Ozark Garden Talk- Episode 9: Fall Gardening Questions Answered

White River Nursery
6 days ago
3 min read

Released: September 17, 2025

Hosts: Sarah McCue, Charity Cox, Alex Royce

Length: Approx. 35 minutes

🎧 Listen on Spotify / Apple / YouTube

🔗 Helpful links and resources throughout

Welcome back to Ozark Garden Talk with White River Nursery! In this episode, Sarah, Charity, and Alex tackle the most common fall gardening questions we’ve been hearing at the nursery—from flopping asters to dividing perennials, planting bulbs, mulching tips, and prepping your garden for fall vegetables.

🌼 Preventing Floppy Asters (00:00:30)

Charity explains the Chelsea Chop—cutting back tall perennials like asters by 1/3 to 1/2 around late May/early June to encourage bushier, sturdier growth.

Works well on asters, ironweed, and similar tall, late-blooming perennials.
Good sun exposure is key—too much shade = floppy stems.
Avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, which encourages weak growth.
Or, plant taller companions (like ornamental grasses) to help provide natural support.

Raydon's Favorite Aster oblongifolious @ Charity's house

🌻 Easy Flowers for Beginner Gardeners (00:04:00)

Alex and Charity suggest their favorite beginner-friendly choices:

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Goldsturm) 🌼 — Native, long-blooming, tough as nails.
Annual Begonias 🌸 — From last frost to fall, nonstop bloomers.
Zinnias 🌈 — Direct-sow in May; colorful, pollinator-friendly, reseed easily.
Coleus 🍃 — Grown for foliage, thrives in sun or shade.
Pansies & Violas 🌸 — Cool-season annuals for early spring or fall.

Alex reminds listeners: don’t forget vegetables! Lettuce 🥬 is one of the easiest plants to grow from seed and great for beginners.

🌳 Mulching in Fall: Yes or No? (00:08:30)

Charity is adamant—mulch always! Benefits include:

Suppresses weeds.
Regulates soil temps (important in the Ozarks where temps swing wildly).
Retains moisture.
Breaks down into rich organic matter.

Best practices:

Aim for 2–3 inches.
Keep mulch away from trunks/stems to avoid rot and insect tunnels.
Organic matter (leaves, pine needles, shredded wood) = ✅
Rubber mulch = ❌ (doesn’t decompose, harms soil life).
Gravel/rock = ⚠️ (raises soil temps, doesn’t break down, weeds eventually fill in).

🌷 Bulbs for a Spring Show (00:14:00)

Charity and Sarah share their favorites:

Daffodils 🌼 — Deer resistant, long-lived, spread naturally.
Alliums 🧄 — In the onion family, pollinator favorites.
Hyacinths 🌸 — Beloved for fragrance.
Crocus ❄️ — Tiny but powerful, bloom through snow.
Tulips 🌷 — Stunning, but often annuals in our climate (except some perennial types).

Key tip: Plant bulbs in fall for spring bloom. White River Nursery’s bulb shipments arrive in October.

🐦 Native Trees & Shrubs for Migratory Birds (00:20:00)

Charity highlights food + shelter as the essentials:

Oaks 🌳 (esp. Dwarf Chinkapin Oak and Burr Oak) hosts vast number of insect, especially caterpillars, acorns, and habitat.
Viburnums & Deciduous Hollies (Winterberry) for berries.
Eastern Red Cedar for berries + cover.
Elderberry for fruit clusters.
Perennials & native grasses — coneflower, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, echinacea, sunflowers 🌻 — provide critical seed heads in fall/winter.

American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana

🌸 Dividing Perennials in Fall (00:24:00)

Sarah and Charity talk timing:

Best in fall: Peonies, daylilies, hostas, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, iris, yarrow, and coreopsis.
Dividing improves plant health and increases blooms by reducing overcrowding.
Don’t be afraid to chop—plants are tougher than they look.

🥬 Fall Vegetables & Cabbage Loopers (00:29:00)

Alex shares customer buzz: it’s time for fall veggies like cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, radishes, and turnips.

Watch out for cabbage loopers 🐛 (green caterpillars).
Safe controls:
- Hand-pick if you have time.
- Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) – highly effective, safe for edibles.
- Spinosad soap – spreads well on brassica leaves, safe for kids/pets.
Row covers can help prevent infestation but may not be the prettiest option.

🎪 White River Nursery’s Fall Market (00:33:30)

Charity previews the Native & Creative Community Market (formerly our craft fair):

📅 Saturday, October 25th🎶 Live local music🥘 Cast iron cauldron of beans + cornbread cooked over open fire🛍️ Local artisans and makers🌱 Community organizations tabling to share knowledge

This is our 7th year hosting—bigger and better than ever! Learn more here!