by Connie Oswald Stofko
Fall is a good time of year to plant perennials.
The weather isn’t as hot as it was just last week, so the plants won’t be as stressed. Since we’re getting more rain, it’s easier to make sure those new plantings are kept well watered. You need to make sure you water deeply so that they put down deep roots before the ground freezes.
You can buy perennials in garden centers now, and those plants are larger than they were earlier this year. To find local garden centers, check out the ads on this website and peruse our Gardening Directory.
The best thing about perennials is that they spread. After a few years you can divide perennials and place them in other parts of your yard. Check out these tips on dividing perennials from Cornell Cooperative Extension.
After awhile your garden might be filled up, but those perennials still keep spreading. You have to divide them to make sure they don’t get crowded.
If you have you have some extra plants to share, take them to the Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk Fall Plant and Seed Exchange to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at University Presbyterian Church, 3330 Main St. at Niagara Falls Blvd., Buffalo.
The plant and seed exchange will be held rain or shine. There will be parking in the church parking lot.
Make sure you label the plants or seeds that you take. Include any information you have about the plant, such as the color of the flower or whether the plant likes sun or shade.
You can take the plant in dirt in a plastic bag if you don’t want to put it in a pot. Don’t take bare root plants because they won’t survive.
Gardeners from the community gardens of Grassroots Gardens are planning to attend, so there should be a lot of people participating.
The idea behind a plant or seed exchange is that you take things from your garden to the event and you get to bring something new home, but if you’re just starting out and have no plants or seeds to share, go anyway.
Seeds will be available at the exchange through a project of the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA) called the Soil, Seeds and Secrets program. Members have collected more than 50 types of seeds from gardeners and packaged them into more 2,000 packets. They also have gardening illustrations, a downloadable seed guide and posters.
The beautiful tags on each packet, along with the guide, were written and illustrated by UHAA writers and artists. If you’d like more information on the project or if you’d like to participate, email information@uhartsgroup.co
The UHAA will also hold an art activity during the plant and seed exchange that anyone, adults or children, can participate in.
