Top Fall Gardening Trends for Tennessee Yards
The most radical change in fall gardening is the acceptance that fall is really the best time to plant․ The combination of cool air‚ warm soil with abundant moisture from September to November makes this an ideal period to establish plants in their new locations before winter arrives․ In addition to that shift there is a growing trend for drought tolerant landscaping‚ the use of plants that provide food or habitat for wildlife‚ and organic soil products instead of synthetic lawn chemicals․
All of Tennessee‚ from the Cumberland Plateau to the cliffs and rolls of Middle Tennessee to the valleys of the west‚ fits in USDA zones 6b to 8a․ That translates to a longer fall planting season than up north (into early December for hardy perennials and woody shrubs) but soil that dries out quickly afterward‚ which is why drought-tolerant planting has become such a priority․
Fall Is Prime Planting Season‚ Not an Afterthought
Spring has long been called "planting time"‚ but this notion has repeatedly been refuted by nurseries and horticulturists․ Soil temperatures remain warm long after air temperatures become cold․ Healthy roots need to continue to grow even after top growth has slowed noticeably․ A perennial or shrub planted in October will have four to six weeks more time to put down roots than it would if planted in April‚ when it must develop both roots and top growth in summer sun․
That means that you want to get woody shrubs and perennials planted at least six weeks before your first annual hard frost․ In Middle Tennessee that is usually early to mid November‚ so late September-October is the sweet spot․ Give it two deep waterings each week until the ground freezes; then let winter dormancy take over․
Drought-Tolerant Planting is Gaining Popularity
Water restrictions and variable precipitation have also elevated the importance of drought tolerance from a somewhat esoteric topic to a mainstream concern․ Fortunately‚ fall gardens already feature many of the most drought tolerant perennials available to gardeners today․
The coneflowers (Echinacea) are the workhorse here: Once established‚ they need little water and do not stop blooming until October in the Tennessee climate․ The TN Nursery has purple‚ pink and white varieties that are all suitable in clay soil‚ which is the most common soil type in Middle Tennessee yards․
The daylily is virtually indestructible once established․ It tolerates full and partial sun‚ and will grow in any soil except for waterlogged conditions․ If you've ever tried planting other perennials a hot‚ dry August and failed‚ try daylilies․
Finally‚ butterfly bush is a shrub‚ like salvia and yarrow‚ that would be considered drought-tolerant․ Since it flowers on new wood‚ it can be hard-pruned in late winter to keep it bushy and flowering rather than leggy․ Established plants shrug off weeks without rain․
Gardening With a Purpose: Native Wildlife Habitats
The second big trend‚ and one that is only accelerating‚ is planting for pollinators and birds‚ rather than planting for aesthetics․ This is important in Tennessee‚ which is more than people might realize‚ because the state is on a monarch corridor in the fall․
The two milkweeds that do most of the work are butterfly weed and swamp milkweed․ Butterfly weed can tolerate dry‚ sunny sites and‚ if necessary‚ rocky soil‚ while swamp milkweed prefers a regularly moist soil‚ so plant one or the other depending on which you have more of at your home․ These are the only food sources that monarch caterpillars can eat‚ and so if there is no milkweed‚ there is no migration․
Goldfinches and other birds feed on black-eyed Susan seeds in winter‚ after the blooms die; do not deadhead to remove the spent flower heads in October‚ but leave them on the plant as a food source․
Red osier dogwood is a major source of winter color out of season‚ with red stems and the berries enjoyed by robins and cedar waxwings and other birds that eat berries․
American beautyberry is probably the most underused native shrub for home landscapes in Tennessee․ Clusters of magenta-purple berries ripen in September and persist until November․ Frost sweetens the berry‚ and birds strip the plant clean․
As TN Nursery sells all five as plants rather than as seed‚ this is especially important for fall planting‚ because a plant that already has some root mass established goes dormant much better than a seedling․
Organic Practices Are Replacing Fall Cleanup
A third trend is a real model shift: gardeners are letting tradition go and not raking up every leaf or cutting down every stem in the fall․ It turns out that leaf litter‚ for instance‚ provides a winter habitat for fireflies and native bees․ Also‚ the hollow stems of perennials are actually the winter shelters for pollinator larvae․
Much better long-term‚ however‚ is to mulch the leaves in place with a mower when they're dry‚ leave any perennial stems standing until March‚ and use compost or leaf mold worked into the beds in the fall․ The compost has all winter to break down and feed the soil microbes before spring planting begins‚ which is just not possible with a fertilizer applied in the spring․
Putting It Together in a Tennessee yard
A more realistic fall planting plan combines all three trends․ In the sunniest‚ driest spots‚ plant coneflowers and butterfly weed․
