(Atlantic, Iowa) – The recent rains and more moderate temperatures make this Fall a great time for gardening projects. Cass County Master Gardeners are inviting you to their third annual Fall Plant Sale, set for Saturday morning, September 18, at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W 10th Street, on the fairgrounds in Atlantic. The sale will be open to the public to purchase divided perennials suitable for fall planting. The sale begins at 8 AM, and will be held in the front parking lot of the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds in Atlantic. Interested gardeners are encouraged to arrive early for best plant selection, as the annual spring and fall sales occasionally sell out before 10 AM.

Plants expected to be on the sale include iris (bearded and Siberian), peonies, daylilies, and spring-flowering bulbs, along with perennials such as hostas, perennial geranium, bachelor buttons, baptista, sedums, garden mum, rudbeckia and more. There will also be a large collection of frog garden decor, along with pots, houseplants, and possibly some garden tools and other decor.

Bulbs bring spring color! The Cass County Master Gardeners added a bulb sale to the fall plant sale last year, and are bringing it back in 2021 due to overwhelming support! The bulb sale for this year will feature mixtures of tulip or allium bulbs for fall planting and spring color. The sale is now open to the public for pre-order, with delivery by the end of October, in plenty of time for fall planting. Order forms are available at the Cass County Extension office, or online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Orders will also be taken at the plant sale on the 18th, if not already sold out.

The bulbs will be freshly dug from the gardens of Van Engelen, Inc., in Connecticut, and shipped in bulk to the Cass County Master Gardeners. The bulbs are expected to arrive by the end of October, and are available now to pre-order with five bulbs to a bag, with each bag of tulip mixture or allium mixture selling for only $5. Pre-payment is requested at the time of order to guarantee your bulbs.

Descriptions of bulb mixes available are below, and each bag of 5 will feature a random selection from the colors listed, with no guarantee of any certain colors available.

TULIPS: The Finest Single Tulip Mixture includes: Candy Prince (whisper-pink), Christmas Dream (fuchsia-red), Flair (ruby-red), Purple Prince (Lilac-purple), Red Revival (deep red), and Sunny Prince (pale lemon-yellow). Blooms in mid-April, with plant heights from 14 to 16 inches.

ALLIUMS: Sphaerocephalon (crimson-purple globes), Azureum (cornflower-blue orbs of starry florets), Nigrum (white spheres with pale green eyes) and Ostara (wide dark purple globes). Plants range from 16 to 24 inches in height, with blooms from 1 to 6 inches in width. Bloom times May to July.

Many favorite perennials work well for fall dividing and transplanting, including daylilies, peonies, garden phlox, bleeding heart, coneflowers, speedwell, and more. Irises and hostas can also be transplanted successfully in early fall. By dividing the plant when it is not flowering, all the energy it produces can be directed to root and foliage growth, so plants overwinter in place and come back strong in the spring. Additionally, the cooler weather is easier on the plants (and the gardener!), and the plants generally do not use as much water as in spring and summer. Plants should be placed in the ground as early in fall as possible, but most can be successfully planted up until the ground freezes. The plants should also be adequately watered until the ground freezes, and covered with mulch to reduce moisture loss through the winter; particularly important steps as we are still emerging from a drought this year.

The Master Gardeners will bring perennials dug and divided from their own gardens to the fall plant sale. Community residents are also welcome to donate plants, and members may even help you dig! Please call in advance and make arrangements to drop off donated plants before the date of the plant sale.

To donate items, to order bulbs, or for more information about these events and other Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. You are also invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG to keep up with local events and tips for gardening!