Summer may be in the rearview mirror but show-stopping color doesn't have to be! Fall can be the most rewarding season of all as plants make one final encore in an explosion of colors. Here are just a few surprises you might want to plant in your landscape:

Remember the blueberries you planted this spring? Well, stand back and enjoy their fall color display treat as well. Berkeley, Earliblue and most other deciduous blueberries provide red and yellow colors to the landscape. Don't forget your roses either. With a touch of rose food and some deadheading, your fall display will rival and even beat your spring bloom production.

Many perennials really show off their blooms in the fall. With the soil still warm but nights cooler, blooms last longer and the colors will have more intensity.

While most lavenders bloom well into fall, Spanish Lavenders really like to strut their stuff in the cool season. Varieties such as 'Otto Quast' and 'Coco Blue,' 'Coco White,' and 'Coco Blue & White' perform really well.

If you are looking for a nice shade of orange, consider Lion's Tail (Leonotis leonurus). The deep orange, fur-like, tubular flowers on this plant flair out from dense whorls, making a spectacular show.

Most sages perform well in the fall but by far the best is Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii). It comes in many colors including red, purple, yellow, white and pink. A really exciting color is 'Hot Lips,' with red and white blooms.

The many shades of Penstemon also bloom well until the end of November.

If you are looking for a plant that will handle sun or shade consider the Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius). This South African plant loves to bloom in fall. It is related to snapdragon and penstemon, but the drooping flowers of peach, yellow, orange, and scarlet suggest fuchsia.

Many trees will also lend their coat to fall colors and help you see the change in seasons. The leaves on the Chinese Tallow (Sapium) all turn a brilliant shade of red around November. Crape Myrtles also turn nice shades of red, yellow and orange, depending on the variety. But the showiest trees by far in this part of the Bay Area are the Chinese Pistache, Raywood Ash and Bradford Flowering Pear. The Chinese pistache tends to show mostly red, yellow and orange, while the Bradford pear is one of the last trees to drop its foliage, turning to deep shades of orange, red, and purple in December.

One of September's most important and exciting jobs is to start buying and planting spring-flowering bulbs. Bulbs are easy plants to grow and will provide you with early spring color and bloom.

Buy Bulbs Now to Plant Later

Begin purchasing spring-flowering bulbs as soon as possible. They soon get picked over and sometimes put back in the wrong bins. A reliable local nursery is the best source of varieties that will do well in your climate zone, though some rare varieties can only be bought from catalogues or online. Choose the largest and fattest bulbs, because they produce the biggest blooms.

Among hardy bulbs some of the most popular are daffodils (Narcissus), hyacinths, Dutch irises (Iris xiphium hybrids), tulips, and crocuses.

Look for daffodils with three or more divisions. Don't pull them apart. If they're still connected, each point will produce a bloom. Feel them gently to make sure they're firm to the touch; softness means rot. Hyacinths perform best and give the most bloom if you buy large bulbs. Tulips have to be bought yearly. Don't buy "naked" tulip bulbs, ones that have lost their tunics (the brown papery skin), as they might be dried out.

Take your bulbs home but don't plant them yet. Getting them in the ground too early is a big mistake. Keep them cool and dry. Most spring flowering bulbs can be planted after the first frost - but wait longer for tulips, which may sprout if planted early.

Where To Plant

Most bulbs need full sunlight. Find an area that will provide them at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Early blooming bulbs may be planted under the canopy of deciduous trees or around deciduous shrubs (where they will get full sunlight until the leaves come in again). Combine bulbs with low growing groundcovers, or plant in the perennial border.

How To Plant

Most bulbs prefer a soil that drains well. Before you plant, we recommend working the soil deeply (or using a raised bed) and adding a good amendment such as Bumper Crop to the soil. Also add a bulb fertilizer such as Dr. Earth Organic 1 Bulb Food to promote root growth and spring flowering. Fertilize again in spring, just before flowering, to support foliage and increase bulb size--giving the plant more energy to produce beautiful blooms.

In general, you should plant bulbs twice as deep as their greatest diameter in a medium or heavy soil. In sandy soils, plant them about three times as deep. Put them in the soil with the pointed end up and the flat side down. To encourage root development, water them in well.

Michael was born in a hospital and spent his youth growing up in the Windy City. You'll never find him auditioning for American Idol, as his worst subject in school was Choir.

Michael graduated from the University of Hawaii and has held some unique jobs, including working at the M&M Mars Candy Company and as a fishing guide at Lake of the Woods in Canada.

He has always been a straight arrow and in his spare time enjoys fishing, gardening, and more fishing.

My Celebrity Service staff and I look forward to serving you this year. We'll go out of our way to make your day!

Matt Lepow - President