Refresh Yourself--and Your Garden--With Fall Planting & Outdoor Fun

Our hot East Tennessee summer is almost behind us and much-needed rain (last week) and cooling temperatures (next week) are at hand. Time to pull out those past-their-prime summer annuals and plant some fall color.

With their myriad colors, our grown-here-at-Stanley’s pansies, violas, and panolas are looking fantastic. Violas are smaller than pansies but generally more hardy, and panolas are a charming hybrid combining the best points of pansies (taller) and violas (hardier) to achieve a plant that will, as Lisa Stanley says, “Stand up like a soldier and bloom”!

If you are a "transplant" to the Knoxville area or new to gardening, you might not realize that pansies, panolas, and violas planted this fall not only survive our winters but actually bloom throughout the winter, spring, and early summer. Their little smiling pansy "faces" are a real lift to see out your window when nothing else is blooming on our cold February days.

To brighten the autumn and Thanksgiving seasons, our Fall Magic Proven Winners varieties are bred to perform beautifully and consistently in cool-weather conditions. Whether you use them for containers or in beds, these plants will flourish till the first frost. Every Fall Magic plant offers something special: a color change brought on by cool weather, an unusual texture, or a blooming habit that opens a whole realm of fall gardening design possibilities.

If instant gratification is your goal or you need a gift or centerpiece, our container designers have completed a number of stunning flowering and foliage plant arrangements in many sizes. Or if you have a container or want to choose from our large selection of plants, one of our talented container designers will be happy to plant it to your color and design specifications.

At Stanley's we feel fortunate to be a part of the greening of our city through the continuing vitality of our downtown, renewal of some of our lovely older neighborhoods, establishment of the Knoxville Urban Wilderness, and Suttree Landing Park near us here in South Knoxville. When Suttree Landing broke ground five years ago, it was Knoxville's first new park in 10 years. Suttree Landing includes eight acres along the Tennessee River as part of our city's South Waterfront Development project. Along with the continuing great work of South Knoxville's Ijams Nature Center, these efforts are just a few reasons why Knoxville continues to be a great place to live.

If your home and garden could use a little greening of its own, we have a large selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials to give your yard the curb appeal that is not only aesthetically pleasing but increases the value of your property. Strategic, fast-growing shade-tree placement can also decrease your air conditioning bills in summer. Our tree and shrub manager Kitty Hawk and her friendly, knowledgeable staff look forward to helping you make the best selections.

Ever wonder why some yards always look the best? The secret is probably in soil preparation and "nutrition", and fall is the perfect time to improve the condition of your soil. We sell Fafard soil and container mixes--the same soil we use for growing our plants here at Stanley's. We also sell the finest organic products that enrich your plants naturally: the wonderful Fox Farm line of soil conditioners, Espoma plant foods and potting soils, Black Kow composted cow manure, mushroom compost soil conditioner, earthworm castings, and the finest soil conditioners. All are tried-and-true performers that improve your garden's beauty and productivity.

So get away from your indoor cares and responsibilities, take a deep breath outdoors, and refresh yourself as well as your garden with fall color!

-- Monte Stanley