Old-fashioned hollyhocks are the perfect plant for gardeners who like to go to seed.

When I was in Albuquerque for the annual Water Conservation and Xeriscape Conference in February, I bought several envelopes of hollyhock seeds at the book sale. A local gardener must have collected them from the garden, packaged them for sale, and donated the proceeds to the conference organizer, the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico.

I’d been wanting to add more hollyhocks to my cottage garden, especially the old-fashioned kind with large single flowers and, at 50 cents an envelope, the price was right for me.

I started the seeds in a planter as part of the patio container garden this summer with the idea of planting in fall so they’ll bloom next summer. Fall planting means these plants will have time to develop a strong root system before the ground freezes.

I’ve been gardening a long time, but I still learn something new every single season.

The 2010 gardening season is just about over for me. Well, as soon as I pick the last green tomatoes, pull up the plants, clean up the garden bed, amend the soil, stack the containers, clean and store the fountain, and plant the garlic.

All the while I’ll be contemplating how this year’s garden grew and what lessons I learned from it. My top gardening lesson for 2010 is “don’t give up too soon.”

This lesson came by way of two plants–a paprika pepper plant grown in a container on the patio and a butterfly bush in the perennial garden.

The Paprika Plant

I had a heck of a time with my seed starting this year, mostly because I got a late start and then I thought I could get by with old grow bulbs. (Those could be two more good lessons for me.)

Don’t put those gardening gloves away just yet–fall is perfect for planting perennials.

Mother Nature may be slowing down this time of year, but smart gardeners know planting in the fall isn’t only frugal, it gives perennials a head start on spring.

Fall planting can begin in late August and last through late September, as long as the weather holds. Cooler nights are the signal for plants to redirect energy from supporting top growth to building strong root systems.

Besides giving perennials time to get established, there are other advantages to planting in the fall. Crisp fall mornings also make the time spent outside more pleasant for gardeners.

Most perennials can be snatched up at bargain prices and they’ll need less water and care.

Almost all of the perennials remaining in nurseries and garden centers can be planted in fall, except for those that bloom in fall.  Plants to avoid include include zauschneria, salvias, and agastaches, and warm-season ornamental grasses like miscanthus and panicums.

In addition to its annual flower trials, CSU has three garden beds devoted to testing new perennial plants.

Across the street from CSU’s Annual Flower Trial Garden are three beds for testing new perennial plants. Perennials undergo two years of testing and include cultivars that have been introduced within the last three years.

The top performers from the 2007-2008 perennial trials are available now.

Plants being tested in the gardens include one bed of Achillea, Geranium, Lavendula and Pulmonaria; a second bed of Heuchera and Salvia; and a third bed of Achillea, Coreopsis, Echninacea, Euphorbia and Gaillardia.

Seeing all the different varieties of Coreopsis gave me the idea to create a bed in my yard featuring only tickseed plants like Coreopsis ‘Red Shift’, ‘Full Moon’, ‘Sienna Sunset’, and ‘Big Bang Galaxy’. With all the different flower colors and plant sizes I think it would make an interesting and beautiful new garden.