Sponsored by: Top 10 Tips for Fall Gardening in Arkansas

We’re just one week away from the first official day of fall, so it’s time to start mapping out your seasonal garden plan. Here are some pro tips to remember.

1. Warm-season annuals provide color throughout the spring and summer, but extreme heat and long periods without rainfall have taken their toll. If your annuals are still hanging in there but need some work, cut them back and start feeding them again. If your warm-season annuals aren’t up to the challenge, don’t worry. It’s time for fall annuals like mums, celosia, plecranthus, zinnias, amaranth, cabbage, kale and more.

2. Did you know that fall is the best time of year to plant trees and shrubs? Soil temperatures are warm, giving roots time to establish before the cold of winter sets in.

3. Ornamental grasses are thriving now. If your landscape could use more visual interest during the late summer and fall months, consider adding ornamental grasses for texture and movement. Easy to care for, they are drought tolerant once established and love hot, sunny weather.

4. Many perennials benefit from being divided every now and then, and this is a good time to do it. For more information about this method of growing your garden, click here.

5. Speaking of perennials, there is a semi-evergreen perennial that grows well in cool season containers. Coral bells or heucheras offer a wide range of foliage colors that contrast well with other container garden plants, from Sweet Flag to creeping Jenny.

6. Pansies. As temperatures drop, it’s time to buy winter-hardy pansies. These yearling pants are cheerful, reliable pants that are available in just about any color you can think of.

7. Every year, a new group of lucky people are introduced to the wonderful pansies. Cold waves Trail along the edges of the container It has the habit of spreading when planted in the ground. They are great annuals, and if you haven’t grown them yet, you’re in for a treat.

8. It’s easy to get caught up in the joy of those first flowers each spring and almost forget that there are shrubs that bloom at all times of the year, including fall. Fall flowering shrubs include Encore, Bloom-A-Thon azaleas, Drift and Knock Out roses, butterfly bush, camellia sasanqua, ornamental grasses and even fall sweet vine.

9. Fruit trees and small fruits such as berries, like trees and shrubs, benefit from being planted in the fall. While you’re planning this, consider putting some fall vegetables in your landscape here and there. There is still time to plant and harvest some vegetables, but it should happen soon.

10. Most of us spend more time outside during the fall and spring months, which gives us more opportunities to see what works and what doesn’t. Perhaps you need to add trees and shrubs with fall colors (maples, burning bush, ginkgo, Chinese pistachio, black gum) or perhaps your space would benefit from evergreen screening plants. Since there are many gardening tasks that can be better accomplished at this time of year, it is the perfect time of year to evaluate your space and modify it to your liking.