Denny's Soapbox

Fall Plant Process & Plant Guarantee

Every year in mid-fall plants go through a natural process of shutting down their growing process to get ready for their much needed long winter’s nap. Even though it’s an annual natural recurring event it seems that a lot of homeowners including those with green thumbs can tend to forget this process. I say this because I get a lot of questions this time of year wanting to know how they can prolong this year’s growing season keeping fall blooms and leaf color in tact.

We can’t have the beauty of spring unless the plants have had their time to rest. In order for all trees and shrubs in our growing zone to get this much needed rest they need the cold weather. This sleeping period assures us they will continue to grow happy and healthy in the future. Plants that are native to warmer weather zones don’t want nor need the cold weather but they still manage to rest for several months before resuming more new growth.

What about Annuals and Perennials?

Perennials are herbaceous plants with soft tissue stems compared to the woody stems of trees and shrubs. All stems of true perennials die back to the ground sometime during the fall. Their roots stay alive which provides for all new stems and flowers the following spring.

Annuals are also soft stemmed plants but they complete their whole life cycle in just one season. We usually think that the frosts of fall kill annual flowers. Yes, frosts will finish them off a little sooner, but they still don’t live for more than 6 to 8 months. This is why Disneyland and Disney World plant their annuals three times a year to always have great looking flower beds when you visit whether that visit happens in February or September.

There is a group of soft stemmed flowering plants that are referred to as tender perennials. Mums, snapdragons, and dusty miller are just a few members of this group. Mild winters will allow the majority of these plants to winter-over and live if the winter is mild. Harsh, cold winters turn this group into regular annuals.

Winter is a great landscape season. It allows nature to cleanse itself of a lot of previous growing season problems such as some bug and disease issues.

What’s a Plant Guarantee?

Most garden centers and landscape firms offer a plant guarantee of some sort. I want to give you a list of questions you can ask when making future tree and shrub purchases. Tree and shrub warranties can vary quite a bit from one garden retailer and landscape contractor to another. Be sure to ask about the plant guarantee when you make your plant buying decisions.

Questions you should ask:

• How long is the plant guarantee good for?

• If you have the plant professionally installed, is the labor to replace the dead plant included or is that extra?

• What weather exceptions or limitations are there for replacing a dead plant?

• How many times will the same plant be replaced if at all?

• In the case of a plant being purchased at a reduced sale price, is there a guarantee and if so, at what level will the replacement be? Will it be at the value of what you spent or the same plant of the same size regardless of its current price?