Master gardeners with Utah State University's extension program are touting fall as the perfect time of year to plant new trees and other plants, as well as winterize the yard.

Several volunteer green thumbs worked recently to prep the Ogden Botanical Center for winter, cleaning up weeds and fallen leaves, but also planting bulbs and trees.

Plants like the cooler weather, said horticulturist Jerry Goodspeed. Trees that take root this time of year also don't have to work as hard, as there is little stress on the root systems to provide water and nutrients for a growing plant.

"It allows them to settle into their surroundings and get their roots into the soil before they must supply the plant with water," Goodspeed said. "Typically, the roots on a tree or shrub continue growing well into the fall, and with less demand on them, they can turn their energy to getting ready for winter."

Plants that have sat in nurseries all summer are often discounted in the fall, not because they are bad or defective, but because it is much better for a garden center to sell a plant in the fall than to hope it survives the winter in a pot, he said.

USU's two botanical gardens hosted plant sales last month, as well as the University of Utah's Red Butte Garden. All three locations had bountiful sales events, encouraging members of the community to beautify their property, as well as giving the universities an opportunity to purge their gardens of new plants and mature ones needing to be replanted.

Goodspeed, also the director of USU's Ogden botanical extension program, has planted trees as late as Thanksgiving, provided the tree has a nice "blanket of mulch" to settle into and keep warm.

"One concern about planting late in the fall is making sure the plant has enough time to take hold before the freezing/thawing action of winter tries to heave them out of the ground and toss them into the neighbor's yard," he said. Lawns should be cut short and fertilizer spread in late fall to provide enough nutrients for the grass to store for winter.

"It will also help the lawn look its best early next spring," he said.

Volunteers who have taken at least 40 hours of course work through USU's various extension programs are available in nearly every county to answer questions and assist gardeners in their prospective counties. They have paid a fee to learn about basic plant production and growth and are prepared to donate time back to the communities in which they live, Goodspeed said.

Master gardeners can be contacted by visiting USU's extension Web site at www.extension.usu.edu.

Another advantage to planting this time of year, he said, is eliminating one chore from the to-do list next spring.

"Next year it will feel good to know that new plants are already growing, flowering and beautifying the landscape. Plus, visualizing how attractive they will look next spring helps gardeners endure the long, cold winter months."

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com