Is Your Fall Business Where You Want It To Be?
Rethinking the Off-Season with Fall Planting
When the last of summer’s blooms fade and the patio projects slow down, it’s easy to think of fall as the wind-down season for landscaping. But fall isn’t the end of anything. It’s the quiet start to next year’s success. It’s when the soil is still warm, the rains do the watering for you, and roots do their best work underground. Fall is when smart planting pays long-term dividends.
Plants installed in the fall get a head start. While top growth slows down or stops altogether, root systems keep developing. That means less transplant shock, better drought tolerance, and often more vigorous growth come spring. Perennials, shrubs, even many trees will perform noticeably better if they’ve had the winter to settle in. Your clients don’t always know that—and your fall schedule might thank you for reminding them.
If you’ve never made a fall planting push before, it might be worth trying this season. Even a few well-timed prompts like,
• “Would you like this bed to pop earlier next spring?”
• “We can get these roots working now so they’re flowering sooner next year,” or
• “This is a great time to fix the areas that underperformed this summer,”
…can shift client thinking and generate follow-up projects.
Fall is also a great time to revisit neglected beds, make soil improvements, or tackle phased installations before things get hectic again. Plants that go in now might not look impressive for months—but come April, they’ll be the first thing your clients thank you for.
This Month’s Standout Plant: Largeleaf Lupine (L. polyphyllus)
Have a client that wants a LOT from a flowering perennial? Here’s the resume for the lupine:
Drought tolerant once established (the photo above is from my own front garden—zero supplemental water in 2025)
Fixes nitrogen in the soil, improving nearby plant performance
Brings drama with tall spires of color and bold, palmate foliage
Performs reliably in native-style gardens and pollinator-focused installs
A few notes for best performance:
- Soil: Well-draining is essential. Lupines don’t like wet feet.
- Spacing: Give them air—this helps prevent powdery mildew, which can show up in wetter zones.
- Pests: Watch for aphids. A diluted solution of castile soap or mild insecticidal spray works well.
- Disease: Powdery mildew can be managed with a milk/water spray (roughly 1:10 ratio).
This is one of those plants that pulls its weight quietly in the background until it blooms—then it becomes the star of the bed.