WELL, SEPTEMBER ROLLS on, football season has begun and we’ve had some decent rain of late to help counterbalance the excessive heat of this summer.

With that said, a couple of things happened recently to cause today’s topic.

First, concerning the rain as well as the ever increasing dew— be diligent!

As I was deadheading a favorite client’s dahlias just after a rain, I became distressed about a couple of flowers, (yes, literally two) that had shattered their petals, because of how this time of year can be a “death knell.”

Even a few petals off a bloom can quickly turn into mold, mildew, rot and disease. And with our ever-shortening daylight length, lower temperatures and increased moisture, be aware of plant problems.

I say this because now is the time we shine.

Our superb Olympic Peninsula weather means that you can have awesome summer color though October and into November. But only if you stay atop all old, dead or dying flower parts, leaves, stems and growth. And this does not even begin to address the leaves on sidewalks and curbs.

But in another month, with the arrival of autumn rains, it becomes the absolute best time of year to plant.

All sorts of things can be (and should be) planted, such as vines, trees, bushes, shrubs, bulbs, berries, grass seed, perennials and ground covers.

As you decide what you want to plant, the number one rule: Right plant in the right spot.

In preparation for the ideal planting time, we shall spend the next two weeks going over all the aspects that can determine what constitutes the right plant in the right spot, but for today, let’s focus on the area itself: Spot.

First, always consider the square footage the plant will occupy or the size it must stay within.

A 4-foot window sill just will not lend itself well to a 5½ foot bush.

Always look to the full grown, mature size and silhouette of the plant first.

Overwhelmingly, the number one reason people have problems with their landscape is that they either have too large of plant for the area and space, or the adverse effects of improper pruning — plant butchery— as they have tried to tame the plant to the area.

Next week, we will begin exploring all the nuances of “right plant right spot.”

For today, just imprint as gospel this simple axiom: site the plant precisely to the area available for optimum desire and purpose.

Now go enjoy your autumn garden, start to decorate your pots and mailbox with fall items like pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and the like.

Hike around our gorgeous Peninsula, taking in the changing season.

But above all … stay well all!

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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).