ROCHESTER, Mich. — As summer fades and fall colors take over, local gardeners say now is actually one of the best times to get planting.
Madison Sweeney, manager at Fogler's nursery, said the season is far from over.
"It's almost like a time for rejuvenating your garden. But there's definitely still a lot of planting you can do," Sweeney said.
Sweeney said perennials and shrubs can be planted right up until the ground freezes. In the meantime, Fogler's is stocking its shelves with seasonal staples — decorative cabbage and kale, mums, and other colorful plants that go the distance.
Customers Calvin Snedeker and Angela Snedeker were among those shopping for fall décor.
"Mums … anything decorative for the fall season," Calvin said.
"And perfect for little kids for fall," Angela said.
Their daughter, Josie, had her own priority at the greenhouse.
"A pumpkin!" Josie said.
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Owen Fogler, farm operations manager, said pumpkins are the name of the game this time of year — from the biggest to the smallest.
"Yeah, it's a busy season," Fogler said.
To set gardens up for success heading into winter, Sweeney recommends bedding and wrapping what you can and laying down straw and mulch to protect roots from Michigan's harsh winter winds.
"And a lot of evergreens can be damaged through that," Sweeney said.
Weather plays a major role in how the season goes.
"Yeah, that's like the whole thing. This year was really bad because we had a lot of heat and humidity during the summer," Sweeney said.
"There's a lot that goes into maintaining all of these flowers," Fogler said.
Both Fogler and Sweeney said the later season is also a time to reassess what went wrong during spring and summer.
"Should we do a different variety of tomatoes this year, or add a variety of corn to try it out?" Fogler said.
Sweeney said plants put in the ground now have all of fall and winter to get their roots situated — setting the stage for a stronger spring.
"I really like when you can play with your garden and have different things blooming at different times so you have something new to look at," Sweeney said.
Beginning Oct. 3, there will be a corn maze, hay rides, and a pumpkin patch on the Rochester Fogler's campus.
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