Fall Planting

For gardeners, fall starts when the nights become cooler (mid-August in Ohio) and it ends when the ground freezes (about Thanksgiving to mid-December here).

In Augeust, September and the first part of October, I'll be dividing Hostas, Irises, and Peonies. Daylilies too I hope, but I haven't started on them yet. Due to our recent rains, I'm also weeding,  weeding,  weeding. New Hosta varieties that have been growing in the shadehouse are being planted outside to test for winter hardiness. I'm getting the goat shed cleaned out and putting dried goat manure on everything that's green, painting anything that holds still, and removing peony foliage to control the black spot mine get every year at this time.

 I promise to have all my fall planting done a month before the ground freezes, so I'll try to stop by mid-November.

December at the outside, because I always have spring bulbs that got overlooked.

 All right, I plant my Christmas tree after Christmas each year.

But for Hostas, early and mid-fall is the ideal time to plant and divide. I try to stop planting Hostas by Halloween in Ohio, (really it should be earlier) because I don't want to shock them with hard freezes  until their roots have had a chance to grab hold of the dirt and start making themselves at home.  Mid-Fall is perfect because cooler temperatures and slanting sunlight are tender with new arrivals struggling to adapt to different soil, climate and care. And although I may still need to water, our rains are more reliable in the fall and better spaced.

I've read other opinions on this, but in my world, all Hosta dividing should be done in the fall. New divisions frequently flop and pout for awhile, and if I divide in spring they're liable to lollygag around all season long. If I divide in fall, they have all winter to sulk in their rooms,  so to speak. Come Spring, they're busting out-- big as life and twice as lively.

But the main reason I love to plant in the fall is because I know exactly where everything is, how everything did, what looked just right, what I want to change completely and what just needs a little extra TLC. I always think I'm going to remember in Spring, but inevitably I step on (or worse--dig up!) a sleepyhead that hasn't really gotten going yet. And in Spring the ground is mushy and compacts with every step. The worst thing I do in Fall is hit a spring bulb with my shovel.

And who doesn't want a good excuse to get outside and breathe air as redolent and full-bodied as wine?

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Cider House Hostas is owned and operated by:

Loretta Pierfelice, 8489 Wesleyan Church Road, Pataskala, Ohio 43062, 614-496-3501
For email please replace the 'at' with @ in my email address: loretta'at'ciderhousehostas.com

Member of The Ohio Farm Bureau and of The Central Ohio Hosta Society

Last updated 4/8/2006.

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Last updated 5/8/2006.