Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play and Stay This Winter

      7 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play and Stay This Winter

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes)

      One has conquered the world of plant-based baking. Another runs a microbakery from her home. Two own businesses with their spouses. And the fifth is a James Beard finalist chef. The common thread? Absolutely delicious cakes. Read More
    • The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      The No-Fail Relish Tray Recipe is Here

      For many Midwesterners, holiday feasting kicks off with a relish tray. We dare not mess with an icon—at least, not too much. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Why Wisconsin Supper Clubs Just Keep Getting Better With Age

    Why Wisconsin Supper Clubs Just Keep Getting Better With Age

    At Wisconsin supper clubs, the steak is served rare and the traditions are well done. Like the brandy in an Old-Fashioned, these timeless institutions only get better with age.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Tomatoey Parmesan Beans

    Tomatoey Parmesan Beans

    This sleeper hit of a weeknight dinner comes from Food Network star Molly Yeh's cookbook Home is Where the Eggs Are—and is basically a vehicle for Parmesan and garlic toast. No complaints! (The alternate version, with ham and cream, is excellent too.)
    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    Avid DIYers Transform a 1929 Chicago Home One Project at a Time

    Avid DIYers Transform a 1929 Chicago Home One Project at a Time

    With visions of dinner parties and game nights dancing in their heads, a Chicago couple renovated their historic (and first) home, one DIY project at a time.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    How to Care for Flowering Houseplants

    How to Care for Flowering Houseplants

    Author Lisa Eldred Steinkopf shares how to make blooms last longer—and repeat.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Unique Midwest Light Displays to See This Winter

    Unique Midwest Light Displays to See This Winter

    Buses, trains and very few automobiles—check out these out-of-the-ordinary holiday lights displays.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Chef Jorge Guzmán's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales

    Tamales are a project, but many hands—even tiny ones—make lighter work.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • DIY Pistachio Wheat Stalks for Fall Decorating
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    About Us

    About Us

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
    • Fall 2022 Issue
    • Winter 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally
  • About Us

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Garden
  3. Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  4. 7 Fall Garden Bargain Tips

7 Fall Garden Bargain Tips

By Veronica Lorson Fowler
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Fall bargains: Deal or no deal?
As the growing season comes to an end, smart shoppers can snap up plants at bargain prices.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Fall bargains: Deal or no deal?

Fall bargains: Deal or no deal?

When garden centers start buttoning down for winter, you'll find some serious plant steals-if you know what's worth buying and avoiding this time of year. Use the ideas on the following slides to find some of the year's best bargains.

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Snap up perennials

Snap up perennials

They're one of the fall's best buys. Retailers slash prices because they can't keep them through the winter. But you can successfully plant them (along with almost any tree or shrub) up to six weeks before your first frost date (a local extension office or a Web search can provide the typical date for your area). Pictured: pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and Japanese bloodgrass (Imperata cylindrica).

2 of 8

3 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Dig into bulbs

Dig into bulbs

October is ideal for planting spring-blooming bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils. As that perfect time passes, garden centers slash bulb prices. If you're having a mild fall and your soil isn't yet frozen, grab some bargain bulbs. If you can dig into the soil at least 10 inches, you can plant bulbs, even with light snow on the ground. Make sure bargain bulbs are firm, free of mold or mildew and still have most of their papery skin.

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Be rose-savvy

Be rose-savvy

Fall roses can be bargains if you live in the right part of the Midwest. It's fine to plant most roses in the fall in the southern Midwest (Zones 6 and warmer). But in the upper Midwest (Zones 5 and colder), it's a gamble to plant any roses except the most cold-hardy shrub varieties. Morden Blush shrub roses (left) are tough enough to survive a long winter up to Zone 2.

4 of 8

5 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Shovel in the deals

Shovel in the deals

Large retailers often have the best discounts on trees and shrubs (plus tools, accessories, pond supplies and outdoor furniture) because the stores have limited space for garden items. Markdowns typically aren't so big at local nurseries with good facilities for covering and overwintering trees and shrubs.

5 of 8

6 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Know your trees

Know your trees

If you see a deal on deciduous trees or shrubs missing some leaves, don't be scared off. That's usually a result of minor stress from a long stay in a container, or seasonal dropping of leaves. Avoid evergreens missing needles; they're probably struggling.

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Buy healthy

Buy healthy

By fall, a lot of nursery stock looks pretty sad. Trust your instincts and avoid plants with leaf spots, disfigured leaves or obvious pest infestations (look under the leaves for colonies of insects, spider mites or worms).

7 of 8

8 of 8

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Stay hydrated

Stay hydrated

No matter what you plant this fall, keep watering until winter hits. Even when summer cools off, plants can get dehydrated, which means they'll struggle to survive their first winter.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Veronica Lorson Fowler

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 8 Fall bargains: Deal or no deal?
    2 of 8 Snap up perennials
    3 of 8 Dig into bulbs
    4 of 8 Be rose-savvy
    5 of 8 Shovel in the deals
    6 of 8 Know your trees
    7 of 8 Buy healthy
    8 of 8 Stay hydrated

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    7 Fall Garden Bargain Tips
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.