Every year I drive a couple miles down the road to visit Amy Krut's dahlia garden. Her entire front yard on three sides of the house is filled with 250 different varieties of dahlias. It's so much fun to explore gardening obsessions like Amy's.

It’s easy for gardeners to let the fall season slip away after toiling in the garden all summer, especially with all the watering required during this dry season. They need a break, nothing wrong with that, but the excitement of spring gardening is only rivalled by the thrill of fall planting, for those who partake.

We had fun on Pittsburgh Today Live talking about fall planting. This is the best time to plant perennials and shrubs. I show off my favorite, tough plants to put in the ground now.

Lorraine Balloto is the Hydrangea Queen and author of Success With Hydrangeas. She answers the age old question, “why doesn’t my hydrangea bloom?”

Learn more about growing in containers from expert Steve Biggs.

Here are some of my favorite bulbs to plant.