COOL-SEASON HUES

Plan and plant now to have color through fall and winter

Now that the dog days of summer are over and there’s a refreshing coolness in the air, it’s time to get busy in the garden again.

Gardening experts say fall is the best time to plant cool-weather vegetables, trees and annuals like pansies that will provide a rash of color in autumn and winter landscapes.

Pansies, violas, chrysanthemums, asters, ornamental kale and various flowering grasses have been available in recent weeks at local nurseries and gardening centers.

Fall is also the time to put daffodil, hyacinth, crocus, tulip and other flower bulbs in the ground so they can form healthy roots during the cool seasons and be ready to bloom in the spring. Experts say bulbs should be buried with the pointed end upward beneath the surface of the soil and watered immediately. Check the package for recommendations on how deep to bury different types of bulbs.

“Now is the time to plant so you have color in the spring and you can plant pansies on top of the bulbs to have color right away,” said Josh Deale, grower/manager at Rehm’s Nursery & Garden Center at 5801 Lomas NE.

Pansies come in white, yellow, purple and multicolored varieties and will continue flowering through the winter.

“They are a lovely bit of color poking up out of the snow,” said Sylvia Goffe, a nursery worker at Rehm’s. She said plants like the brilliant yellow goldenrod, ornamental grasses like panicum with purple leaves and the reddish purple ornamental kale offer more options for fall color.

Purple asters and yellow chamisa are good for homes that have the desert garden look.

In New Mexico, fall is the best season for planting trees and shrubs. Spring and summer are not ideal because of the winds and the heat, said Connie Barnhill, assistant manager at Osuna Nursery at 501 Osuna Road NE.

The leaves of different varieties of ash, oak and maple trees provide brilliant reds and yellows. Aspen trees turn vivid yellow.

In addition to various plants, many local stores are selling colorful pumpkins, gourds and red chile

ristras that are typical of the season.

“Putting out your ristras — that just tells you it’s fall in New Mexico,” said Barnhill.

Cool-season vegetables like kale, spinach, radishes, lettuces and swiss chard can be planted now. Check for varieties that mature quickly so you can enjoy them before winter.

Covering the plants or stringing large Christmas lights around the vegetable garden will help them survive an early cold snap, said Teresa Eden, a master gardener at the Albuquerque Garden Center.

Barnhill said fall is the time to prepare your garden for winter. The winterizing routine should include bringing in houseplants and spreading mulch around newly planted outdoor plants and bulbs to protect them from frost. Mulch also helps the soil retain water.

Remove dead blooms off summer flowering plants, cut back shrubs and clean up debris. Major pruning should be left until plants are dormant.

Barnhill recommended using some low-nitrogen fertilizers. Follow the instructions on the individual package on how much to use and how to apply.

ROSALIE RAYBURN/JOURNAL FAR RIGHT: Rehm’s worker Marika Buck and rose expert Brian McKinsey discuss the freshly delivered pansies from Agra Greenhouses in the South Valley.

Chrysanthemums, ornamental kale and flowering grasses are some of the plants you can rely on to provide color in your garden during the fall.

Pansies come in a variety of colors. They can be planted in the autumn and will provide color through the winter.

RIGHT: Autumn is the time to plant bulbs such as daffodil, hyacinth, crocus and tulip, available at Rehm’s Nursery & Garden Center in Albuquerque.

ROSALIE RAYBURN/JOURNAL Pumpkins and gourds in fall colors are available at local nurseries, garden centers and even supermarkets.