Fall is a fantastic time of year for gardeners and garden observers alike. The workload is reducing, the rewards of a successful growing year have been enjoyed and the beauty of a clear, blue, fall sky combined with colorful leaves is fantastic. Yet, opportunities remain to improve your landscape.

Fall is for planting and other gardening tasks. To a considerable degree, this statement would be true if used only for that purpose. Yet that is not the intent or purpose of giving thought to planting this time of year.

In a good growing year (as early as mid-August), trees and most other plants have made and stored the necessary reserves of starches for the following spring’s start-up process. This year’s drier season slowed crop maturity a bit, but buds for next year’s growth are now set and reserves are in place. The soil will stay warm until Thanksgiving, which along with appropriate watering after transplantation, can work to allow the roots to be re-established in their new sites well before the heat of the next summer arrives.

By numbers, more plants can be properly fall planted than not. A few trees and shrubs have a harder time with root recovery in declining soil temperatures. Dogwood, oak, sweet gum, red bud and magnolia are much more sensitive about fall planting than other types. This is frequently diminished by container growing or spring digging to accommodate fall planting. Plant root balls covered by wood chips, pea gravel or other mulching-type materials are protected more during summer growth, causing much less root disturbance at transplant time, so almost any plant chosen for a design purpose can be handled in the fall.

The leaves’ functions are slowing down or completed by now, and all a plant has to do is settle into its new site. The plant’s only need now is for a moist root zone. After watering the day of planting and the next day, it’s common to wait about two weeks before watering again, and then another deep soaking is sufficient.

This infrequent watering should be continued until the soil surface has frozen – usually between Dec. 1 and Jan. 15. Moist soil is a tremendous insulator for roots, and water holds the soil temperature to nearly the 32-degree freezing point, which is comfortable for plant roots.

However, as freezing settles into the ground, it’s time to shut down the irrigation system, disconnect, drain and store hoses and clear the frost-free faucets. If we have a very dry fall, your responsibilities for watering continue, especially for new plants, so the root zones stay moist and insulated.

Insulation should be increased by the installation of mulches after the ground begins to freeze. Mulch doesn’t keep plants warm, but it does slow the penetration of freeze into the soil and retards the rapid thawing of root zones, which can be detrimental. Simply fluff up the existing mulch and measure to see if there is still two inches of total mulch in place. If not, add mulch to re-establish that depth and your plants’ roots will reward your efforts in the spring with great beauty.

Another reason to think about planting in the fall is to bring out color. Most leafy landscape plants impart visual pleasure at the close of the active gardening year. Review your landscaping as the season changes and choose plants for new or replacement use as to future size, shape, winter structure, shade value and fall color.

Many of us are using more and more containers of color to complement our landscapes. Annuals are totally disposable after the first heavy frost and some of these containers can reused for seasonal holiday color and then stored empty. Others have tender perennials in them that can either be sacrificed at season’s end or properly stored. There are some that even contain “keepers.” I have a container by my driveway, for example, that’s finishing its ninth year of outstanding mid-late summer color.

With these fall-specific tasks being accomplished, we can look on to holiday excitement and color, do our indoor gardening by natural or artificial light and anticipate the arrival and renewal of spring.

Fred Hower, otherwise known as “The Ohio Nurseryman,” has more than 45 years experience as a horticultural consultant, certified arborist and landscape designer. He can be heard on Plant Talk on WMNI 920-AM.