Soaking Up Fall in the Garden — Fresh Plants, Mulch & Sunshine!

It’s one of those absolutely perfect fall days here in North Carolina, and I’m spending it right where I love to be — out in the backyard garden! Today I’m removing the tired summer annuals, planting new fall containers full of color, checking in on the Butterfly Candy buddleias, and freshening up the flower beds with a layer of mulch. This simple fall refresh keeps the garden looking beautiful through the season and sets it up for next year’s success. Join me for a relaxing, sunshine-filled afternoon of fall gardening inspiration at Gardening with Creekside!

Hey friends, it is an absolutely picture perfect 
fall day here and I am so excited to get in the garden and get my hands in the dirt. We have 
got gorgeous Carolina blue skies. There is a definitely a crisp breeze that is coming 
through today. We have just had several days of some really good rain, which means Jenny has 
been stuck in the house and I am ready to get my hands in the dirt and get back in the garden. 
I’ve got my furry companion with me and y’all when like look at this. Look at this tree. Is she 
not absolutely gorgeous? So, what we’re going to do today is we are going to have some fun. Like 
I said, we are going to uh switch out the urns here on the patio. They still have their summer 
plantings. We are going to put in their fall winter plantings that will take us all the way 
through the spring. Yes, here in the south I am blessed that I can plant uh those fall annuals 
that will last me throughout the season. So, I’m very happy. The sun is coming out. Vitamin 
D therapy is in progress. We are also going to give you an update on the butterfly candy budlers 
because they are loving life. Uh we do need to add some mulch to that and then go showing off. So, 
there are so many great fall things happening here in the backyard that I cannot wait to share 
them with you. My dog is she is obsessed with biting at yellow jackets. You would think that she 
would learn not to bite at yellow jackets because they stink. I guess she likes spicy food. I don’t 
know. So, if you see Brena snapping at something, that’s just the yellow jackets that she’s taking 
care of. So, what are we going to do first? Well, first we are going to get our hands dirty and 
probably a lot of other body parts dirty as well because we did just have a ton of rain and so 
these urns are uh full of wet soil. So that means some fun gardening. But I do have the two urns 
here on each side of the seating wall on the on our patio. And you can see that they have uh the 
vermillionaire vermillionaire kufia. Of course, we love that. The hummingbirds love that. 
And I planted this. Oh my gosh. I don’t know, a couple months ago, and the hummingbirds were 
eating it up until the time they left. Clearly, it is time to take them out. So, what we’re going 
to do is remove them and probably all of the soil out there as well. I’m going to say we’re going 
to remove all of the soil. I always preach that to you. So, what we’re going to plant, it 
is going to be simple, but it is going to be fun. It’s going to be dramatic. It’s going 
to be moody and cheerful all at the same time. So, in each urn, we are going to plant one Miz 
America mustard. I love this mustard, y’all. I use it every fall. It is amazing. It is an edible 
mustard. However, we’re going to use it in an ornamental feature. So, we’re going to put these 
in the center of the urns. And then around them, we are going to plant some of the uh wave pansies. 
So, these are trailing pansies. They’re not leggy. This is what they’re supposed to do. So, they go 
out and they trail. So, I think I have enough to do four in each container. And my sweet little 
friends, I am going to uh teach you a trick. I’ve told you this trick before, but maybe you don’t 
remember it. So, I’m going to teach you a trick on how to create an easy easy container that you’re 
not going to have to be fussing with the soil and all this and make a mess. It is like it is so 
easy to do. And that is what we’re going to um I’m going to teach you to do that. So, we’re going to 
do that first. So, let me get the camera set up. So, I’m going to do I think I’m going to do is let 
me get everything cleaned up, meaning I’m going to remove the vermillionaire and the soil that is 
in the container. Like, you can see how the water is still pouring out because it rained up until I 
think early early this morning. So, we are glad to see some sunshine and a little bit of wind because 
we’ve got some water pouring out. So, this means that the soil is going to be super saturated. 
So, it’s gonna be nice and heavy and fun to get out of these urns, but I am going to do it. So, 
I’m gonna get all the things cleaned up and I’ll meet you right back here. I’m gonna teach you this 
little trick into creating like this a simple way a trick. How am I going to say this? A trick to 
plant your containers. Right. I will get the words out eventually. I’m just so enamored by the cool 
crisp temperatures and the breeze and the sun. I just I’m just so excited. I can’t wait to be out 
here. All right. See you in a second. [Music] My friends, just as I suspected when I pulled out 
those vermillionaire hair, they had completely developed their roots so that it completely 
encircled this entire urn. Um there is no soil remaining. It’s I I and that’s the thing about 
being short, right? So me and my 52 self uh didn’t have enough leverage to pull them up when 
I’m standing on the ground. So it’s a good thing I have the seating wall right here and just able 
to pull them out. Now we do have drip irrigation in these urns. I don’t run it during the winter 
because it rains all the time and I don’t need to. So uh but it I can’t disconnect it. So I just 
leave it in here. So, what I’m going to do is just kind of stick it towards here towards the bottom. 
And then we’re just going to plant on top of it. Now, if it comes to the spring and they’re still 
here and I don’t have my summer annuals in and I need to turn it on, trust me, uh those roots will 
have touched that irrigation line and so if I turn it on, it’ll be fine. So, the irrigation is just 
going to hang out down in the bottom. Now, the tip that I have, the little trick for you, this makes 
the planting in my mind easier because I’m not going to have to worry about messing up my plants 
when I’m trying to add the soil back in. So, this is what we’re going to do. Number one, if you 
still have your summer annuals in your container, remove them. Probably all of that soil is going to 
come out with them uh because their roots are so vigorous. So, start with a fresh pot and we’re 
going to start with fresh potting soil. Choose whichever potting soil you like, right? Whatever 
your preferred potting soil is, that’s what I want you to use. Today, I have Proven Winners. Um, 
I was down there at the garden center and I was like, you know what? It’s right here. Let me grab 
it. I do adore the Proven Winners potting soil. There’s other ones that I love just as well. So, 
what we’re going to do is we’re going to put the soil in here. I’m going to kind of tuck down my 
irrigation because I messed it up a little bit. We’re going to put it in here, but I am not 
going to fill the container all the way up. Okay? Especially because these urns are a 
little shallow. So, maybe about half of it. All right, perfect. So now I’m just going to 
everything, break up any clumps that you may have, and get everything tucked in here nice and even. 
So, what we’re going to do next is we’re going to take our plants that are going to go into the urn 
and we’re going to take them out of their pots and we’re going to set them just off to the side, 
their little root balls exposed. They’re going to be naked here for a minute and they’re just 
going to sit there because I need this pot. So, what we’re going to do is we are going to quote 
plant the pot. So, my mustard is going to go dead center of this urn. So, I’m going to kind of 
bury it down a little bit. And I also like for um see it’s a little offcentered so that I can 
easily move the pot. I don’t have to worry about messing up the plant. Put it in here. I do 
like for my final soil to be just below the lip of the pot of the container. So that way 
when it rains or I do have to hand water it, soil doesn’t flow out. All right. So I’ve got the 
Miz America pot is right now is planted. Now I’ve got four of my wave pansies. So, I’m gonna take 
all four of them out because I need all four of these containers because we’re going to do the 
same thing with these containers. We’re going to faux plant the containers, the pots, the 
empty pots. So, basically what I’m going to do is I’m going to do the four quadrants, north, 
south, east, and west with these pots. Right? So, we’re going to space them evenly on each side of 
Miz America. We’re going to bury them. Make sure that the pot tops are even with each other so 
you don’t have one root ball sticking out above another one. Pushing them down. Now, once you know 
where your pots are going to go, we’re going to come back with the soil and we’re going to top 
dress. So, we’re going to make sure that all of the pots are completely buried and only their 
tops are showing. Okay? Do not worry if the soil gets in the pot. It’s not a problem. We can easily 
We’re going to take the pots out of the container here in a second so we can easily add the unused 
soil that’s in the con the nursery pots back to our bag. So, the very important key point of this 
is you’ve got to pack down the soil all around the pots because what we’re going to do is we’re going 
to go ahead and get once we’re done with this, we’re going to gently remove the nursery pots out 
of the container and we’re going to have a form left where the nursery pots were. So then we can 
easily slip the plants into the pre-made holes in the container. I’m probably showing my age. Think 
about like it’s going to be like a jello mold. Remember back in the what was that? The 80s, early 
early 90s where jello salads were like a big thing and everybody had their jello molds and you had 
to make sure that you got the gelatin just right, the recipe just right. So that way when you took 
it out of the mold, it held that perfect form. Well, that’s kind of what we’re thinking about 
here with um with our nursery pots. Okay? Except we’re not going to be eating this. The plants 
are going to be eating the soil out of here, right? Eating all the nutrients that the soil is 
going to hold. Now, you might be thinking, “Well, Jenny, you didn’t add any biotone.” Yes, not yet. 
Hold on, my friend. I’m not there yet. So, I’m just going to keep packing this down. I’m going 
show you what it looks like here in just a second. got all the soil in nice and packed down. Now, at 
this point, if you don’t want to put mulch on it, which I highly recommend you do, you 
can go ahead and lift out the pots, sprinkle in your biotone, and put the plants in. 
However, I really it does make a huge difference both aesthetically and for the plants to have 
some mulch here um in the container. Right. So, I’m trying to be more selective with this and 
putting it between the pots. So, that exposed soil between where the wave pansies are going to go and 
Ms. America. If you’re looking for Miz America, it’s MIS. It’s not MISS. So, it really is 
Miz America. You can order the seeds. You can grow it yourself or as I do, visit your 
local garden center and get it there. Okay, so we got the mulch in. So now what we’re 
going to do is gently lift out the pots and our hole is perfectly there. Now, at this 
point, because I have so many holes in my container, I’m going to go ahead and biotone and 
go ahead and replace the pot with the plant one at a time. So, since these are little pansies, 
I’m just putting a little sprinkle right there in the bottom. You actually want your biotone 
to be in direct contact with the roots. So, then you take your plant and you slip it in and 
boom, it goes in perfectly. So, we’re just going to make our way around being nice and gentle. A 
little dab of biotone. Maybe a tablespoon. I’m putting in. I’m I’m I’m not that kind of cook that 
measures perfectly. That’s why I’m a better cook than I am a baker. I don’t measure precisely. It’s 
a little dab of this and a little dash of that. I garden the same way. Wiggle, wiggle, sprinkle. All 
right. Boom. There you go. Now, Miz America. Oh, we had Miz America overboard. I guess that made 
it in the camera. I don’t know. I told you it was a windy day. She’s tough. If you’re going to 
be Miz America, you got to be tough, right? Okay, so here we go. Sprinkle of biotone. Now, Ms. 
America has got some leaves that are hanging down low. That doesn’t bother me because I’m going to 
trim them up and clean them up a little bit. Now, at this point, first of all, let me say, make 
sure her pretty side’s showing. All right. So, what you’re going to do with all your plants, 
you’re going to go in there, give them a little, snug them down in there. Now, what I’m going to do 
is get my little snips and I’m going to clean up the ones that are hanging down low on top of the 
pansies. Just clean it up a little bit. All right, my friends. So, uh, there you go. Cute, simple, 
easy little trick. You don’t have to worry about messing up the plants when you’re planting 
them, trying to get the soil in there. I love that little hack. So, uh, don’t fret about me 
pruning the Ms. America because like all of your cool weather crops, they’re just going to keep 
continuously producing new leaves. My chickens are going to be so excited because they’re going to 
get to have some mustard as a snack this morning. What I’m going to do is go ahead and get the other 
one planted and then I’ll give you an uplose view of how everything looks. And then, of course, we 
got to clean up all of our mess, get everybody watered because I think we’re done with the rain. 
So, I got my hose link. I’m going to pull it over here, get it all watered, and then I’ll show you 
an up close view of it in just a second. There we go. Two summer containers. They are out of here. 
The fall, winter, early spring containers are planted and it is going to be absolutely lovely. 
In the fall, I keep it simple. A lot of times I keep it simple. My life is complicated enough. 
I don’t need my containers to be complicated or fussy or divas or high maintenance. I like easy 
peasy plants. And let me tell you, these are easy peasy plants. They are got everything cleaned 
up, got them all watered. Uh they are getting nice and dried off now with the breeze that we 
are having. Um but yeah, I mean it’s just easy, y’all. The trailing pansies are going to fill in. 
They are I think this is called the golden yellow color. So I mean they truly are just like the pure 
perfection of yellow. It is the big bird yellow, shall we say. So, four of those in there is plenty 
enough. They will fill in and be quite happy. The uh all of these, remember, were in the greenhouse. 
So, once they get outside, they get acclimated to uh the seasonal temperatures that they love 
and crave, they will just absolutely explode. The mustard is going to fill in even more. Uh 
the trailing pansies are going to get nice and thick and they’re going to fall over and just 
be gorgeous. We’ve had lots of granddad longleg spiders. I guess it is the season. They’re right 
here. Um but yeah, just very very cheery. Speaking of, let’s walk down here just for a second and 
let me show you for example. Um I’m I’m putting practice to what I’m preaching here. You were with 
me when we put this container together. And when we did the Ms. America, they were very small. 
Look how pretty they are. Right. So they have filled in. There were two in here. So nice and um 
they were nice and petite little ones. So that’s why I put two in. But everybody is doing great. So 
we have the snapd dragons in here. Then these were another trailing pansy. Aren’t they beautiful? 
Right there. And then we’ve got some little sweet little violas right here. And then my kale. 
My kale probably she’s starting to turn on the outside. Will we’re going to get into the upper 
30s. So that should really kind of uh force along some color on this. But yeah, so this is what’s 
you know, this is what kind of containers we have. And you can see that the mustard is nice and 
upright. Also, if you have mustard kale or mustard um cabbage in your containers, don’t freak out if 
you get leaves like this because like I told you earlier, they are going to continuously produce 
new foliage. So we can easily just take this off. The chickens can have this. So any little yucky 
pieces right there, you can just take them off. It’s not a problem because deep down in there, 
there are new leaves coming out. So there you go. Butterfly candy update. All right. So back here in 
the backyard, we have two of the five varieties. We have little coconut and we have little 
lavender. And y’all, they are doing amazing. Uh this is little coconut. Little coconut got in the 
ground probably a good month before Lilender did. uh three of them obviously planted here. I planted 
them very close together because I want them to look like one giant uh mound of the same plant, 
right? Not it’s going to be a 3×3, but when we’re planting them to this close to each other, they’re 
going to really kind of fill in this and look like one very wide, not necessarily high, but one very 
wide um butterfly bush. But here we are, you know, early November and they are still blooming, still 
have that lovely fragrance. If I had butterflies, they’d be all over it. The pollinators do love 
it. So the honey bees that are out, they are enjoying that um those fragrances and of course 
all that sweet nectar. But this y’all, all of this is brand new foliage. Are they not gorgeous? 
Now this bed is on irrigation, but we have really not been running it very much at all. And so 
once you get your butterfly bushes established, they are really kind of quite drought tolerant 
and they thrive on neglect. So there you go with little coconut. Now what we’re going to focus on 
and y’all, yes, I have weeds in my garden. Guess what? I bet you got weeds in your garden, too. So 
there you go. We’re gardeners. We all have weeds. So yes, there are weeds all through right here. 
Um and so yes, they need to be taken care of. Um, but we’re not going to do that today. We’re just 
going to focus on getting these guys mulched. So, here we have the little lavender. And little 
lavender, obviously, as its name suggests, is a nice soft, sweet lavender purple. Now, these are 
the ones that were planted like a month after the other little coconuts. So, I’ve got uh two little 
lavenders and then two other little coconuts right here. So, what we’re going to do is we’re going 
to get some mulch and we are going to top dress around it. Even though they don’t have really good 
mulch right now, look at all of this new growth on them. They are unbelievable. Nice, tough, tough 
plants. So, what are we going to mulch with? Well, we’re going to go back up here uh because we’re 
going to I got that Daddy Pete up here that I was uh using to top dress. Let me grab Brenda’s toy. I 
tell you, if you have a dog, don’t they remind you of like toddlers? Toddlers are teenagers. They 
just take their toys out of the house and then they leave them laying around everywhere. I tell 
you what. And then when you go to mow the grass, well, that’s a fun surprise now, isn’t it? You 
hit that toy and boom, there you go. All right, I digress. So, what we’re going to use is what we’ve 
been using so much lately, is the Daddy Pete. So, Daddy Pete is um age pine bark fines, which is 
great for butterfly bushes because it provides um a nice top layer for them, as irrigation to 
the uh ground, to the soil. It literally is aged pine bark, really finely chopped up. And so that’s 
what it is. So that’s what we’re going to do. I’ve got about three or four bags that we’re going to 
put out. And then boom, our work here for the day is going to be done. All righty, my friends. So, 
uh, we had a little bit of lunch to eat, so it was delicious. And then my sweet husband came out here 
and poured out the Daddy Pete soil conditioner around the butterfly candies for me. No, you don’t 
have there’s nothing to see here other than the final product. I was so I was like, “Oh, thank 
you, love.” So, he took care of that for me. So, there you go. They are all They are nice and 
snugged in. They have a nice little blanket around them. Uh this will go undisturbed for about um 
a month because at the beginning of December, we have our tulips that will be arriving from color 
blends. So for us in North Carolina, we are a zone 8A and our tulips have to be pre-chilled. So we 
have to give them a false summer false summer, false winter in the refrigerator, otherwise they 
will not bloom as they should. Hence why tulips are annuals for me here in North Carolina. So, 
color blends, if you order a certain quantity and you, you know, you get them in the order in 
early enough, they will actually pre-chill your bulbs for you, which is a huge godsend because 
we only have several thousand of them arriving the beginning of December to go both here at the 
house and then at the signature garden. So, we’re definitely going to have pink tulips back here in 
the backyard. That’s kind of been our thing for the past couple of years because Megan, who is our 
middle child, has just requested, she was like, “Mama, I love pink tulips.” Which she does. And 
so, you know, if you’re if you’re a teenager, ask for a certain flower, you plant the flower, 
which is not hard to uh fulfill that request for pink tulips. So, the tulips will go in here and 
then look at the dog right there in the freshly mulched flower bed. Yep. I’m telling you, rotten 
to the core. Uh, so the tulips will go in here as well. Now, the butterfly candies, they stay. We’re 
just going to plant around them with the tulips. But again, absolutely glorious day here. Uh, the 
maple tree, she is absolutely beautiful and happy. And then the ginko tree. Oh my gosh. I mean, 
what else could you ask for other than maybe what I’m getting ready to do next uh is a campfire. 
So, Jerry and I have a hot date. Uh Thursdays, we’re filming this on Thursday. Thursdays have 
been our standing date night days for or date nights rather for years. We started this when the 
kids were um little just as a way for us to like connect with each other and have a conversation 
and like to be able to really focus on each other. And like 99.9% of the time, like we don’t go 
anywhere. We just have date night here. So, and the kids know this. So, the kids now that they’re 
teenagers, they can f for themselves and they go get their own supper and they go to their rooms 
and watch a movie or whatever. And then he and I just have the whole night to ourselves. So, we’re 
going to start early today and have our early afternoon coffee by the fire. And so, I’m going 
to go build I want to go get some firewood. And then two, we’re going to build a fire and hang out 
by the fire pit this afternoon before we have our date night here at the house. So anyway, probably 
more information than you wanted to know. But um you know, we’re family here at Creekide. So 
if you are not part of the Creek Side family, you have not subscribed to the channel, we would 
love it if you would subscribe. That way you don’t miss those five videos that we do each and every 
week. And this is a really fun community. I think this is a very supportive place. Um, I love 
seeing uh people’s comments and then they’re asking a question or this or that and then other 
community members are coming in and supporting and shoring up and answering. So, it truly is a family 
around here. Uh, and we would love it if you would join us in this fun adventure that we call life 
here at Creekide Nursery. Y’all have a fantastic day. Make today so amazing that yesterday 
gets jealous. See you next time. Bye, guys.