It’s easy for gardeners to let the fall season slip away after toiling in the garden all summer, especially with all the watering required during this dry season. They need a break, nothing wrong with that, but the excitement of spring gardening is only rivalled by the thrill of fall planting, for those who partake.

I’m excited to start teaching free garden classes for Farm to Table Buy Fresh Buy Local. Fall is the time for planting cool weather crops, trees, shrubs, perennials, garlic and bulbs.
I love planting in the fall and I’ve got lots of tips and tricks for your garden to thrive well into winter and beyond.

We had fun on Pittsburgh Today Live talking about fall planting. This is the best time to plant perennials and shrubs. I show off my favorite, tough plants to put in the ground now.

I’m thrilled to announce my next tour is to explore Poland for 12 days from June 18-29, 2026.
We’ll visit Warsaw, Malbork Castle, Kraków, Jasna Góra Monastery, Black Madonna, Saxon Garden and the Botanical Garden at the University of Warsaw, Poland’s countryside, the Botanical Garden of Jagiellonian University with the largest orchid collection in Poland and 23 acres of beautiful plantings, Auschwitz and much more.

Lorraine Balloto is the Hydrangea Queen and author of Success With Hydrangeas. She answers the age old question, “why doesn’t my hydrangea bloom?”

Learn more about growing in containers from expert Steve Biggs.