October is here! Cooler nights are back, giving us beautifully crisp mornings to enjoy. We get a lot of questions here at the greenhouses about whether or not it is too late to plant this time of year. Because we have such a mild climate here, we are able to plant nearly year- round! You still need to be aware of what you are planting to make sure it will survive a frost or freeze. It will take newly planted plants longer to become established because of the colder weather. It is important that you don’t overwater your new additions to the garden, but make sure the ground stays moist through winter. Really dry and cold conditions can harm the root systems. Even though you won’t see a ton of growth on your new plants throughout winter, you are giving them a huge head start for spring. They will already have established root systems and you can sit back and enjoy that you did some planning ahead.
This is also a great time of year to clean things out. Go ahead and remove anything that isn’t thriving anymore… or maybe you’re just tired of looking at it. It is ok to get rid of it. As long as the plant material isn’t diseased, you can toss it in the compost. It can be kind of therapeutic to get rid of tired plants. Maybe they are getting too woody, maybe you just want a new color scheme! Get it cleaned up now, and you can ponder all winter long about what should go there next. Or, like I mentioned earlier.. you can get a head start on the next season by planting some perennials right now!
Now is a great time to start visiting us to see the poinsettias begin to change colors. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer they start the process of shifting colors, and it is beautiful! Come see us from 9am-5pm Monday through Saturday, and 10am-3pm on Sundays. If you have any questions, you can email us at grow@ashlandgreenhouses.com. We will see you soon!
Sarah Messenger
Retail Manager
