I’m guessing with the heat this past week or so that the last thing on your mind is gardening, except to keep things watered and the produced picked. I’m with you, the last thing I want to be doing is planting in the garden, but I know that if I do just a bit now, in the early hours of the day to beat the heat, that my garden will be fabulous and in color well into autumn and early winter.

This is the time of year I like to go in the garden and pull out the stuff that looks old and ratty and do one last thorough weeding. Once that is done you can step back and take a look at what you have. Are there places where a little color is needed? Do you want to supply that color with quick flowering annuals or do you want to add perennial plants that begins their bloom season right about now? You will also want to think about spring bulbs. Since they are planted in the fall you are going to need to think about where to put them and leave some space for getting them planted. Oh, and if you are planting spring blooming bulbs and haven’t ordered them yet I recommend that you do so soon as the best quality and choice of bulbs go pretty fast. The same goes for garlic and shallots I am already seeing lots of ‘sold out’ signs on many varieties.

Here are a few colorful choices that can take the cool temperatures of autumn. Marigolds, cosmos, snapdragons, goldenrod, asters, black eyed Susan, Mexican sage, pansies and of course chrysanthemums. In the last few years flowering kale has become quite the popular fall plant and many new varieties are being bred. They are grown for their very colorful foliage and come in a range of colors and patterns ranging from pink, rose, magenta, white, creamy yellow and all shades of green. The outer leaves are usually a little ruffled giving the plant a really nice look. Flowering kale is tough and hardy even to light frosts which deepens their colors.

So, I know it’s hot and the last thing you want to do is garden, but if you do just a little bit now you will reap the benefit for months to come.