Can't seem to stop planting: Is it too late?

As anyone who has read my earlier post, this is the first year I have seriously gardened and I have put in a substantial number of perennials. But I continue to be teased by the end of season sales at the local nurseries and have bought a few more things. For instance, yesterday I bought 2 hostas, 1 maiden grass, 1 porcupine grass (I think it is, the tag was lost so don't know for sure), 1 reed grass, a japanese anemone, and purple gayfeather. The plants are all nice sized and were being cleared out for $3.99 each.

I would have probably picked up a few more things but was concerned that it is too late for most things to get established before a hard frost. Am I right or should I go back for more? Thanks!

Kelly

Go back for more! You should be OK to plant/transplant 'til mid-September anyhow. This year has spoiled us all with the cooler temps and abundant rain (At least 'til now). Last year at this time we were going through a big drought, and were just trying to hold on.

Don't stop Kelly! golddog is right - I was right below him in MD last year and it was our first real year of gardening. We got perennials at 75-80% off - even small plants and put them in. When October rolled around and nurseries were just about giving them away, we just left them in their pots and picked one spot in the yard and darn near buried them close together. This spring we had super root structure plants which went into the ground happily and really thrived this summer. Best of luck !

Get more! Fall is ideal for planting!!!! Try to get them in the ground at least 30 days before your first hard freeze date, whenever that may be for your area. Mid-November for me, so I can keep planting til early October.

LOL- Golddog can vouch that I am a diehard bargin hunter!
I can't pass up a good deal and have about 75 perennials I just bought this week. I just prep'd a bed a few weeks ago and will put them there. The bed is 40X25 feet so I should have room.

BUY UNTIL YOUR VAN IS FULL!!!

Davena

Kelly, Like you, I bought several things last year at the season's end sales. The only thing I was told was that grasses do not much like transplanting late in the year. I bought 3, and one just barely survived. The other two look okay but I probably will heed that advice in the future. My problem was that the prices on them were SO attractive!

Kelly - one of the plants we bought late last October was a mystery plant for 75 cents - here it is now: http://davesgarden.com/t/394348/

Gosh, Darius, I sure do hope that the grasses I bought last week (and one today) will make it through the winter. I bought a large plume grass (erianthus ravennae) today. Supposed to grow up to 14 feet!

Okay, I did not fill a van (just have a car), but I have continued to buy some things. Today, I went to a nursery that I had not been to before and in addition to the plume grass, I got a beautiful brunnera called "Jack Frost". It is beautiful silvery leaves with lacy veins. I had not seen this plant before and knew it would look beautiful amongst my hostas and ferns. I also picked up a japanese painted fern to add in that part of my shade garden. If you can't tell, I am into pretty foliage! Will be planting the lungwort I picked up at the same nursery today that is called "Highdown". I tried to get information on it today from this website and the internet, but really have not found much.

And lastly, today I picked up 2 cranesbills --- one Johnson Blue (because I heard that every garden should have at least one of these) and Black Beauty. Any of you know anything about Black Beauty? Don't seem to find much information about it. The leaves are very dark and it is supposed to form purple flowers.

Anyway, thanks everyone for encouraging my addiction! Here's to hoping for a late frost this year. I think that's only fair since spring was so late. Let's see if mother nature agrees. Thanks again.

Beardtongue, if you haven't already planted your ornamental grass, don't! Can you just sink the pots into the ground for the winter? They do much better if you can plant them in the spring, just as they are coming out of dormancy.

The other things that you got should be just fine planted anytime you want. Looking good, ladies :)

And I join you in hoping for a late frost! And a mild winter. And an early spring!

Lupinelover, my grasses are already in the ground. Darn it! Should I pull them out, re-pot and re-plant? Or let bygones be bygones and hope for the best? I sure would hate to lose them over the winter. I will not be buying anymore grasses until next spring! Thanks alot.

Kelly

I would leave them in the ground. Go ahead and buy more grasses now, just don't transplant them from their pots until spring. Sinking pots of almost any perennial works great. That way, if the ground is too cold to really "plant", you won't lose it. And it is true that some perennials really do better planted in spring, others in fall.

Uh-oh, could that be another area to add to the PDB? Best time to plant? Oh, Terry!

Sounds like really good advice on the ornamental grasses, lupy.

Jack Frost is so handsome! Congratulations on your find.