There are plenty of great vegetables to keep you busy well into the winter. Lettuces, cabbages, and many root crops such as radishes and carrots all thrive during the cooler months of the year. It would be smart to start planning your cool weather garden now because it will be time to start those seeds soon. You can grow a huge variety of vegetables well into the winter months, and even into the early spring in some areas.

Cool season veggies can provide you with months of crisp fresh produce, many of them, especially lettuce can be harvested only as you need it, leaving the full plant to continue growing in your garden and staying fresh. Your garden is better than any refrigerator when it comes to keeping produce fresh. Some of your cool season plants, especially Kale and Brussels sprouts, will even benefit from the long stay in the garden because many gardeners think they taste better after a little frost.

Just like in the spring, you can start seeds indoors so they will be hardy enough for the outdoors when it is time to plant, giving your a little head start on the season.

I am moving to a new house this fall - I have a a new clear lawn, a blank canvas - I can plant anything I want, build it from the ground up, do an elaborate themed garden if I want to. Your own garden may be decades old, established with your distinct character and style, but even the oldest gardens are very dynamic and require plenty of attention. Make sure you are ready for this fall planting season.

Fall is the best time to plant. Our horts drill that into our heads every season, and it's true. No matter how excited we get in the spring and summer seeing all the beautiful plants in full bloom and the fruits on the trees, the real work is done in the fall. All of your trees, shrubs, and bulbs, and many of your favorite perennials will be much healthier if they are given an opportunity to establish themselves in the fall.

If you haven't already, you can request your Park Seed Fall 2009 Catalog Online. I just got one today - the people over in the creative department really did a great job this year. This is a very pretty book. The layout is very intuitive and functional, and the large crisp pictures allow you really get an idea what these plants might look like in your own garden. And, along with many of the Park Seed classic favorite fall-planting items, there are three or four new items on every page.

Hydrangea Let's Dance^TM Starlight is the first ever-blooming macrophylla Hydrangea. Starlight is unique because it blooms on both new and old wood. So, if you happen to have a late frost that kills off your early blooms, your hydrangea will still have a goo showing later in the season. The bloom color is dynamic, aging from their usual pink or blue to a fun minty green as the season progresses.

This hydrangea provides three season interest, blooming through the summer into the fall. The fluffy blooms are excellent for cut-flowers, and this shrub can also be tamed for patio or container gardening. This is just one of many new fall planting items from Park Seed.

If you don't already have plans for the weekend, come visit us at the Park Seed Company in sunny Greenwood, SC this Saturday, June 27. There will be tours of the gardens, expert speakers, good food, and plenty of pretty flowers, shrubs, and trees. And, once you've seen all you can see here, you can head downtown to continue the party. The South Carolina Festival of Flowers will continue into the night with food, drinks, free live bluegrass music, crafts, artwork, and much, much more.

Follow this Google Maps Link to find directions to Park Seed.

This is definitely one of the prettiest flowers I've seen in a while, and that is saying a lot working here. Coneflower 'Tomato Soup' has some of the warmest, purest colors you can find in nature. Not only is it pretty - it's tough to. Echinaceas resist heat and drought, and  it will shrug off pests that devastate lesser herbaceous perennials.

These enormous blooms, easily five inches across, will keep you entertained though the whole summer if you deadhead promptly. You can expect blooms from the early spring well into fall. This is a truly beautiful plant that will make an excellent focal point in your perennial beds.

Over 100 fall items have been added to ParkSeed.com, including old favorites as well as many new items. The fall line-up includes bulbs, perennials, shrubs, and trees. Remember, fall is the best time for planting!

A few of the newest items are creating a little buzz, so I will go ahead and share with you three items that I predict will be fairly popular this year:

Blanket Flower 'Commotion^TM Tizzy' is a floriferous little full sun perennial with unique crimson and orange blooms that will steal the show. A definite conversation piece, 'Tizzy' is sure to be huge this season. This blanket flower is also drought and heat tolerant, a great summertime perennial.

India Pink is a Spigelia with bright red, upright blooms that have been compared to fireworks for the way they pop against the mat foliage. It's fairly adaptable, thriving in full sun and part shade. India pink loves this rich moist soils of shade borders and along garden paths.

Another item that seems to be picking up steam is our Dynamite Premium Fertilizer. This is an all-purpose concentrated plant food that is so environmentally friendly it has won an award from the EPA.