Plant Sale Preview: Why Plant in Fall?

By Sheon Wilson

Publications coordinator

Fall is the best time to plant a garden, whether you have a vegetable garden, perennial garden, shrubs or trees. It’s prime time to improve your landscape, and Duke Gardens Fall Plant Sale this Saturday will help you meet that goal.

From herbs to shrubs, we'll have a wide variety of plants
that are ideal for this region. Photo by Cecilia Xie

The sale will include plants propagated by Duke Gardens staff and volunteers, along with bulbs, trees, vegetables, shrubs and other delights from local suppliers. Our well-received “Herb Garden in a Box” discount deal is back by popular demand, as well as dorm-friendly succulents and other plants perfect for students. Duke Gardens members will receive 10 percent off every purchase.

Getting your plants into the ground now will give them a strong head start to a healthy spring and summer.

“We are getting into the cooler season, when plants go dormant and put more energy into their root systems,” says Jason Holmes, curator of the Doris Duke Center Gardens. “The root systems are easier to establish during the fall and winter months.”

A complex underground network, roots go into resting mode in the winter, minimizing the basic processes that sustain a plant. The falling temperatures and reduced daylight cause the upper part of a plant to stop growing and enter a state of suspended animation. Without leaves to photosynthesize and make food, the plant’s roots live off of stored sugars.

Plant your tulip bulbs in fall for a spring spectacle.
Photo by Bobby Mottern.

The roots’ ability to sustain life year-round benefits the entire plant. In fall, the soil is warm from summer sun, so the roots can expand with ease until the soil freezes, and thereafter grow more slowly.  In springtime, the plant is prepared to send energy back out to the extremities so blooming can begin. And the roots will have more strength to withstand  often harsh summer soil conditions.

In the Terrace Gardens, horticulturists usually maintain the summer beds through mid-October, and then pull weaker plants and fill the beds with fall color, said Mike Owens, curator of the Historic Gardens.

Use that tip to improve your garden. Remove annuals that have been ravaged by the summer sun and replace them with a splash of color, perhaps some showy and resilient chrysanthemums.

Plant in fall to get a healthy start on a strong
root  system, like that our dawn redwood.

We’ll have gorgeous plants for a variety of garden styles and conditions, and our expert horticulturists and volunteers will be happy to advise you on the best fit for your garden conditions and for the time and energy you have (or don’t have!) to spend caring for your plants. We look forward to seeing you at the sale, and to giving your plants the healthy head start they need. 

Fall Plant Sale details:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017
Time: 8 a.m.-noon
Membership benefit: Duke Gardens members get 10% off! Join now or on site.
Parking: Free.
Pets not permitted
Wagons + boxes: Our supply is limited; please bring your own if possible, and you'll have more time to spend gathering beautiful plants.
Please see our event page for more information, and we'd love for you to spread the word on Facebook. Thank you!

Follow Your Nose, It's Osmanthus Season!

Osmanthus fragrans in the Asiatic Arboretum.
Photo by Orla Swift.

By Rose James T'20

With crisp autumn weather upon us at last, the brisk breezes are stirring-up some wonderful scents in Duke Gardens. One of my favorite fall fragrances is that of the Osmanthus fragrans, commonly called the tea olive. It gives off a heady, exotic perfume with fruity, floral top notes and creamy, suede undertones.

There are a few places you can find this plant in Duke Gardens, and it certainly is worth a walk to enjoy the gorgeous fragrance—there is truly nothing like closing your eyes and smelling the swirls of aroma wafting on exhilarating fall winds.

The fragrant gardens are a way for me to escape from my hectic life as a Duke student, even if only for a short while. With midterms just ending, it’s nice to have a spot to relax and recover from the last few stress-filled weeks. As the weather cools off, I look forward to studying in the gardens, as well as spending time with my friends—an afternoon spent searching for the best-smelling plants is always fun. The Osmanthus fragrans’ distinctive aroma will grab you long before you reach the plant.

Osmanthus fragrans (at right) in the Asiatic Arboretum.
Photo by Orla Swift.

Walking from the Doris Duke Center, it’s easy to find several Osmanthus fragrans plants. As you walk into the arboretum from the lower parking lot, look to your right until you see a very large shrub with vivid orange flowers. You can also find Osmanthus fragrans between the Azalea Court and the Terrace Gardens pergola, as well as at the foot of the terraces, near the South Lawn. The perfume is easily carried on the wind, and it is simply impossible to miss when walking along the paths—just follow your nose.

The Osmanthus fragrans will continue to bloom for several weeks, so be sure to keep your nose attuned to its spicy scent during your fall garden strolls. Soon you will also smell Osmanthus x fortunei near the Gothic Gates, and other species elsewhere in the gardens.

While you’re following your nose, be sure to check out the flowering species of roses in the Mary Duke Biddle Rose Garden. The bubbling fountain and sweet rose aromas in the cool autumn air make this a perfect place to stop and enjoy nature. Fall is known for its warm smells and sweater weather, and there is no better place to find both than in Duke Gardens.

Rose James is a Duke freshman and a work-study marketing assistant at Duke Gardens.