the best deals on gardening goods we've found this week.

Best of the Rest: More Great Garden Deals

Save $40

Set of 3 Planters With Drainage Holes

With diameters of 9.8", 11.4" and 13", these concrete-look polyethylene planters boast a 4.7 customer rating.

Save $9.02

Fiskars 6" Easy Action Micro-Tip Scissors

These spring-assisted, stay-sharp craft scissors are handy for deadheading and harvesting herbs.

Save $152.90

Gracie Oaks Outdoor Garden Potting Bench

This wooden bench has a galvanized metal table top, drawer, cabinet, shelves and handy side hooks.

Save $133

FCMP Tumbling Garden Composter Bin

Dual chambers in this 37 gallon composter bring a steady compost supply, tumbled to speed breakdown.

Save $20.71

Amethyst Falls Wisteria Vine

This non-invasive American Wisteria beloved by pollinators blooms young, and thrives in zones 5-9.

Save $32

Indoor Hydroponic System with LED Grow Light

Ideal for growing kitchen herbs, this system has a 1.5L tank, auto timer and height-adustable grow light.

Save $2.50

Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Garden Soil

Top up raised beds or replenish borders and vegetable beds with this nutritious garden soil; 0.75 cu ft.

Save $500.63

Keter Signature Resin Outdoor Bar

Measuring 9 feet by 7 feet, this patio bar is made from durable resin with a textured walnut wood-look finish.

Save $30

Craftsman Cordless Hedge Trimmer

This 4.7 star-rated hedge trimmer cuts stems up to ¾" diameter and comes with a lithium ion battery and charger.

We'll be back with more great September garden deals next week – see you then!

Just because summer is almost over doesn’t mean the growing season has to end just yet. A simple greenhouse can help you extend your garden into fall and even winter, if you live in a warmer climate.

Greenhouses are a great way to get more out of your garden, but they’re often an expensive investment. That’s why I scoured my favorite online gardening resources to find highly-rated budget-friendly greenhouse ideas that will suit almost any yard or garden.

Below are some of the most affordable greenhouses you can buy. And now is the perfect time to add one to your landscape. Build these budget-friendly greenhouses now before the first frost hits to keep your favorite plants growing for a little longer.

Mini Greenhouses

Mini greenhouses are the ideal solution for gardeners who have a limited budget and limited space. These options are small, but mighty and will help you keep growing a selection of your favorite plants into winter.

1. Perfect for Raised Beds

Outsunny Portable Mini Greenhouse

This mini greenhouse will fit any size garden – from a few pots of tender perennials on a balcony to a raised beds in your backyard. It’s tall enough to accommodate larger established plants that have been growing strong all summer. It’s easy to put together and is an affordable way to keep growing in small spaces later into the fall.

2. Small Footprint, Big Growing Space

VIVOSUN Mini 4-Tier Greenhouse

This tall and narrow greenhouse gives you lots of growing space in a small footprint. It comes with four shelves where you can overwinter potted plants or start seeds early next spring. The frame is durable and made from powder-coated steel. This mini greenhouse is also portable because it comes with wheels. Roll it into a sunnier spot, if needed, or even wheel it inside if the winter temperatures drop too low.

3. Ultimate Indoor Greenhouse

Barrina Indoor Greenhouse With Grow Light

If you lack any outdoor space at all, then this indoor greenhouse is a great way to grow more plants this fall and winter. It’s made by the well-respected grow light brand Barrina, so it comes equipped with lights, a timer, a thermometer, and a humidity meter to monitor the conditions within your mini greenhouse. This is a great option if you’re looking to up your seed starting game, grow finicky exotic houseplants, or raise vegetables indoors all winter.

Walk-In Greenhouses

A walk-in greenhouse is the dream for many gardeners – myself included! These options allow you to overwinter lots of plants and extend the growing season by planting early. Add them to your yard now before the cold weather hits.

4. Basic High Tunnel

VEVOR Walk-In Tunnel Greenhouse

This basic high tunnel greenhouse is for serious gardeners only. The price tag on this option is unbelievable, but VEVOR is one of the brands our gardening experts rely on for affordable yet well-made tools. This greenhouse is roughly 20x10 feet (6x3 m), so be sure your yard can accommodate it before buying. If you’re looking to majorly increase your garden output or even start a hobby farm, this is a great deal to snap up before autumn arrives.

5. Easy Pop-Up Greenhouse

EAGLE PEAK Pop-Up Greenhouse

Want a greenhouse that requires almost no assembly at all? It doesn’t get any easier than pop-up greenhouse. The rust-resistant powder-coated steel frame pops up like a party tent to create a spacious greenhouse that can house all your potted tender perennials over winter. Reviewers on Amazon give this greenhouse 4.3 stars, noting its great heat retention that keeps plants cozy during the cold months.

6. Beautiful & Budget-Friendly

Sylviera Classic Greenhouse

This lovely, classic greenhouse is only $150 and easy to assemble – it comes with all the necessary tools, too. It’s made from aluminum and UV-resistant polycarbonate panels for year-round use. It comes with vent windows, a locking door, and a thermometer and humidity meter to help you monitor and attend to your plants’ needs during every season. If you want a traditional greenhouse look on a tiny budget, this is a good choice to try.

September is an ideal time to divide many of your perennials. The cooler air and still-warm soil reduce stress on plants and give transplants a good start before winter. Not all plants need dividing every year. Choose those that look overcrowded, aren’t flowering as much as they used to, or are spreading too much.

When dividing plants in fall, the general rule is to tackle those that bloom in spring and summer and to leave fall-flowering plants in place. Here, we have a list of plants you can divide now and a few not to touch just yet. Whatever you’re dividing, be sure to do it about four to six weeks before the ground freezes.

Grab a perennial shovel from Lowe's that is specifically designed for dividing and transplanting perennials to make the task easy peasy. Let's dig in and explore which plants to divide in September!

1. Garden Phlox

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Garden phlox flowers in summer, so early fall is a good time to uproot and divide it if necessary. Look for older, crowded clumps that look like they could use some more space or a rejuvenation. Water your phlox well before dividing, then dig around and beneath the clump.

Carefully lift and divide the clump, ensuring each division has healthy roots and several plant shoots. Larger pieces will establish more quickly, so resist the temptation to make too many small divisions. Replant divisions right away at the same depth as the mother plant.

2. Astilbe

(Image credit: Chamomile_Olya / Shutterstock)

Astilbe generally should be divided every three to four years, but you can do this task whenever plants look crowded. The fleshy root system of astilbe plants allows you to create multiple divisions, so this is also a good task for when you need new plants in other areas of the garden.

Dig around and lift the entire clump. Use a sharp spade or clean garden knife to cut through and separate the crown into sections. Each should have roots and healthy, growing parts of the plant. Replant the divisions right away and water regularly as they establish.

3. Spiderwort

(Image credit: Koichi Yoshii / Getty Images)

Spiderwort can be divided in early fall whenever it becomes crowded or when you need new plants. Carefully dig up a clump to be divided and gently shake or brush away the dirt so you can see the roots and stems. You may be able to pull apart divisions by hand. Just be sure each new plant has several healthy roots and visible shoots. Replant the divisions at the same depth and water regularly.

4. Veronica

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Also known as speedwell, Veronica is easy to divide in early fall after the flowers have faded. The plants will reward you with fresher, bushier growth in spring. In general, you can divide veronica every three to five years, or as needed when plants get crowded and show dead centers.

Dig up the entire plant and gently lift the roots from the soil and shake it off to see the roots. Veronica roots can be tough, so use a clean, sharp knife or spade to make divisions. Discard the dead or woody center and use divisions from the fresher, outside growth. Replant quickly and keep transplants well watered.

5. Oriental Poppy

(Image credit: Catharina E Insley / Shutterstock)

Oriental poppies have a unique growth cycle. They go dormant in summer heat with foliage dying back after flowering. In early fall, they start to put out new growth, so this is the best time to divide them. Usually every five years is adequate, but divide poppies when flowering has reduced.

Oriental poppies can be challenging to divide, due to a long taproot. Dig down as far as you can to get this root out. It helps to water first to soften the soil. Use a sharp knife to cut vertically through the roots, ensuring each section gets part of the taproot and shoots. Replant right away and keep transplants watered.

6. Asiatic Lilies

(Image credit: Ambreen_35 / Shutterstock)

These lilies are winding down in early fall, so it’s a good time to divide and propagate them. Dig up the roots after the foliage starts to fade. Look for offsets or small bulblets to separate from the parent bulb. Remove these and replant immediately. Don’t let the bulblets dry out before transplanting them. Dispose of any that show signs of rot.

Don't Divide These Perennials in Fall

(Image credit: Zen-Rial / Getty Images)

It’s tempting to get this chore done throughout the garden all at once, but certain plants should never be divided in fall:

• Chrysanthemums. These fall beauties are still flowering, so don’t disrupt them. Early spring is the best time to divide fall mums.
• Ornamental Grasses. Hold off on dividing these until spring, too. Grasses provide good winter habitat for native animals and visual interest in the garden. Spring is also less risky for the plant. Divisions replanted in fall tend to rot at the roots.
• New England Asters. Like mums, asters are still putting on a big show in September. Dividing them now causes unnecessary stress and reduces flowering. Divide in spring instead.

Be selective when dividing perennials in fall. Don’t automatically divide any plant that looks crowded. Some are better left for spring. For those you divide now, do the chore on a cool, cloudy day, prepare the new planting site first, and get those divisions in the ground right away to reduce stress. Follow these guidelines, and you’ll have double the healthy plants next spring.

For years now, gardeners have had one goal when it rains: get the water out as fast as humanly possible. We’ve used everything from gutters and drains to sloped patios that would send that water rushing away before it could collect into puddles.

But 2026 has changed that thinking entirely. Designers have started treating water less like someone who randomly shows up at your house, forcing you to hide behind the sofa, and more like a guest who is absolutely worth welcoming. Plus, it will help your plants thrive and lower your water bill. That’s like killing two mosquitoes with one slap!

The design world is really taking notice of this new landscaping trend and sharing accordingly. So, I consulted some experts on water management to give me some advice on how you, the reader, can apply these trends to your own backyard.

Why Water Management Is Suddenly a Big Deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While water has long been important in gardening (otherwise you just have a desert), it’s increasingly becoming a starting point for landscape designers rather than an afterthought.

Diego Camarena, commercial representative for the landscape company GreenMex, says this shift is being driven by real water supply challenges and changing environmental conditions.

“Water management has become central to garden design due to regulations and real supply challenges. Today, it’s essential to create green spaces that require less water and are adapted to new environmental conditions.”

Rather than forcing plants in a climate not at all suitable for them, designers are focusing on the basics first: sunlight, rainfall patterns, and local conditions. Camarena says, “Everything starts with context: climate, water availability, and sun exposure. Climate change has driven the use of more resilient, low-water-use plants with high sun tolerance.”

To put it in TL;DR terms: the smartest gardens today are the ones that work with their environment, not against it.

1. Healthy Soil Is the Real Water-Saving Hero

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While it may seem that a garden that handles water well would include everything above the ground (water does fall from the sky after all), the most important work actually happens underneath it. Healthy soil acts as a sponge, absorbing rainfall when it arrives and slowly releasing the moisture back to plant roots during drier periods.

Lawrence Markovitz, President of BioXtreme, says soil health is often overlooked in water-wise garden design.

“The future of water-smart garden design isn’t just about how water moves above ground – it’s about how effectively the soil holds and uses that water below the surface.” When soil has an abundance of organic matter and microbial life, it improves water absorption during storms and water retention during droughts.

Some easy ways to improve water retention in your soil:

• Mix compost (like this manure-free blend from Back to the Roots) or organic matter into planting beds
• Add mulch to slow the evaporation process
• Convert struggling patches of lawn into plant beds
• Plant ground cover plants to shade the soil

Better soil means healthier plants in the long run and less desperate evening watering sessions mid-summer.

2. Catch Rain Where It Falls

(Image credit: schulzie / Getty Images)

One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in modern garden design is the idea of capturing rainwater rather than sending it in a tsunami down the street. Things like rain barrels, rain gardens, and bioswales are all becoming more common in residential areas.

Seymen Usta, Architect and landscape designer at Modern Chandelier, frequently uses these systems in his projects. “I create rain gardens and bioswales within narrow constraints by capturing rain where it naturally falls, such as by placing rain barrels (like this one on Amazon) directly on the ground in close proximity,” he says. “This allows for direct delivery of the captured rainwater to the roots of the plants through a contained drip irrigation system, as well as eliminating any wastage of the water after capturing it.”

Rain gardens also offer another added bonus: they support wildlife.

“Even on sloped surfaces, a properly designed shallow rain garden will utilize the rain runoff from the roofs of the buildings to create small parcels containing native, perennial plants providing habitat for pollinators, while also reducing the risk of flooding.”

So, your garden can manage stormwater and feed the bees; our pollinator friends will love that.

3. Let the Ground Absorb Water

(Image credit: Yatra4289 / Shutterstock)

Hard areas like patios made from concrete or traditional paving can stop water from soaking into the soil. Making a change to permeable materials will allow rain to filter back into the ground where plants can actually use it. Usta suggests options like gravel paths or permeable pavers.

“Gravel walkways or pavers allow water to soak into the ground, which reduces the overall temperature of the plants growing in the garden and decreases erosion.” While the change in design may seem tiny, it can dramatically improve the way water moves through your garden.

4. Choose Plants That Won’t Panic During Dry Spells

(Image credit: John Burke / Getty Images)

Plant choice plays a huge role in water-smart gardening. Camarena recommends choosing plants naturally adapted to heat and lower water conditions. “The easiest way to start is by selecting low-water plants such as Persian lily, Pennisetum, Sansevieria, Dracaena compacta, or bougainvillea.”

Plants already adapted to drier conditions often develop roots that are much less dependent on constant watering. This means your garden won’t fall apart the second you forget to water it for a few days (we’ve all been there.)

5. Mulch: The Garden’s Unglamorous Overachiever

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Mulch isn’t necessarily known for its glamorous appearance, but if you’re looking for an effective water-saving tool, this is it. Usta recommends it for nearly every landscape.

“I always recommend mulching. Although the upfront costs of mulch are often very low, the long-term benefits of mulch include: increasing the amount of water retained in the soil, suppressing the growth of weeds, and improving the soil's fertility over time.” Not bad for something that basically looks like a shredded tree.

This Oldcastle Lawn & Garden cedar mulch from Walmart has a lovely scent that will give your garden that great outdoor atmosphere.

A Smarter Way to Garden

Water-smart garden design isn’t about eliminating water from the equation – it’s about using it more intelligently.

When you design your garden to slow water down, capture it, and then put it to good use, it becomes more resilient and often even more beautiful. That’s a pretty good return for something that used to just run down the driveway.

Growers have started talking about fall colors, but what does this really mean? For me, fall colors tend to be the flaming reds, russets, coppers and golds of fall leaves. However, I also think of the warm, fiery tones of the sky at dusk – the dusty pinks, moody purples, twilight ochres and twinkly limes. You might have heard of the “desert sunset” color palette this year, and fall is the perfect home for this dynamic scheme.

It might be controversial, but one thing I don’t go crazy with in my yard in fall is the chrysanthemum (aka the mum). Nurseries and grocery store entrances may now be filled with them, but these container gardening icons do come with challenges. They demand lots of watering, and may drop their petals or flop long before the season’s over. If you want stress-free containers that hold up easily through fall, I’ve rounded up some excellent drought tolerant alternatives that can bring these desert sunset hues to life with very little fuss.

So, let’s move beyond the mum monopoly and try these vibrant container ideas filled with lively fall hues. My unique container ideas each work in a distinct part of your yard, so they can transform your porches, patios, entrances and curbside corners with the rich tones of an evening desert sky. For maximum curb appeal with minimal fuss, these container recipes bringing in a fresher kind of seasonal wonder that will last right through fall.

Prep Your Pots for Fall

Tapping into the warm palette of an evening desert sky offers a surprising range of planting options that last a lot longer than mums. Partnering up drought-tolerant succulents, saturated leafy plants, and ornamental grasses, you can build seasonal containers in rich shades of copper, amber, magenta, lime-gold, and deep violet. These plants don't rely so much on delicate petals that shatter in fall winds. Instead, they draw their power from resilient foliage and bold silhouettes that maintain their crisp beauty to first frosts. These selections deploy the thriller, spiller, filler style, with mixed heights, textures and tones creating lasting impact.

Before adding your plants, inspect your planters for proper drainage holes. Setting pots directly on cold concrete or wet deck boards blocks drainage holes and draws chilling moisture into the root zone. Elevate pots using Lemon Road Terracotta Pot Feet, available from Amazon, to improve airflow and prevent waterlogging. If you are a cat person, this range also includes adorable kitty pot toes, as well as elegant lion’s paws, both also available from Amazon.

(Image credit: Kschulze / Getty Images)

As daytime temperatures drop and rainfall increases, containers take longer to dry out than they would have done even a few weeks earlier. Standard peat-heavy potting soils can easily become waterlogged in October. This can lead to cold, soggy root systems that cause tropical foliage and succulents to collapse overnight. Protect your plant life and reduce your own ongoing daily workload by making sure you use a fast-draining potting soil. Where necessary, top up drainage with a few handfuls of perlite, mixed well into your potting medium. Then add some of these stunning container recipes for stress-free fall beauty.

1. Sunshine Sculpture

(Image credit: Marina Andriichuk / Alamy)

Designed for baking south-facing patios, unshaded front steps, and gardeners who can’t hold down a watering routine, this drought-proof marvel frees you from having to worry about a watering can. Thriving in dry fall breezes, this combination pairs sweeping shapes with dense, sun-blushed succulent foliage. The effect is a bold display that looks high-end while requiring virtually zero maintenance.

The dramatic anchor of this pot is Purple Fountain Grass, currently available from Trees for a 30% discount. Wispy burgundy foliage with dark plum plumes bring rippling height and rich violet tones. Nestled at the base, golden sedum forms a dense core of warm color. Succulents Box’s Japanese Golden Sedum Ogon from Amazon features the characteristic chartreuse foliage rippled with a rosy blush for a highly distinctive addition to your pot.

(Image credit: LianeM / Getty Images)

Spilling softly over the container rim, trailing elephant bush (Portulacaria afra 'Variegata') provides cascading contrast with reddish stems and purple accents. If this is hard to locate locally, string of bananas (Senecio radicans) and blue sedum (Sedum burrito) are equally tough but pretty.

Plant in a wide, terracotta bowl filled with a gritty cactus and succulent mix, like Back to the Roots Organic Succulent & Cacti Mix from Walmart, which is laced with perlite for better drainage. Top with fine pea gravel or crushed granite. Purple fountain grass functions as an annual in cooler northern zones, while sedum and elephant bush can easily be moved indoors before the first hard freeze hits.

2. Shade Foliage Supreme

(Image credit: TC397 / Getty Images)

Looking for saturated color that thrives without needing constant deadheading? This shade container combo is perfect for covered porches, north-facing entryways, or shaded urban balconies where sun-loving blooms struggle to thrive. It side-steps bloom dependency, relying on velvet leaf textures, fiery leaf veins and dappled neon chartreuse tones that hold their own for high-octane color in partial shade.

The star of this shaded arrangement is the heart-shaped Caladium Desert Sunset, which has salmon-pink heart-shaped leaves with contrasting copper-colored veins. You can currently buy a trio of BubbleBlooms Caladium Live Plants from Amazon for a zingy fall punch of wine red, sunset pink, and wine soaked chartreuse. Surrounding caladiums, add dragon wing red begonias for crimson volume and continuous color.

(Image credit: Itasun / Getty Images)

To round off this trio, add some delicate cross wire vine (Muehlenbeckia complexa) plants. These break up the broad foliage with wiry, cascading green stems that trail downward in a dappled trail of chartreuse links. Winter Greenhouse Fairy Vine is available from Walmart. Alternatively, small-leafed ivy or trailing plum asparagus fern make equally airy, shade-tolerant substitutes.

Plant in a rich potting soil blended with leaf mold, preferably in a glazed ceramic pot. Keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy, as shaded containers dry out slowly in cool weather. Because caladiums are tropical tubers, it’s a good idea to bring the pot indoors or lift the tubers before night temperatures drop below 50°F (10°C) to store them safely for spring.

3. Porch Centerpiece

(Image credit: Krblokhin / Getty Images)

Looking for easy porch and patio color to impress the neighbors this fall? This combo is sure to command attention on a front stoop or entryway, and add a splash of fiery sunset drama to your curb appeal. Where small pots can get lost on wide porches, this recipe uses height and saturated warmth to create a grand seasonal statement. It thrives in morning sun and afternoon shade for an opulent, long-lasting display.

Crimson mandevilla provides stunning vertical height, drawing the eye up with rich red sunset blooms. For a dazzling orange variation, Sun Parasol Fired Up Mandevilla from Trees offers zingy flowering pinwheels. At the base, plant some copper Sedona coleus for copper tops and wine-red undersides. Or, if you fancy a neon sunset, you can get LA Tropic Alabama Sunset Coleus Plants from Walmart in sets of 3 for bubblegum pink and chartreuse notes to dazzle porch containers.

(Image credit: Mike Jarman / Alamy)

Spilling over the front rim, trailing lysimachia (L. nummularia 'Aurea') provides bright gold contrast that mirrors the final golden rays of an evening sky. For a lush tangerine variation, try some fiery-orange nasturtiums. The trick with this trio is to pick the biggest pot you can get away with, and make sure it is well supported.

Fill with an all-purpose organic potting soil and add some gravel for weight to prevent fall gusts from tipping your vines. Mandevilla is frost-sensitive, so move the entire vessel inside a sunroom or bright garage when freeze warnings begin to enjoy the lingering late-season blooms indoors.

4. Native Pollinator Pot

(Image credit: Moelyn Photos / Getty Images)

Native plants already know how to survive on their own and rarely require much help. When you pull together a fall container with natives, you buy beauty that does its own thing without much ongoing care. This native-inspired arrangement blends low-input native beauty with movement and pollinator appeal. Combining starry lilac blooms, hot pink spires, and trailing nectar sources, you get a low-maintenance sanctuary for late-season bees and migrating butterflies.

Standing tall in the center, society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) such as Florida Foliage Society Garlic from Walmart gives narrow grass-like foliage topped with starry lilac-pink flower clusters. You wouldn’t think anything with the name garlic could be this ethereal and pretty. It provides grass-like height and soft twilight-purple tones.

(Image credit: Charles Melton / Alamy)

Nestled alongside your society garlic, Parry's penstemon adds magenta-pink blooms and wildflower texture that late-season pollinators adore. But if this is tricky to find, native autumn sage (Salvia greggii) or dwarf purple coneflower offer equally resilient natives. Cascading over the edges, Trailing Purple Lantana Starter Plants from Amazon blankets the rim in pink and purple clusters that trail on 2 foot (.6m) stalks.

Assemble this hardy trio in a breathable, weather-resistant pot or unglazed terracotta. Use a 50/50 blend of native topsoil and coarse grit. Native roots thrive on minimal fertilizer, so avoid heavy feeding, which can cause tall flower stems to become floppy. This tough native trio will easily survive light fall frosts. Simply snip back spent penstemon flower spikes after a hard freeze and top-dress the soil with gravel to protect roots over winter.

5. Mini Modern Statement

(Image credit: DougSchneiderPhoto / Getty Images)

No container roundup would be complete without a wild card – and this one is designed to fit in small spaces. Perfect for bistro tables, balcony railings, or compact urban steps, this free spirit packs a huge amount of jewel-toned color into a small pot. It focuses on unexpected textures: glossy peppers, rosette succulents, and bright, trailing penny-shaped leaves.

With the deep violet and fiery tones of desert dusk, this drought-tolerant boutique pot will turn heads without taking over. The focal point of this compact pot is a glistening ornamental pepper plant, filled with rich red or purple fruits. Try ornamental peppers like Sangria or Black Pearl, with black foliage as well as clusters of peppers. You can still get Expert Gardener Ornamental Pepper Live Plants from Walmart in packs of 5 if you hurry. Chili peppers can also work, although this type needs more watering. Alternatively, compact ornamental kale is relatively drought tolerant.

(Image credit: Medeia / Shutterstock)

Combined with your peppers, add some echeveria round the edge of a wide, shallow planter. Echeveria Afterglow or Perle von Nürnberg add architectural, jewel-toned elegance. As well as their easygoing, fleshy texture, these plants give vibrant pastel colors that can shift in the warmth of late season sun. Trailing over the edge, Golden Creeping Jenny, available from Nature Hills provides bright contrast.

Tuck this compact trio into a shallow bowl filled with a gritty succulent potting mix. Charcoal and slate tones work well with this vibrant potted community. Keep water application minimal and only moisten the soil when the top two inches (5cm) are dry to the touch. To overwinter, bring the echeveria indoors to a sunny windowsill before freezing night temperatures arrive. Ornamental peppers will hold their bright colors even on dried stems late into the season.

Container Planting Essentials

(Image credit: Judith Andrews / Shutterstock)

So now you’ve got your plants and plans, you just need a few little extras to help see your containers through fall and even past the first frost. To help plants thrive in the cooler months, these planting essentials will help with drainage, and will also help you to relocate heavy planters with early freeze warnings. That way, you can keep your desert sunset arrangements crisp, vibrant, and stress-free for longer.

Dream Fall Trio

Tip-Top Toes

Lemon Road Lemon Road Terracotta Pot Feet for Planters

Give drainage an easy lift with these pot risers. By elevating heavy planters off cold, wet patio pavers, they maintain airflow around the base and ensure rainfall drains instantly, keeping drought-tolerant roots rot-free in cool weather.

NItty Gritty

Back to the Roots Back to the Roots Succulent & Cacti Mix

If you need a fast-draining potting blend for low-maintenance fall pots, this organic mix is ideal. Packed with perlite and airy organic matter, it prevents moisture pooling around succulent and grass roots as temperatures drop.

Roll With It

Bloem Bloem Plant Caddy With Wheels, 100 Lb Capacity

This durable, weather-resistant wheeled base makes light work of relocating heavy pots. It allows you to glide statement planters into sheltered spots or garage corners, which is great peace of mind when early freezes threaten.

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Throughout history, displaying original works within a space has been a form of documentation, storytelling, and personal expression. And now, when disposable and even AI decor options are in abundance, hanging human-made originals is becoming recognized as a sustainable design solution.

Deanna Geisheimer, art consultant and president of Vancouver’s Art Works Gallery , has helped clients source pieces for their spaces for 46 years. She says she’s witnessed how interest in collecting has ebbed and flowed with the economy. “I’ve seen people spend $30,000 on a couch and then they put up a $500 print. That couch in five, 10, 15 years is either going to be recovered or replaced because it’s out of style. But the artwork, if it’s selected well, will last you a lifetime,” she explains.

While works by established artists have long been viewed as an appreciating financial asset, Geisheimer has seen her clients invest in paintings for the “joy dividends” they will pay over the years. She cites a customer who gave up their annual vacation, instead opting for a painting they knew would make them happy every time they glanced at it. And art exposure can bolster your physical health, too, with studies showing art appreciation can lower blood pressure.

When it comes to sourcing pieces for the interior design projects Geisheimer consults on, pulling from local artists is also a decidedly sustainable decor choice. Recently, she worked with interior design firm Form Collective on the art selection for Canada’s first certified zero-carbon home, Phoenix House. Located in Abbotsford, the five-bed five-bath 3,500-square-foot multi-generational residence was reconstructed after the original residence was destroyed in a fire, leaving only its foundation.

Josephina Serra, principal interior designer and partner at Form Collective, says Phoenix House is a leading-edge project designed to achieve International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Zero Carbon Certification. The first of its kind in Canada, it’s caught the attention of BCIT and UBC, which conducted case studies on the home.

The residence, which features solar panels, heat pumps and a rainwater collection system, is also the first building in B.C. to use a spray-on membrane for the building envelope. Salvaged materials, triple-pane windows and high-performance Miele appliances also help to ensure every gigajoule is accounted for. “Everything from the pavers to the concrete was carbon considered. We worked with an energy consultant who calculated everything we put into the home, from windows to walls to exterior cladding,” Serra explains. The result is a structure that, through energy modelling, is designed to achieve less than one third of the energy annually compared to the average Canadian residence.

It also provides an exciting sustainable building blueprint for future projects.

When it came to decorating and selecting the artwork for the home, the design team sourced local pieces from Art Works’ collection, aligning with the home’s sustainability mandate since the pieces were shipped locally. In the light-flooded terracotta-hued dining room, the team opted for a dramatic 63-inch oil on canvas with bright layered florals by Gibsons-based artist Todd Clark. “That one piece on that huge wall really grounded that dining area and separated it from the living room,” Serra explains.

There have also been instances where Form Collective’s client’s own collections have informed a home’s design. “We designed a kitchen wall for a beautiful painting of a brown bear for a client moving from Bowen Island to Coal Harbour, ” says Serra, who opted for walnut-panelled millwork and an art light, creating a light background to make the animal pop.

And then there’s the case when a home inspires a new painting: “That same client hired an artist to do a commissioned piece of the view from his previous home for his [new] entryway because he missed his old house and the view that it gave,” Serra explains.

For DIY decorators selecting pieces or renovating one part of home around a specific work, Geisheimer has a few tips. “Spend a little bit of money and make sure you’ve got the proper lighting, whether it’s track lighting that you can position towards it, or a pot light that washes the wall properly,” she says.

And artwork should always be hung at eye level, the general rule being the centre of the piece should be approximately 60 inches from the floor, “with the exception of if you’re going to be viewing it seated and it’s going above a credenza,” she continues.

Geisheimer also says it’s important to question the urge to hang a mirror, when a piece of art might be more appropriate. “Always think, ‘what are you reflecting back?’,” she says, remembering an incident where a mirror was hung behind a dinner table, reflecting back the heads of diners.

For clients who have existing works they think are too dated for a more modern home, Geisheimer says the solution can be as simple as a classic, timeless frame that won’t date itself, or refurbishing a piece that may look worn.

But besides the technical advice, Geisheimer says art selection is best done from the heart. “Get a piece that speaks to you … something that not only enhances your home, but causes you to think a bit more, interact a little more, see something different, or enjoy.”

Architect: Nick Bray, nba architecture+design

Home Builder:Best Builders Ltd.

Energy Advisor: Elisabeth Baudinaud, Carbon Wise

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• Falken Reynolds brings hidden practicality to a Vancouver home

Weekly roundup of three properties that recently sold in Metro Vancouver.

801 — 919 Station St., Vancouver

Type: Two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment

Size: 926 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $876,000

Listed for: $830,000

Sold for: $790,000

Sold on: July 31

Days on market in this listing: 20

Listing agent: Adam Pospischil at Engel & Volkers Vancouver

Buyers agent: Cheryl Davie PREC at Stilhavn Real Estate Services

The big sell: This two-bedroom-plus-den condo enjoys a sub-penthouse position within the Left Bank, a nine-storey concrete loft building that was constructed in 2005 within an eclectic Strathcona neighbourhood that will soon be home to the new St. Paul’s Hospital. This north-west-facing corner home boasts panoramic water, city and mountain vistas and has been designed for entertaining with an open-plan layout with soaring ceilings, polished concrete floors, expansive window walls, and two oversized garden terraces that extend the living space outside. The kitchen features stainless-steel appliances and a breakfast bar, the bedrooms are separated, and there is a pantry for additional storage, as well as insuite laundry. The home comes with a parking stall, and a monthly maintenance fee of $703.18, and both pets and rentals are permitted.

1664 58 St., Delta

Type: Four-bedroom, three-bathroom detached

Size: 2,268 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $1,514,000

Listed for: $1,549,900

Sold for: $1,500,000

Sold on: June 19

Days on market in this listing: 100

Listing agent: Brent Lee at Sutton Group Seafair Realty

Buyers agent: Adam Chahl PREC at Oakwyn Realty

The big sell: Tsawwassen’s Beach Grove district is the venue for this four-bedroom family home that comes with a turnkey mortgage helper in the shape of a one-bedroom basement suite with its own entrance, laundry, and patio access. The house itself has a split entry with internal stairs leading up to the main accommodation where the sleeping quarters are positioned at the rear of the home and the principal reception rooms are at the front to take advantage of a westerly aspect as well as having a sizable (350 square foot) south-facing wraparound deck in which to entertain and relax. In addition, there is a recreation room on the lower floor and doors that lead to the attached double garage. The established garden has been carefully cultivated by a professional gardener and offers raised beds, storage sheds, a children’s playhouse, and a hot tub.

1601 — 290 Newport Dr., Port Moody

Type: Two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment

Size: 1,061 square feet

B.C. Assessment: $850,000

Listed for: $829,900

Sold for: $795,000

Sold on: July 7

Days on market in this listing: 22

Listing agent: Michel McDermott at Macdonald Realty

Buyers agent: Rod Bahari PREC at Sutton Group — West Coast Realty

The big sell: This 16th floor corner home is located in Newport Village’s Sentinel building, a 23-storey development with 133 units that enjoy myriad conveniences nearby including shops, restaurants, health care services, Rocky Point Park, the SkyTrain, and the Port Moody Recreation Complex. This particular home has a northwest position and bathes in Burrard Inlet and North Shore mountain vistas. It has generous-sized rooms inside with a kitchen that overlooks the dining and living areas, a large walk-in closet off the primary bedroom, tiled floors in the entryway, a covered balcony, and expansive windows that flood the home with natural light. The building offers amenities such as an exercise room, a hot tub, sauna and steam room. This unit comes with parking and a storage locker, and a monthly maintenance fee of $418.19.

These transactions were compiled by Nicola Way of BestHomesBC.com.

Realtors — send your recent sales to nicola@besthomesbc.com

Related

• Sold (Bought): Whistler home showcases stunning lake and mountain views
• Sold (Bought): West Vancouver home blends luxury with functionality

Want a spring lawn that's filled with flowers next year? Now is the perfect time to plant crocus bulbs to create a dreamy carpet of colorful blooms that appear in the early days of spring.

Getting a full, colorful naturalized crocus lawn that whimsically fills your whole yard can be a challenge though. The reality is often a few lonely flowers scattered here and there, rather than a tapestry of bright spring blooms.

I consulted with some experts about why crocus lawns often underperform and how you can avoid this issue. Here's what they said the biggest problem (as well as a few other mistakes to avoid) and how you should plant bulbs this fall for stunning results next spring.

You're Not Planting Enough Bulbs

(Image credit: Kabar / Shutterstock)

"The biggest reason crocus lawns do not turn out the way people want is quite simple," says Erik Collado Vidal, CEO of Growbarato.net and a horticulturalist with expertise in the cultivation industry. "Gardeners usually plant too few bulbs but still expect to wake up to a full carpet of crocuses the next spring."

Mario Galo of G&V Tree Service agrees and puts a specific number to it. "Most people place bulbs too equally and widely apart. Plant 75–100+ bulbs per square meter in random clusters rather than rows to replicate natural spread for maximum impact," he says.

While the instinct to space out bulbs evenly and add quite a few is obviously understandable, it works against everything most people want. Crocus bulbs are small and need to be planted 3-5 inches apart (8-10 cm). But Vidal recommends going even tighter with spacing in each group, as close as 1-3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm), and planting bulbs in irregular, wave-like clusters rather than neat lines.

"The biggest mistake is when they are planted in narrow rows or when a small number of bulbs is spread across a large area," he says. "That almost always looks sparse and disappointing."

Planting a ton of bulbs can be time-consuming. But this DeWit Crocus Bulb Planter (available on Amazon) is super helpful and will make it so you can plant hundreds of bulbs at a time.

This process is not only time-consuming, but your knees will be aching by the end. This Klarg Kneeling Pad (available on Amazon) has extra-thick foam to protect them, and it’s budget-friendly.

Your Mowing Habits Could Be Undermining Everything

(Image credit: Olha Solodenko / Shutterstock)

Even if you get the planting down perfectly, a crocus lawn can still get weak over time if the grass is mowed too soon after they flower. The leaves need to complete a full cycle of turning yellow and dying back before you mow the lawn again, which will be about 6 weeks after the flowers fade.

"If you cut the grass too early, the leaves will not get enough time to feed the bulbs," Vidal warns. "This will make the flowers look weaker over time."

Galo echoes the point, warning, "Mowing bulbs too soon weakens them and stops them from growing."

Don't Overlook Hidden Threats

(Image credit: wcjohnston / Getty Images)

Sometimes the problem isn't technique at all, but tiny little animals munching on your bulbs. David Joles, COO of PURCOR Pest Solutions, points to animal pests as an overlooked cause of crocus lawn failure.

He says, "The problem primarily lies with animal pests that go after the bulbs for food – voles, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and others. Once they discover the crocus bulbs in your yard, your lawn becomes a goldmine for them."

Becky Heath, President and CEO of Brent and Becky's Bulbs, has seen this firsthand and flags the vole as the main guilty party or the ringleader of the pest gang, as you might start referring to them.

She also raises two other overlooked factors: herbicides used in standard lawn care that can make it harder for anything other than grass to grow and the impact of a harsh winter on shallow planted bulbs.

"Since crocus bulbs are small, they are often only planted about 2 to 3 inches deep," she notes. "If their roots had not had the opportunity to grow and get established before temperatures dropped significantly, it's possible that some of them froze."

Choose the Right Crocus

(Image credit: Alamy)

Not all crocuses are equally suited to life on the lawn. Both experts point to Crocus tommasinianus as the standout choice when it comes to naturalizing in grass. It reliably self-seeds, can handle competition on turf better than larger hybrid varieties, and does super well in thin grass or under deciduous trees.

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs sells Crocus tommasinianus on their website in quantities divisible by ten and they’re even squirrel-resistant. Other crocus varieties include Crocus chrysanthus varieties like 'Cream Beauty,' 'Gipsy Girl', 'Ruby Giant', and 'Whitewell Purple'.

Stick to these tips and that carpet of color you’ve been dreaming about will be genuinely achievable next spring.

I love dahlias. Those enormous flowers have a habit of making everything around them look slightly underdressed, and every time I pop down my local community garden I find myself staring at those dinner-plate sized blooms with my mouth agape.

Can you blame me? Just when the rest of the garden is beginning to look a little tired, dahlias are still putting on their best performance – but then, depending on where you live, comes the inevitable business of lifting, storing, dividing, and generally fussing over those precious tubers. And if there's one thing I'm not a fan of, it's fussing.

With that in mind, then, I've been wondering if there might be a slightly easier way to get that same late-season wow factor... and I think I've found it in the form of a seriously pretty perennial.

The Pretty Perennial That's Quietly Replacing Dahlias

If you, too, dream of replacing dahlias with something a little easier – and of course you do – then meet Autumn Gold Helianthus (available at Burpee).

Burpee.com Autumn Gold Helianthus - 1 Plant

A compact perennial sunflower that absolutely comes into its own when summer is winding down. And I know what you're thinking: a sunflower instead of a dahlia? Well, hear me out.

For starters, Autumn Gold Helianthus is nothing like the enormous sunflower stems you're probably picturing right now. And, while dahlias have that wonderful ability to keep a border looking alive when summer's first flush of flowers is beginning to fade, 'Autumn Gold' does something remarkably similar, but with cheerful golden flowers that appear en masse from September through early November.

Unlike most sunflowers, too, Autumn Gold forms a much mound, smothered in golden-yellow flowers that are hardy in USDA Planting Zones 4-9, which is excellent news for local pollinators (because, yes, its late-season flowers attract butterflies and birds).

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Another reason this is a good one to consider if you want to start replacing dahlias?Well, rather than giving you one or two enormous sunflower heads towering above everything else, 'Autumn Gold' creates a dense display of medium-sized flowers.

In other words, it has the kind of visual impact I usually want from a late-summer perennial without asking me to make room for a giant plant. And, perhaps most importantly for those of us who like our gardens to do a little more of the work themselves, it doesn't require coddling.

Give it full sun and well-drained soil, and it isn't particularly fussy. The compact habit also means it shouldn't need the kind of staking that can become necessary with taller sunflower varieties. Plus, it comes back every year, making it the ideal option for those looking to swap their dahlias for something hardier.

(Image credit: Martin Wahlborg / Getty Images)

Now, I'm not suggesting we all break up with our dahlia tubers tomorrow. I still love them, and nothing quite matches the variety of flower shapes and colors you can get from those wonderfully indulgent blooms.

That being said, if what you're looking for is a reliable late-season display, perennial return, lots of wildlife value and less fuss, then Autumn Gold makes a very convincing alternative.

Try not to think of it as a dahlia lookalike (although planted en masse it makes one heck of an impact!). Instead, think of it as a different way to get the same thing we all love about dahlias: a proper fall spectacle.

Don't tell everyone, but buying end-of-season bargains and bare root plants now will fill your garden with flowers for years to come while saving a fortune. With fall sneaking up on us, next summer probably isn’t on your radar yet. But now is a surprisingly smart time to shop for perennials to plant in fall and give your garden a head start. There are September plant bargains to be had with garden centers keen to clear the last of their summer stock. Dormant bare root plants also offer an economical way to buy without paying out for a large plant that's costly to transport, and planting bare roots is just as easy as adding a potted plant to your backyard.

The real advantage of fall planting goes way beyond price, however. Warm soil and cooler air create excellent conditions for root growth, helping perennial plants settle in with less heat and transplant stress. And while there'll be no instant show of flowers or lush foliage, what matters is that roots are busy growing in the soil. By spring, that supportive root system means perennials hit the ground running, giving you bigger, stronger plants and, in many cases, lots more flowers.

So, if you want to have a gorgeous garden on a budget, start with these 10 reliable plants with serious flower power. Every garden should have all these hard-working flowering plants that bring plenty of blooms year in, year out, in return for very little effort. All are cheaper to buy right now in both bare root and potted form, and we've hunted out the very best deals on our recommended varieties. So, whether you're starting a new yard from scratch or want to ensure existing borders are packed with blooms, all these plants make great garden investments.

Ready to know what to buy and how to give it the best possible start so that next summer your garden will be blooming lovely? Let's dive in…

1. Peony

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-8
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers late spring to early summer
• Grows to 2-4 feet high and 2-3 feet wide

With their varied shapes and brilliant colors, peonies are a must for any style of yard, and planting them now is better for the plant as well as your wallet. Buy peonies now as bare roots for planting in fall and in most of the US, the soil is still warm enough for roots to grow while the top growth is shutting down. And it's so easy to do. Plant a peony bare root with the eyes – the pink or reddish buds on the root – just 1-2 inches below the soil surface; any deeper and your peonies may refuse to flower. Give them full sun and excellent drainage, and don't crowd them as good air circulation helps keep foliage healthy.

'Coral Charm' Peony, available from Dutch Grown, is a particular favorite as it brings a succession of warm shades over the summer. Or for timeless romance, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ Peony, also available from Dutch Grown, is hard to beat with its huge, beautifully ruffled double blooms in soft rose-pink tones. Be patient as peonies can take a couple of seasons to settle in and flower generously but once established, they can live for 50 years or more!

2. Daylily

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers summer into fall, depending on variety
• Grows to 1-4 feet high and 1-3 feet wide

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are not only glorious, but they’re also wonderfully forgiving, making them one of the easiest bare root perennials to establish in fall. Planting daylilies now gives the fleshy roots time to settle into their new home while cooler weather reduces the stress of transplanting. Come spring, your daylily will start the growing season with roots that have had months to establish, for a standout show of blooms.

Set the crown – where the roots meet the leaves – about 1 inch below the soil surface, rather than burying it deeply. Water well after planting, then keep the soil reasonably moist until the ground begins to freeze. Give daylilies a sunny spot for the best flowering, although many varieties tolerate light shade.

One of the most popular varieties with garden designers is Daylily 'Black Stockings', available from Dutch Grown, with unrivalled near-black, velvety petals. It’s a reblooming variety, so you'll enjoy more blooms for your bucks. For a softer, more romantic note, Daylily 'Lavender Tutu', also available from Dutch Grown, makes a beautiful contrast to deeper purples, burgundies and pinks of other perennials.

3. Oriental Poppy

(Image credit: Catharina E Insley / Shutterstock)

• Zones 3-7
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers late spring to early summer
• Grows to 2-4 feet high and 1-2 feet wide

With their huge blousy blooms, oriental poppies (Papaver orientalis) are a perennial favorite and their chunky, fleshy roots are tailormade for bare root planting in fall, giving plants time to settle in before winter. Plant the roots horizontally, following the supplier's directions, being careful not to bury them too deeply. Choose a sunny position with sharply drained soil as winter-wet ground is a bigger threat than cold. Oriental poppies don’t take kindly to being moved so choose the right spot to start with and they'll put on a spectacular display for years to come.

For drama, few poppies can rival ‘Patty’s Plum’ with its huge, crinkled blooms, and bare root poppy 'Patty's Plum' is available at Dutch Grown. To bring light and contrast to any sunny border, 'Perry's White', also available from Dutch Grown, is a winner with enormous, ruffled white flowers.

4. Sedum

(Image credit: Jacky Parker Photography / Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers summer to late fall
• Grows to 1-2½ feet high and 1½-3 feet wide

There’s a good reason why sedum (Hylotelephium) is such a reliable garden favorite, and that's because it's one of those late-season heroes that keeps on flowering when everything else has given up. It combines beautiful flowers with incredible resilience and requires hardly any looking after. These succulent-leaved perennials thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, shrugging off heat, drought and poor soil once established. So if you have a tricky too-hot area where not much wants to grow, here's your solution.

Sedum flowers are rich in nectar for bees and butterflies, and this plant earns its place in the garden well beyond its flowering season. The sturdy flowerheads look good through fall and you can leave the spent heads standing over winter to provide structure.

Buying potted plants at knock-down prices and planting them now gives sedum roots time to settle before next summer’s heat arrives. Water thoroughly after planting, then allow the soil to dry between waterings rather than keeping plants constantly moist. Autumn Joy sedum, available from Nature Hills is a must-have classic with large, flat heads of dusky pink flowers that deepen towards rich red as autumn progresses. For something a little different, Plum Dazzled sedum, available from Plant Addicts, combines sumptuous plum-purple foliage with rosy-pink flowers and adds rich color to the garden as the season begins to fade.

5. Bearded Iris

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers spring to early summer
• Grows to 1-2½ feet high and 1½-2 feet wide

Bold yet elegant bearded iris flowers bring vibrant color and beautiful structure to a garden, yet are far more low-maintenance and drought-tolerant that their exotic appearance suggests. Bearded iris can be bought as rhizomes – underground storage stems – at this time of the year, which is far cheaper than buying a potted ready-to-flower plant next year.

Fall planting allows the rhizome to make roots before the plant goes fully dormant, giving it a stronger launch into spring. Just be sure to give your bearded iris several weeks of root-building weather before winter arrives. Plant the rhizome at or just barely below the soil surface in a sun-baked spot with free-draining soil. Water thoroughly after planting, but don't keep the soil constantly wet.

The intense purple ruffles of bearded iris Black Knight, available from Dutch Grown, is a sophisticated choice and a worthy talking point, so add these to your front yard if you want to make your neighbors a little jealous. Bearded iris Wine and Roses, also available from Dutch Grown, offers a more romantic vibe with deliciously coloured pink and purple petals.

6. Coneflower

(Image credit: Victoria Ross / Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers summer to fall
• Grows to 2-4 feet high and 1-2 feet wide

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a dependable perennial and will transform from a late-season nursery bargain into next summer's best pollinator magnet. By September, many container-grown coneflowers have finished their biggest floral display so garden centers drop the price – which is great news for savvy shoppers! Your garden birds will be pleased, too, as coneflowers provide plenty of homegrown seed for feathered friends.

Choose a spot with full sun and well-drained soil and water thoroughly when planting, then regularly irrigate while your coneflower is establishing without keeping the soil constantly soggy.

Magnus purple coneflower, available at Nature Hills is an unbeatable classic, offering color and sustenance to bees and butterflies throughout summer. For a sturdier habit and just as much butterfly appeal with masses of rich burgundy-red flowers, Sombrero Baja Burgundy coneflower, available from Burpee is another super choice for any garden.

7. Black-eyed Susans

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-9/10 depending on species
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers summer to late fall
• Grows to 2-6 feet high and 1-3 feet wide

Black-eyed Susan is a stalwart of sunny summer borders, delivering masses of cheerful flowers with little fuss. Leave some spent flowerheads over winter and you'll also provide seeds for birds, extending the plant's usefulness well beyond its flowering season. Potted Rudbeckia plants are often discounted once their peak summer display has passed; buy them now and you should still get a few weeks of color from these late-season bloomers.

Full sun is ideal, with reasonably fertile, well-drained soil. Water deeply after planting to encourage roots to explore the surrounding soil so, once established, plants are robust and can cope with heat and periods of dry weather.

‘Prairie Glow’ black-eyed Susan, available from Nature Hills, has a fiery twist and glows through the summer and into fall – perfect for bringing warmth to the late-season garden. Or, for a variety that takes up very little border space, choose Rudbeckia Little Goldstar, also available from Nature Hills, which is perfectly compact and equally floriferous. This is also one of best perennials for patio pots if you want maximum flowers for minimum effort.

8. Yarrow

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers summer to fall
• Grows to 1-4 feet high and 1-3 feet wide

Achillea is one of those plants that looks deceptively delicate but is a real garden workhorse. Its flat-topped flower clusters bring butterflies and other pollinators, while the foliage has a pleasingly ferny texture. With its tough constitution and long flowering season, yarrow is a particularly useful perennial for low-maintenance borders. By fall, container-grown yarrow plants have finished flowering, making them prime candidates for end-of-season markdowns.

Especially lovely is Achillea ‘Strawberry Seduction’, available from Nature Hills, which carries domed heads of deliciously rich pink-red flowers, gradually fading to warm straw yellow as summer progresses. For the earthy warmth of a summer sunset, yarrow ‘Desert Eve Terracotta’, available at Lowe's, is a more compact choice to add glowing color to a sunny border. Give yarrow full sun and good drainage and plant it at the same depth it was growing in its pot.

9. Aster

(Image credit: Albert Fertl / Getty Images)

• Zones 3-8, depending on species
• Full sun to partial shade
• Flowers late summer to fall
• Grows to 1-6 feet high and 1-4 feet wide

Native asters (Symphyotrichum) peak just as many perennials are winding down, producing clouds of daisy-like flowers in late summer and fall. That makes them particularly useful to wildlife – and easy to overlook when plant-shopping earlier in the year. Native asters are particularly useful for supporting specialist bees and are important host plants for numerous moth and butterfly caterpillars. Leaving the dried stems standing over winter will provide habitat and seed, as well as a little structure when the rest of the border has gone quiet.

Plant asters now while the soil is workable, preferably in sun and well-drained soil. Don't worry if the plant looks less than impressive once its flowers fade: the root system is busy growing to support bountiful blooms next year.

If you have a small gap to fill, try dwarf variety ‘Purple Dome’, available from Nature Hills – it’s great for being naturally pest-free too. For intensely rich, grape-purple flowers, ‘Grape Crush’, also available from Nature Hills, is the perfect antidote to fading summer color.

10. Hosta

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-9
• Partial shade to shade
• Flowers summer
• Grows to ½–2½ feet high and ½-3 feet wide

The magic of hostas is they don't need to be in flower to be fabulous. Their leaves create structure, color and interest from spring onwards, making them wonderful for woodland gardens, shady borders, containers and naturalized planting.

Hostas are one of the easiest shade-loving perennials to establish from bare roots in fall. Plant your bargain roots in partial to full shade and rich, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Keep the crown level with the soil surface, water thoroughly and keep the soil consistently moist while roots establish, particularly if fall is dry. Don’t worry if there’s little to see above ground after planting as hostas naturally die back for winter before emerging in spring, when you'll need to protect tasty fresh leaves from slugs and snails with Garden Safe Slug and Snail Granules, available from Amazon.

A mixed hosta collection such as this Walmart deal is a lovely (and highly economical) way to discover just how much variety these plants can offer. Or skip straight to the showstoppers with a standout variety like hosta White Feather, available from Dutch Grown, whose cream leaves light up a shady corner. Hosta Fire & Ice, also available from Dutch Grown, is another surefire hit with stunning variegated foliage.

Top Tips for September Success

• Don't judge a plant by its flowers. End-of-season container plants can look a little scruffy but as long as the crown is firm, the foliage is reasonably healthy and the roots aren't rotten or completely pot-bound. When you're searching through a garden center's bargain corner, skip anything with obvious disease, severe pest damage or a dry, brittle root ball.
• Treat bare-root plants with care. The bare roots should arrive firm and substantial rather than dried out or brittle. Keep roots from drying out and plant as soon as practical, following the supplier's instructions for soaking and planting depth.
• Get the basics right. Always match the perennial to your USDA hardiness zone, sunlight, soil drainage and local growing conditions. The cheapest plant is no bargain if it's planted in the wrong place.
• In colder regions, aim to plant at least four to six weeks before the ground freezes, giving new arrivals time to establish before temperatures plummet.
• Water after planting. Fall rain may do some of the work but newly planted perennials still need a thorough drink and should be watered during prolonged dry spells while they establish.
• Always mulch fall-planted perennials. A 2-3 inch layer of organic mulch such as Back to Roots Organic Mulch, available from The Home Depot, laid over the soil surface helps conserve moisture and buffer temperature swings; keep it a little away from crowns and stems to prevent rot.

If you've been wondering what to plant in fall, now you know. Get busy in September and take advantage of end-of-season bargains and bare root plants and your garden will be packed full of flowers next summer, for years to come, without splashing the cash. There's no better way to save money when starting a new garden, adding another border or filling up an existing bed with extra flower power, than planting great-value perennials in fall.

Something shifts for orchids once the calendar turns. The days are shortening, the nights are cooling off, and for a moth orchid that spent all summer building leaves and roots, that combination is the cue. Whether flowers happen at all tends to be settled around now – not in January, when the spike finally shows itself.

Most of what good orchid care asks for in September is subtraction. Less water, less feeding. Cooler nights, too – that one probably matters most. The thing worth adding is attention, since a fair bit of the month’s damage comes from running summer habits a few weeks too long.

1. Let the Nights Get Cold

(Image credit: Helin Loik-Tomson / Getty Images)

Phalaenopsis needs a run of cool nights before it will push a flower spike. Around 55F (13C) after dark for a few weeks is the usual target, with days holding in the normal 75 to 85F (24 to 29C) range. A house kept at a flat 72F (22C) all year is comfortable for people. For an orchid, it can be the reason nothing ever happens.

An east or north-facing window does much of this on its own once outdoor lows start dropping, since the glass runs colder than the room. A small monitor near the pot takes the guesswork out of it – a ThermoPro hygrometer from Amazon logs the overnight low so the number is sitting there in the morning, which beats guessing.

2. Bring Summering Plants Back Indoors

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anything that spent the summer on a porch is working against a deadline now. Once nighttime lows start touching 55F (13C), plants belong back under a roof. Waiting for frost is how people lose orchids outright – cold damage on a leaf doesn’t heal, and a hard night can take the whole plant. Cymbidiums shrug off more chill than most, though the common houseplant types really don’t.

Scrub the indoor growing spot before anything comes back to it. Algae and old debris on a windowsill carry problems forward, and dealing with it now is easier than chasing an infestation across a full shelf in February.

3. Check Every Plant for Hitchhikers

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Plants that summered outside almost always bring something in with them. Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) tuck into leaf joints as cottony white specks. Scale insects (Coccoidea) look like small brown bumps that scrape off with a fingernail. Slugs and weed seedlings ride in inside the pot itself, sometimes with an ant colony living under the bark.

Rinse the leaves and their undersides first, then treat while the plant is still outside. Captain Jack’s insecticidal super soap from Amazon is labeled for outdoor use, so the porch is where that step belongs anyway. Keep treated plants separated from the rest for a couple of weeks afterward. It’s a precaution, not a verdict on the plant.

4. Follow the Light as the Sun Drops

(Image credit: All For You Friend / Shutterstock)

The sun sits lower every week now. A south-facing window that was scorching leaves in July can become decent real estate by late September, while a corner that suited a plant fine in June may be too dim by month’s end. Leaf color reads the situation faster than any meter – grassy green is about right, and dark forest green usually means the plant could take more.

Cleaning orchid leaves helps more than people expect, since a summer’s worth of film cuts into what light there is. Rotate the pot with a quarter turn every week or so to keep growth even. Small stuff, but it stacks up.

5. Ease Off the Water and Fertilizer

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Growth slows as the light goes, and orchid water requirements fall off with it. Bark that dried out in four days in August might stay damp for eight or nine now, so an unchanged watering rhythm quietly becomes a root rot problem. Check before pouring. In a clear pot, silvery roots mean thirsty and green ones mean wait a while longer.

Orchid feeding can taper too – a diluted dose every few weeks rather than the weekly warm-season routine. Flush the pot with plain water first to clear out built-up salts. And never feed a bone-dry plant, whatever month it is.

6. Save Repotting for the Spring

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

September feels like a tidy-up month, which is exactly why so people repot orchids right about now. Better to wait. Disturbing roots while a plant is setting up to spike can cost the flowers, and shortening days leave little in the tank for recovery. Unless the medium has gone to mush or the roots are rotting, spring is the safer window.

Watch instead. Spikes tend to show up later in fall, and once one reaches 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20cm) it wants support – a set of orchid support stakes with clips from Amazon handles that. Clip loosely and leave the growing tip free to move on its own.

None of this is dramatic work. Let the nights run cold, back off a little on everything else, and the flowers arrive on their own schedule.

They say that every fruit holds its secret, and that's even more true when you consider that we each have a birth month fruit!

Yes, we all know our birth flowers, and by now you may even know your birth month bird, tree, or animal. You can even find a special meaning for you in your birth month vine... so what if your birthday had a fruit, too?

There's something wonderfully satisfying about imagining that the natural world has a little personality profile waiting for each of us, especially if it comes in the form of something we can grow an our own garden. Even more so, too, if that something is edible.

All 12 Birth Month Fruits

From strawberries to pomegranates, each month has its own fruity personality. Some are sweet, some are bold, some are a little unexpected – and, frankly, all feel uncannily accurate.

So, whether you're a January baby looking for a little sunshine or a September soul who'd rather march to the beat of their own drum, let's find out which fruit represents you. And because this is Gardening Know How, let's also consider whether you can actually grow your birth month fruit at home...

January – Orange

Bright, optimistic, and impossible to ignore, oranges are the perfect birth month fruit for January babies. There's something wonderfully cheerful about a bright orange fruit appearing when much of the garden is looking decidedly sleepy, so if you're a January baby, you're probably someone who brings a little sunshine wherever you go.

You're naturally positive, energetic, and perhaps slightly more determined than people realise. You may also have a secret talent for making everyone around you feel a little better.

Grow it yourself?

Orange trees need plenty of warmth and sunshine, but dwarf varieties can be grown in containers. In cooler climates, you'll need to bring them somewhere protected from frost during winter.

Shop Orange Trees:

Brighter Blooms Navel Orange Tree

JAVAGREEN Red Mineola Tangelo Honeybell Tree

Brighter Blooms Calamondin Orange Tree

February – Strawberry

(Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images)

Sweet, sociable, and perhaps a little romantic, strawberries are a fitting fruit for February birthdays.

If this is your birth month fruit, you're warm-hearted and generous, with a tendency to make people feel at home instantly. You may also have a playful streak that comes out when you're around the people you love most.

And honestly, who wouldn't want strawberries as their personality fruit?

Grow it yourself?

Absolutely. Strawberries are among the easiest fruits for home gardeners to grow, and you don't even need a huge garden. Try growing something like these Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants in containers, hanging baskets, or a sunny border.

March – Lemon

(Image credit: Future Publishing Ltd)

Fresh, energetic, and full of personality, the lemon is obviously the only contender for March's birth month fruit.

You're curious and adaptable, with a knack for finding the bright side of even slightly sour situations. You're also not afraid to say what you think – although you probably manage to do it with enough charm that people forgive you.

Grow it yourself?

Lemon trees (like this Meyer Lemon Tree from Brighter Blooms) love sunshine and warmth, but compact varieties can be grown in pots. If you live somewhere cold, keep your tree somewhere protected and bring it indoors when temperatures drop.

April – Cherry

(Image credit: Romeo-f / Getty Images)

If you're an April baby, your fruit is the cherry – beautiful, fleeting, and impossible to ignore. Hardly a surprise, of course, as cherries are associated with joy, beauty, and appreciation, making them a fitting match for people who tend to notice the little things.

You're likely sociable and optimistic, with a talent for turning an ordinary day into something memorable. And, much like a cherry blossom, you probably know how to make an entrance.

Grow it yourself?

Cherry trees need plenty of sunshine and space, but dwarf varieties can make home growing much more manageable. Just remember that pollination requirements vary between varieties, so check before you buy (personally, I'm a fan of this Stella Cherry Tree from Nature Hills).

May – Apple

(Image credit: Billysfam / Shutterstock)

Reliable, generous, and quietly confident, the apple is a classic choice for May birthdays. If this is your fruit, you're the person everyone knows they can rely on, because, while you may not always demand attention, you're usually the first person people call when they need help.

There's also something wonderfully wholesome about having an apple as your birth month fruit. Very garden-to-table.

Grow it yourself?

Yes – although you'll need to choose a variety suited to your climate and available space. Something like this lovely Honeycrisp Apple Tree from Nature Hills promises beautiful apples and a buzz of happy pollinators, too!

June – Peach

(Image credit: Kenneth_Keifer / Getty Images)

Warm, affectionate, and full of summer energy, peaches are a fitting birth month fruit for June babies. You're likely generous with your time and attention, and you have a talent for making people feel comfortable around you. You also have a softer side, even if you don't always show it straight away.

And, naturally, you probably have excellent taste. How could you not, right?

Grow it yourself?

Peaches need warmth, sunshine, and a little patience, but they're very rewarding if you have the right conditions. Look for a variety suited to your USDA hardiness zone (this Elberta Peach Tree from Brighter Blooms is a great option) and give it a sunny, sheltered position.

July – Raspberry

July's birth month fruit is the raspberry, which suits all those who are energetic, independent, and just a little bit wild.

You don't necessarily like following the crowd, and you're happiest when you have the freedom to do things your own way. Beneath that independent streak, though, you're incredibly loyal to the people you care about. Just... just like a raspberry, obviously.

Grow it yourself?

Raspberries are surprisingly easy to grow, provided you give them fertile soil, plenty of sun, and something to support their canes. Just be prepared for them to spread if you don't keep them in check.

Shop Raspberries:

Burpee.com Heritage Raspberry - 1 Plant

Burpee.com Glencoe Raspberry - 1 Plant

Burpee.com Glencoe Raspberry - 1 Plant

August – Fig

(Image credit: SabbirDigitall / Shutterstock)

Figs are luxurious, unusual, and slightly mysterious – making them an excellent match for confident and creative August babies.

Hardly surprising, but figgy babies everywhere know how to enjoy the good things in life. Because, yes, they're the kind of people who would happily eat fresh figs in the garden while everyone else is still deciding what to barbecue.

Grow it yourself?

Figs can be surprisingly easy to grow, especially in warm climates. In cooler areas, grow them in a container so you can protect the roots and move the tree somewhere sheltered if necessary. The Violette de Bordeaux Fig Plant from Burpee is said to supply the very finest tasting figs around, so snap one up!

September – Pear

(Image credit: Tara Moore / Getty Images)

Need a sign to plant a pear tree? If you're born in September, this is it; it's only your very own birth month fruit!

Calm, thoughtful, and quietly elegant, if you're a September baby, you're probably someone who thinks before they act. You're observant, practical, and good at spotting details other people miss. You might not always be the loudest person in the room, but people tend to listen when you speak... and hey, that's way more important in the long run.

Grow it yourself?

Pear trees can make excellent additions to a home orchard, but many varieties benefit from having another compatible pear nearby for pollination. Choose carefully based on your space and climate.

October – Pomegranate

(Image credit: Cavan Images / Getty Images)

Dramatic, passionate, and packed with hidden depth, the pomegranate is an excellent birth month fruit for October babies like yours truly!

Like the fruit itself, we may not reveal everything about ourselves immediately (we love that sense of mystery, right?). We're also thoughtful, intense, and probably have more going on beneath the surface than people first realise.

We're also not afraid of a little drama, and that isn't always a bad thing. Drama is basically a byline for passion, after all.

Grow it yourself?

Pomegranates need plenty of sunshine and warmth, making them best suited to warmer climates. In cooler areas, a container-grown tree can be a better option, provided you can give it enough light and protect it from freezing temperatures. Something like this Dwarf Pomegranate Fruit Bearing Starter Fruit Tree from Gurney's could be ideal!

November – Persimmon

(Image credit: Volff / Alamy)

Sweet, elegant, and ever so slightly mysterious, the persimmon is November's birth month fruit. If this is you, then you're resilient, patient, and perhaps a little underestimated. You don't necessarily need to be the centre of attention, but when your moment comes, you tend to make the most of it.

There's also something wonderfully autumnal about a persimmon – which makes it almost too perfect for November.

Grow it yourself?

American persimmons (like this one from Ginger Glow) can be surprisingly hardy and make beautiful additions to an edible garden. Just check whether you need a male and female tree, or choose a self-fertile variety if you have limited space.

December – Blueberry

Last but by no means least, the blueberry is December's birth month fruit.

Sweet, spirited, and full of surprises, a December baby is curious and enthusiastic, not to mention always looking ahead to the next adventure. They are also adaptable, which is useful because they tend to have a habit of saying yes before they've fully considered what they've agreed to.

And while blueberries might look small, they certainly aren't short on personality — much like the incredible December-born people in our lives.

Grow it yourself?

Blueberries are excellent additions to a home garden, and many varieties can be grown in containers. They need acidic soil, plenty of sunshine, and regular watering, so choose a specialist compost like this one from Down To Earth if you're growing them in a pot.

Shop Blueberries:

Burpee.com Jersey Blueberry - 1 Plant

Burpee.com Pink Lemonade Blueberry - 1 Plant

Burpee.com Sunshine Blue Blueberry - 1 Plant

Whether you're a strawberry, a fig, a raspberry, or something a little more unexpected, there's something rather lovely about finding another way to connect ourselves with the natural world.

Of course, your birth month fruit doesn't actually determine your personality; you're much too precious and complicated for that. But if your symbolic fruit happens to feel strangely accurate, why not lean into it? Or, better still, try growing it.

After all, there's no better way to celebrate your birth month than with something beautiful, delicious, and growing in your own garden, right?

Fall kitchens turn out some odd waste. Shrimp shells from a weekend boil, rinds left over from juicing, bread that went stale before anyone got to it: these food scraps usually end up in the trash on the assumption they won’t break down, or that they'll draw something unwelcome into the yard. But there’s some surprising gourmet treats lurking at the bottom of your trash can that can work wonders recycled in the yard.

When it comes to kitchen waste that can nourish our soil, coffee grounds, eggshells, banana skins, used tea leaves, and vegetable peelings get most of the attention. While those staples have their place in the compost pile, there are other treasures hiding in plain sight in our trash, and these unexpected foodie scraps are just begging to be put to good use.

Fall is the perfect time for composting some of this more complex, dense kitchen waste. A compost heap you get to work now has all winter and early spring to quietly work through these materials. The colder weather might slow decomposition a bit, but it also keeps smells and scavengers in check while heavy scraps soften. Come spring, you’ll have organic gold ready for quick absorption in your beds and borders.

Set the Table for Foodie Scraps

Adding these gourmet foodie scraps to garden beds doesn't require expensive or tricky equipment, but it does rely on getting your composting pile in decent shape before the ground freezes. It’s not a good idea to just fold these foodie scraps directly into the soil: composting gives a more efficient (and hygienic) flow of nutrients. Still, all you need is a composting pile, some time, and a little patience.

Dense, wet food waste needs plenty of carbon packed tightly around it to prevent the heap from turning sour or overly saturated. Fall provides the ultimate solution, as fallen leaves are free, and starting to appear everywhere. Layer 2 parts of dry, shredded leaves to 1 part rich kitchen food scraps to keep microbes alive through early frosts. Bury the wet stuff toward the center of your compost pile and keep those leafy browns around it, and the months ahead should take care of the rest.

(Image credit: Olesia Shadrina / Getty Images)

While you’re waiting for the following gourmet scraps to break down in your compost pile, there are a couple of foodie extras worth adding now. Fall is the ideal season to introduce ocean-derived tonics. Seaweed and kelp are vital soil superfoods, packed with over 60 trace minerals, growth hormones, and enzymes.

For a hearty pop of seaweed, you can add tonics and powders such as Down to Earth Organic Kelp Meal, available from Amazon to give quicker benefits for soil health. Another great soil treatment to add now is mushroom compost. You can get lush ready-made bags of Espoma Natural Mushroom Blend Fertilizer, available from Walmart, to replenish tired autumn beds. This is a great way of priming the ground in readiness for the following treats.

1. Crushed Shellfish Shells

(Image credit: ValentynVolkov / Getty Images)

Crustacean shells from the likes of crap or shrimp bring a unique defense that standard veggie peels cannot match. The hard exoskeletons of wild blue crabs, Gulf shrimp, and Maine lobsters are rich in calcium carbonate and a complex carb called chitin. When buried in warm fall compost, chitin triggers a bloom of bacteria that release chitinase. Those same enzymes go after the egg casings of destructive root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) lurking in garden soil.

To extract this goodness safely without inviting cats or raccoons, rinse off any heavy salts or seasonings first. Crush the dried shells using a mallet or rolling pin, until you get fine, coin-sized fragments. Bury these deep in the hot center of your pile with plenty of carbon. Then give them 4-6 months to soften. For a quick, pre-ground alternative that delivers instant chitin to beds, you can dust your rows now with a commercial blend such as Neptune's Harvest Organic Crab & Shell Meal from Walmart, which is high in natural chitin and calcium, and a little goes a long way.

2. Artisanal Beer Lees & Stale Crusty Bread

(Image credit: 500px Asia / Getty Images)

That flat inch (2.5cm) of craft IPA at the bottom of a bottle, the dregs of a rich autumn stout, or the forgotten heel of a sourdough loaf are massively useful. Used well, they hand soil microbes a supply of quick-release sugars and active yeasts in a form that is usable straight away. Cool fall weather can stall microbial activity in your compost, but these carbohydrates and live yeast can help jumpstart things, generating internal thermal energy that keeps the core of your heap warm enough to continue breaking down material well into November.

You can pour beer directly across dry, carbon-rich leaf layers, where it absorbs instantly into the material without pooling. Crusty breads, brioche, or stale dinner rolls must be torn into small chunks and buried at least 8-12 inches (10-25cm) deep within the core of the heap. Left too near the surface, damp bread can mold over and attract rodents. To fast-track the breakdown of bakery waste before adding it to your pile, you can use a tabletop composting or dehydrating unit, such as the Airthereal Revive R500 Electric Kitchen Composter, available from Amazon. This compact countertop food waste recycler easily dehydrates and grinds scraps.

3. Toasted Pecan, Pistachio & Hazelnut Shell

(Image credit: Julia_Sudnitskaya / Getty Images)

While soft kitchen scraps decompose in a single season, unsalted nut shells (such as crushed pecan hulls, hazelnut shells, and pistachio casings) provide a long-term benefit. Made of woody lignin, crushed nut shells take a year or more to break down. Tilled into beds, these fragments prevent heavy winter clay soil from packing tight under heavy rain and melting snow. Just make sure shells aren’t salted and give them a rinse, since sodium can build up in soil and damage delicate roots.

Word to the wise, avoid using black walnut (Juglans nigra) hulls. Black walnuts contain a natural herbicide called juglone that persists through composting and can stunt or kill sensitive nightshades like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in spring. To build a moisture-retentive humus around your shells, layer your heap with some worm castings. Sta-Green Earthworm Castings from Lowe’s are a gentle, slow-release way of building a balanced humus around these nutty extras.

4. Finely Grated Avocado Pits

(Image credit: Dina Belashova / Getty Images)

Toss an avocado pit into a standard compost bin and it will still be sitting there, virtually unchanged, 2 years later. However, beneath that rock-hard outer skin sits a stash of concentrated potassium, nitrogen, and essential fatty acids to power a growing tree seedling (and plenty else besides). The secret to unlocking those nutrients is changing the physical surface area of your pit before it dries out. In other words, get your grater out.

Freshly harvested pits from Hass, Reed, or Bacon avocados are surprisingly soft and easily processed. Use a heavy-duty manual box grater for this job. If you haven’t got one, the Farberware Pro 9.5 Stainless Steel Steel Box Grater from Walmart is a great heavy-duty option for easy (and satisfying) pit shredding. You need to shred the moist pit into nut-like shavings. Scattered into your fall compost or buried beneath bed mulch, these shavings break down in 60-90 days, releasing potassium just in time to power heavy-feeding spring perennials.

5. Charred Fish Bones & Seafood Scraps

(Image credit: Olesia Shadrina / Getty Images)

The bits of fish we don’t tend to eat (heads, frames, skins) represent some of the richest natural nitrogen sources a home compost heap can ever receive. While soft tissues break down rapidly to feed nitrogen-hungry soil microbes, the calcium-dense fish bones function as slow-release bone meal. As soil acids slowly dissolve these bones over winter, they release phosphorus and calcium, essential building blocks for spring heavy-feeders like dahlias, roses, and tomatoes.

Animal proteins carry a potent scent during initial decomposition. Dig a trench 12-15 inches (30-38cm) deep into the center of a hot compost pile. Lay down the fish scrap, and cap it with a foot (30cm) of shredded leaves or straw. To monitor whether your pile is generating enough heat, you can track internal temps using a compost thermometer. The REOTEMP Backyard Compost Thermometer, available from Amazon, is a reliable probe with an easy-to-follow dial that tells you whether the middle of the heap is running hot enough.

For growers who want the benefits of fish and bone meal in a quicker way, or don’t want to handle raw fish frames, you can also work a handful of Espoma Organic Bio-Tone Starter Plus, available from Walmart, directly into fall planting holes.

6. Pomegranate, Persimmon & Exotic Citrus

(Image credit: Julia700702 / Getty Images)

Citrus has a reputation for wrecking compost which is unfair. It is believed their natural acidity and d-limonene oils will destroy compost piles or kill beneficial earthworms. While high concentrations of pure citrus oil can bother worms in confined vermicomposting bins, a moderate mix of rinds such as blood orange, Meyer lemon or key lime, or thick pomegranate husks, will be safe for outdoor heaps. Pomegranate husks and thick winter citrus skins are packed with polyphenols, potassium, and trace minerals that enrich winter soil as they soften.

The acidity in citrus peels breaks down rapidly as microbes process the organic matter, and surrounding carbon buffers the pH. To speed up the breakdown of leathery pomegranate husks and grapefruit peels, chop them into small one-inch (2.5cm) pieces before burying them toward the center of your heap. To give tough, leathery fruit rinds an extra boost over cool autumn months, sprinkle the pile with a little compost accelerator, like Roebic Compost Accelerator from Amazon, to double the rate of breakdown before winter. For what it’s worth, these fruity scraps also add a splash of jaunty fall color to your compost heap.

Winter Care for the Big Freeze

(Image credit: Svetikd / Getty Images)

Remember to pack your food scraps in carbon, following that 2:1 ratio for crushed fall leaves and foodie bits. Once gourmet scraps and carbon layers are stacked in the pile, the biggest mistake is leaving the compost heap exposed to freezing winter winds. This can chill the outer edges and stall decomposition. A thick 12-inch (30cm) cap of loose straw, clean hay, or dry autumn leaves laid over the top of the bin acts as a thermal blanket, trapping internal heat and moisture.

Turning matters less now than in July, and a well-layered pile can sit until March. Letting the layered pile sit undisturbed protects the warm microbial core. When the middle needs loosening, the Tumbleweed Compost Aerator from The Home Depot can save a lot of digging in cold, packed material. This handy spiral tool makes light work of aerating dense piles. By the time the beds get turned in spring, your lush foodie scraps will be ready to nourish a new year of plants, flowers and crops!

(Image credit: MillefloreImages / Getty Images)

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Elegant white blooms make the peace lily a beautiful houseplant but a brown flower could be a desperate cry for help. While they’re among the easiest houseplants to look after, peace lilies are incredibly dramatic, and you’ve no doubt witnessed your plant’s diva-esque leaf flop when you’ve forgotten to water it. The same goes for browning peace lily flowers. The discolored blooms are likely telling you critical care information, and as part of our Garden ER series, we’re here with straightforward solutions to help you diagnose and treat the problem, and save your plant.

There are several possible causes behind a peace lily’s brown flowers, from being a perfectly normal part of the plant’s lifecycle to a clear sign that your Spathiphyllum wallisii is in severe trouble. But don't worry – each cause leaves a trail of telltale signs, making it easy to work out what the problem with your peace lily is and take the right action to nurse your plant back to health, pronto. And the good news is that all these common problems with peace lilies are straightforward to sort.

Ready? Come on into Garden ER and let’s diagnose and treat this houseplant patient suffering from brown flowers.

1. Is the Flower More Than a Month Old?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Probable Cause: Natural Lifespan

Each peace lily bloom, called a spathe, only lasts for 4-6 weeks. So, if this discolored flower has been out for more than a month, it’s likely nearing the end of its life.

Confirm the Diagnosis

Another clue that points towards natural causes is if the sail turned green before it browned. New spathes emerge a bright white but produce chlorophyll as they age, which gradually turns them green, and they then slowly shift to brown. The more light the plant gets, the greener peace lily flowers will become, but all should show a gradual color shift rather than turning directly from white to brown.

(Image credit: Getty Images)Treatment Plan

If this sounds like what’s happened to your peace lily flower, there's nothing to worry about. Trace the stem of the brown flower down to the base of the plant and use a sharp pair of bypass pruners to cut it off as low as possible. This will stop your plant wasting nutrients on a dying flower.

2. Are the Brown Patches on the Flower Irregular?

(Image credit: Getty Images)Probable Cause: Sun Scorch

Peace lilies do best in indirect sunlight, in a bright room but where the sun doesn't shine directly on its leaves. If your plant is sitting in direct light such as on a sunny windowsill, sunbeams have likely scorched the plant and turned areas of the spathes brown.

Confirm the Diagnosis

Sun scorch creates random irregular patches on spathes, in any and many patterns, that are a dark chocolate brown. The affected areas can sink, dry out to a paper-thin lesion, or turn into a hole. The rest of the spathe may also look thin or faded, and the spike may turn brown or black. You may see bleached yellow or white patches on leaves that have been scorched by intense sunlight, too.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Treatment Plan

This issue is easily fixed: cut the damaged stem off (follow the steps explained above) and move your plant to enjoy bright indirect sunlight – a spot in a sunny room but where the sun won’t shine directly on its flowers and foliage. If you don’t have much choice, then a sheer curtain will help screen your peace lily from direct sunlight.

3. Does the Flower Just Have a Dark Outer Edge or Tip?Probable Cause: Low Humidity

(Image credit: Getty Images)

These fabulous houseplants trace their ancestry back to plants that were ground-dwellers in the warm and steamy tropical rainforests of Central and South America, so peace lilies are houseplants that naturally love humid conditions. In the dry air of our centrally heated homes and offices, peace lilies can struggle, especially in fall when the heating is first turned on, and they’ll let you know they’re not happy with spathes edged in brown.

Confirm the Diagnosis

There’s a very distinct pattern when low humidity is the cause, because the most exposed parts of the flower dry out first. So, the outer edge or very tip of the spathe will brown first, while the center stays green or white at first, and the discoloration gradually moves inwards. If lack of humidity is the problem, you’ll almost always see darker, crispy tips on the leaves too.

(Image credit: Getty Images)Treatment Plan

If you suspect low humidity is the issue, check your peace lily isn’t sitting near a radiator, air-con vent or hearth. Then set the plant pot on a shallow tray filled with pebbles and water: a Bonsai humidity tray such as this from Lowe’s is ideal. It’s important that the pot isn’t sitting in the water, as this can rot the roots; you’re simply using the water to humidify the air as it evaporates. Another option to increase humidity for a peace lily is to move it into a bathroom, or try placing it among other houseplants so it benefits from the moisture released by their leaves.

4. Does the Spathe Feel Soft and Limp?

(Image credit: Getty Images)Probable Cause: Overwatering

If the flowers are drooping and feel a little mushy, and they’re a dull light green or yellowish-brown color, it’s likely you’ve been giving your peace lily too much water. As most houseplants start to slow growth as the days shorten post-summer, a vital element of September peace lily care is to start reducing watering, so overwatering is a common cause of brown flowers at this time of the year.

Confirm the Diagnosis

Overwatering a peace lily can cause its roots to suffocate and rot, and if you slide your plant out of its pot you’ll probably see they’re a little slimy and smelly. Roots may be dark brown or black, too (healthy roots are white or light brown).

Treatment Plan

Remove as much potting soil as you can and trim off any mushy or dark-colored roots. Prune browning flower stems and any fully yellow leaves at the base, too. Wash the pot and check it has a drainage hole before repotting with fresh houseplant potting soil, choosing one with added perlite to improve drainage such as Back to the Roots Organic Indoor Potting Mix, available from Amazon.

Don’t water for a few days, and then only water when the top 2 inches of soil are dry – a simple moisture meter such as this from Amazon takes away any guesswork – or when the leaves show the very first signs of drooping.

5. Is the Spathe Paper-Thin and Pale Brown All Over?

(Image credit: Getty Images)Probable Cause: Underwatering

If the flowers feel dry and brittle to the touch, and look uniformly pale brown, your peace lily is likely severely dehydrated.

Confirm the Diagnosis

If underwatering is the cause of your peace lily's brown spathes, its leaves will be drooping dramatically, for sure. Slide the plant out of its pot and you’ll probably see that the soil is bone dry.

(Image credit: Getty Images)Treatment Plan

Because the soil has lost so much moisture, it’s likely hydrophobic, so the best way to help your underwatered peace lily is to soak the pot. Fill a tub with 2-3 inches of lukewarm water and stand the pot in this hydration bath, checking it has drainage holes first. The potting mix will suck up as much moisture as it can hold and, after about 30 minutes or when the soil surface feels damp to the touch, remove the plant from the water and let it stand for at least 10 minutes to drain.

If you caught your peace lily early enough, it’ll likely miraculously recover with a day’s rest. Trim any discolored spathes or fully yellow or brown leaves that haven’t bounced back after 24 hours, but leave foliage that’s still partially green. Going forwards, improve your peace lily watering routine. Make a moisture meter such as this from Amazon your new best friend, and water your peace lily as soon as the leaves start to droop.

6. Can You See Brown Freckles on the Spathe?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Probable Cause: Tap Water Chemicals

While peace lilies are generally very resilient plants, they are sensitive to chemicals and if you use tap water to irrigate, levels of chlorine, fluoride or other heavy minerals can build up in the soil. These will slowly poison your houseplant.

Confirm the Diagnosis

Tiny brown spots across the spathe, even when flowers first open, is a classic sign of a poisoned peace lily. Flowers may show a yellow outer rim, too, and they won’t last the usual 4-6 weeks. Because leaves push unwanted chemicals to their outer edges, foliage is likely to have crisp dark brown edges and tips, often with a distinct border between the healthy and unhealthy tissue. Look at the soil, too: a white crust may have formed on the surface or around the inside rim of the pot.

Treatment Plan

If your plant isn’t too badly affected, you can simply flush these minerals from the soil with rainwater or distilled water such as this from Walmart. If you filter your tap water, whether that’s with a filter jug like this from Walmart or a faucet filtration system like this, also from Walmart, that will work too. Stand your peace lily in a sink or bath and repeatedly pour water onto the soil and allow to drain well. From now on, only water with harvested rainwater or distilled or filtered water.

If this is a long-standing issue, chemicals will have accumulated in the top half-inch of soil so, if you see a white crust, scoop that off before flushing, then replace with fresh potting mix such as Back to the Roots Organic Indoor Potting Mix, available from Amazon.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Now you know exactly what caused the brown flowers on your peace lily and can take targeted action to resolve the situation, to enjoy fresh new pure-white blooms. Treat brown or faded peace lily flowers as useful signs that alert you that your plant is in trouble, and use them to help you look after your plant.

Whatever caused your peace lily’s brown flowers, don’t be tempted to fertilize it now. Peace lilies naturally slow their growth as winter approaches, so feeding your plant now will stress it – and if those brown spathes are due to over- or underwatering, low humidity, sun-scorch or chemical build-up, your plant is already feeling pretty stressed. The best therapy for your plant now is to give it ideal conditions to recover, and plenty of TLC.

Little Extras for a Happy, Healthy Peace Lily

Regular Water

Green Moon Indoor Metal Watering Can

A small 35oz watering can that’s handsome enough to display alongside your houseplants will remind you to irrigate regularly.

happy roots

Better Gro Orchid Bark Potting Media

When you next repot your peace lily, add some orchid bark to the potting mix to mimic the forest-floor conditions of its natural habitat.

Healthy Leaves

Bless Your Soil Microfiber Leaf Cleaning Gloves

Keeping the leaves of your peace lily dust free allows it to photosynthesize efficiently, and these gloves make it easy and fun to do.

More Garden ER Help

Every week, The Garden ER series brings you solutions to this season's most pressing problems for happy and healthy plants.

Powdery Mildew

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It feels like an ecologically sound habit: harvesting seeds from desirable plants in the parks in your neighborhood. It also saves you money and gives you immediate access to seeds that might be hard to find in the garden store. And yet, that doesn’t make it right.

As a gardener, I do understand. It’s fun and economical to collect and save seeds in the fall. But as an attorney, I have to suggest that you tap the brakes. Taking seeds from public parks or government land without permission can get you in trouble with park authorities or law enforcement.

I cover more questions like this in my Gardening Lawyer series, drawing on my experience as both a gardener and former attorney. Let's dig in to this issue to keep you on the right side of the law.

From a Tiny Acorn...

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We learn at a young age that plants grow from seeds. Remember hearing for the first time (or the 70th?) that "mighty oaks from little acorns grow"? Or maybe your parents helped you plant those super-size nasturtium seeds? We all learn at some point that plants grow from seeds, and, in fact, produce the seeds that propagate the species.

Many grown-up gardeners deliberately select plants that reseed themselves - I must admit that I do this, using nasturtiums, California poppies, black-eyed Susans and cosmos, just because they do their own seed-planting for the following year.

Other plants in my backyard produce seeds, but I need to harvest them and replant them. This is fun too, but somewhat limited since using this approach, you can only grow plants you already have. Whether you own or rent, your backyard may not be as large as you would like. So that raises the alternative: harvest seeds from parks or public land nearby. Yet… you generally do not have the right to do this without express permission.

Check the (Many) Laws That Might Apply

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It would be nice if there was one set of easily accessible laws you could check to see whether harvesting seeds is legal in a park near you. But there are many places to look. City parks will have their own rules, as will state parks and national parks. Most of these will prohibit gathering any plant material from within their boundaries, including seeds. Your odds are not good.

In my experience, your better bet is to find the park manager or a park ranger and ask for permission. If the plants at issue are beside the road or in some unregulated public space, ask at the city public works department. Try to narrow your request as much as possible for the best results. If you make a courteous request and a reasonable one, you have a pretty good chance of getting an affirmative response.

Learn Which Plants are Endangered in the Area

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You may not want to collect the seeds of endangered plants, but to avoid this, you must know which plants are endangered. This is easy to figure out if you have internet access; simply run a season for plants endangered in your area. They won’t be the same from state to state or even city to city.

You may think endangered plants are going to look astonishing or have some odd and unusual characteristics, but this is not true. For example, in my area in the Pacific beach end of San Francisco, lots of dune plants are rare, including an unassuming annual with tiny yellow flowers (San Francisco lessingia), and San Francisco Campion, a dune perennial with small, pink, bell-shaped blossoms. And neither of these make the federal list.

Making a Modest Request

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Before you ask for permission to collect seeds, take a moment to consider why these laws exist. Parks want to protect their plants, especially endangered species. The ecosystems can protect more than the plants, but also native insects, birds or reptiles. And humans can be thoughtless - taking not just a few seeds, but taking all that they find, or even uprooting the plants.

To get the best result, tell the official that you understand this and have no intention of taking seeds from any endangered plants. Tell them the name of the plant you want seeds from too, just to confirm this. And give them a specific number of seeds you hope to collect, and make it small: never take more than 10 percent of the seeds from any one plant, so that you won’t negatively impact the ecosystem or native wildlife.

Shop Seed Saving Essentials

Now that you know where and when you can legally collect seeds, a few simple products will make harvesting and storing easy peasy.

ARTDOT Portable Storage Organizer

A great option for storing seeds you have *legally* harvested. Content Editor Kathleen loves this for storing perennial seeds from her garden each year.

Fiskars 6" Steel Micro-Tip Pruning Scissors

These precision snips make deadheading flowers and collecting seed pods quick and efficient.

100pcs Seed Packets

A classic way to store seeds. Easily label each packet with the preprinted information boxes so you know exactly what's inside.

More from the Gardening Lawyer

• Why Taking Cuttings From a Plant You Bought Could Land You in Legal Trouble
• If Your Tree Falls Into a Neighbor’s Yard, Who Pays for the Damage?
• Can You Take Garden Plants With You When You Move House?
• Is Your Neighbor's Tree Blocking the Sunlight in Your Yard? Here’s What You Can (and Can’t) Do About It
• Is It OK to Take Plant Cuttings From Garden Centers?