By Mary Jo Baur
Fall can be a great time to plant perennials for several reasons. Cooler temperatures mean there is less stress on plants when they are transplanted. They will need less water to establish themselves, but will still have time to enlarge their root system before the really cold weather sets in. Here are some perennials that can be easily planted in the autumn: Lilies and daylilies, iris, hosta, peonies, ferns and ornamental grasses. You can obtain plants from friends who may be dividing theirs at this time, or from garden centers.
Plants that have been in pots all season may look a bit bedraggled by now, but may still be healthy. Try to avoid plants that look like they have many brown leaves which means they were not well watered, or those with black spots on their leaves which indicates disease. Also check under the leaves for insects. Don't buy any plant which shows chew marks from bugs, even if there is no insect currently to be found. The soil around the plant should look healthy and make sure the plant is not pot-bound, meaning there should not be roots trailing out the holes in the bottom of the pot.
If you find some good plants, they will certainly transplant well and establish themselves in your garden before winter and be ready to flourish next spring.
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