Fall is one of the best times of year to rethink your landscape. In Great Gardens Radio Show #159, Betty focuses on two major topics for homeowners: designing a landscape that will thrive for years and getting the most from fall lawn renovation.

The key message is simple: good landscaping starts with a good plan. A professional designer understands plant requirements, mature size, maintenance needs, seasonal color, and how individual plants work together as a complete landscape.

Why Professional Landscape Design Can Save Money

A landscape crew can install plants correctly, but installation alone cannot overcome a poorly designed landscape.

Betty describes seeing a commercial landscape where shade-loving Hosta were installed in full sun, evergreen plants were essentially absent, soil preparation was poor, fertilizer wasn’t incorporated, and plants were spaced too closely together.

These mistakes can create years of problems and may eventually require homeowners to rebuild the landscape. Proper planning helps avoid those expensive mistakes from the beginning.

A good landscape designer should understand:

• Which plants belong in full sun
• Which plants require shade
• How much shade individual plants need
• Mature plant height and width
• Maintenance requirements
• Evergreen versus seasonal foliage
• Flower and foliage color
• Long-term growth and spacing

Match Plants to Their Growing Conditions

Plant selection begins with understanding the amount of sunlight available.

Betty defines full sun for many needle plants as at least four hours of the six-hour period between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Plants such as Juniper, Pine, Cypress, and Spruce need strong sun, while other plants have very different requirements.

Some plants can tolerate both sun and shade, but others need protection from intense midday sunlight.

Plants That Need More Shade

The episode specifically highlights:

• Hydrangeas
• Heuchera
• Rhododendrons

Planting these in the wrong exposure can lead to long-term performance problems. A knowledgeable designer understands not simply whether a plant likes “sun” or “shade,” but the degree of shade it actually needs.

Design for Mature Plant Size

A landscape should be designed around the size plants will eventually reach—not the size they are when purchased.

Betty points out the importance of keeping mature plants below window bottoms and matching plant forms to the spaces where they will grow. A tall, narrow plant such as DeRunk Boxwood has a very different role from a low, spreading ground cover.

Maintenance should also be part of the original design. Roses, for example, can provide months of flowers but require considerably more care. Designing with maintenance in mind can make a landscape easier to manage for years.

Designing a Landscape Around Color

Modern plant selections make it easier than ever to create gardens with extended color.

Betty highlights plants that provide long-lasting flowers as well as plants whose foliage provides color even when nothing is blooming.

Examples discussed in the episode include:

• Nana Lutea Chamaecyparis with bright yellow foliage
• RH Montgomery Blue Spruce for blue foliage
• Red Dragon Lace Leaf Japanese Maple for red foliage
• Golden Moneywort for yellow ground-cover color
• Dichondra Silver Falls for blue-green annual ground cover

The goal is to create a landscape that remains visually interesting through changing seasons rather than relying exclusively on flowers.

Add Long-Lasting Flowers and Seasonal Interest

The episode also highlights several plants that can contribute extended color:

• Pugster Butterfly Bush
• Bloom-a-Thon Azaleas
• Encore Azaleas
• Proven Winners annuals
• Super Petunias
• Black and Bloom Salvia
• Pansies and violas
• Ornamental cabbage and kale

Fall bulbs such as Tulips, Daffodils, Snowdrops, and Crocus can also be planted beneath seasonal color, creating another layer of interest when spring arrives.

Why Fall Is an Excellent Time to Plant

Fall landscaping is particularly valuable because plants can establish their root systems while temperatures are cooler.

Betty notes that about 80% of root growth occurs during the cooler half of the year. Fall planting allows plants to become established before spring and can reduce the need for intensive watering once warmer weather arrives.

For homeowners considering a landscape renovation, fall can therefore be an ideal time to get the design and installation underway.

Choosing the Right Broadcast Spreader

The episode also answers one of the most common lawn-care questions: Which broadcast spreader should you buy?

Betty recommends Earthway spreaders, particularly models equipped with pneumatic rubber tires rather than plastic tires.

The episode discusses several Earthway options, including:

• Earthway 2050 SU
• Earthway 2050 P
• Earthway 2150 for larger lawns

For lawns of 10,000 square feet or more, the larger Earthway model is discussed as an option. Betty also recommends avoiding most box-store spreaders, with Earthway as the exception.

Spreader Settings Matter

Spreader settings are not necessarily universal.

The episode notes that settings can vary between spreaders and that walking speed affects application rate. Betty’s examples include different opening percentages for shade seed, sunny grass seed, lime, and fertilizer.

For homeowners trying to apply lawn products accurately, the important takeaway is to understand your specific spreader and calibrate accordingly rather than assuming the number on one spreader will work identically on another.

Tackling Difficult Lawn Weeds

Fall is also an important time to address lawn weeds before moving forward with renovation.

Betty distinguishes between ordinary lawn weeds and more difficult grass weeds. The episode specifically discusses:

• Bermuda grass, also called wiregrass
• Nimblewill
• Stiltgrass
• Crabgrass
• Clover
• Goosegrass
• Nutsedge

Different weeds require different approaches. The episode identifies Fusilade II for selective control of wiregrass, Monterey Grass Getter as a nonselective Bermuda grass control, and Meso 4 or Tenacity for nimblewill.

For more common weeds, the episode discusses Image All-in-One combined with Wilt-Pruf and emphasizes that weeds should be actively growing and well watered before treatment.

Don’t Ignore Crabgrass

Betty warns against simply waiting for frost to eliminate crabgrass.

The episode points out that one crabgrass plant can produce a very large number of seeds, making prevention and control important before the weed has an opportunity to reproduce.

The show also discusses lime as part of an overall lawn-management strategy and recommends applying 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet when appropriate. Gallery and Dimension are discussed as seasonal pre-emergent options for different weed situations.

Fall Lawn Renovation: Now Is the Time

The episode’s fall lawn checklist is straightforward:

1. Kill existing weeds
2. Core aerate
3. Topdress
4. Seed
5. Water properly

For newly seeded areas, Betty recommends watering later in the day, beginning after 5 p.m. The episode explains that nighttime temperatures and shade can help keep seed moist into the following morning. Sunny areas require substantially more water to germinate than heavily shaded areas.

Start With Good Soil

Quality soil is a major part of successful lawn renovation.

The episode recommends:

• McGill’s Soil Builder for soil improvement
• Greenview Grass Seed Accelerator for spot repairs
• Kick Start humates as another soil-support option

The central concept is that high-quality seed cannot compensate for poor soil preparation.

Understanding Grass Seed Quality

One of the strongest themes in this episode is the difference between seed quality and bag size.

Betty compares certified grass seed sold at Betty’s with several box-store seed products and emphasizes looking at the actual amount of viable grass seed rather than simply comparing the price or weight printed on the bag.

The episode discusses Betty’s Super Bar Grass Seed, described as a blend of three highly rated seeds, with the 25-pound bag containing certified seed with a stated 99.4% purity.

The broader lesson is to read the seed label and evaluate:

• Purity
• Germination rate
• Actual pounds of grass seed
• Seed blend
• Certification
• Price per pound of usable seed

Rather than assuming the largest or least expensive-looking bag is the best value, compare the amount of actual viable seed you’re purchasing.

Don’t Mix Sun and Shade Grass Seed

Another important warning in the episode is to avoid automatically buying “sun and shade” grass seed.

Different grass varieties have different light requirements. If the seed intended for shade is planted in excessive sunlight, it can fail; if sun-loving grass is planted in heavy shade, it can also fail.

Betty offers a simple way to evaluate lawn light:

• 3+ hours of direct sun between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.: light shade
• 2–3 hours: medium shade
• 1–2 hours: dense shade

The episode emphasizes that shade and sun grasses are fundamentally different, so seed should be matched to the actual growing conditions of each lawn area.

Fall Garden Tasks

Beyond landscape design and lawn renovation, Show #159 includes several timely garden reminders.

Apply Grub Control

The episode recommends applying a 24-hour grub killer during this fall window.

Prepare Peonies

Peony foliage can be cut all the way to the ground and removed to the compost pile. The episode also recommends adding hydrated lime to the compost pile to accelerate decomposition.

Manage Grass Clippings

Betty recommends bagging grass clippings when possible and composting them or using properly decomposed material as mulch in the vegetable garden.

The episode argues that leaving clippings on the lawn during hot weather can contribute to problems when grass material is trapped within the lawn canopy, particularly when the clippings contain fungal material.

The Big Takeaway: Plan Before You Plant

Whether you’re rebuilding a front landscape or renovating a struggling lawn, the message of Show #159 is that successful landscapes begin with the right plan and the right materials.

Choose plants according to their mature size, sunlight, shade requirements, maintenance needs, and seasonal interest. Build the soil before expecting seed or plants to perform. Match grass seed to the actual light conditions. And when purchasing lawn products, look beyond the price and bag size to determine what you’re actually getting.

Fall offers an especially valuable window to put these principles into practice—from landscape design and planting to weed control, soil preparation, aeration, and lawn seeding.