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A. The first thing is to select the correct variety. Many old roses do quite well in Central Texas without a lot of attention. Please check our booklist for some excellent books on roses.

There are many landscape roses to use as screens, like Mutabilis and Belinda. Fall is a great time to get your roses established. Select a sunny location and work compost into the soil.

Most nurseries in Central Texas offer a good selection of hardy roses, so consider the size, color, and attributes you'd like, and give them a visit. Don't be afraid to incorporate roses into your perennial borders.

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Viola -- This is a charming plant that comes in several colors. They look like miniature pansies, but their flowers hold up better to rain. They make delightful borders or container plants. The key is to plant enough to create a swath or a vivid presentation.

They fill in quickly and look lush all winter. Consider planting them with other winter favorites like fragrant alyssum and dusty miller, perhaps with ornamental kale as a backdrop. The flowers are edible and wonderful in salads. Just don't use pesticides on them! You can freeze them into ice cubes for a delightful accent to holiday punches.

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• This is an excellent time to move and plant shrubs. The producer recently moved around several! They will get their roots established before hot weather.
  
  Producer's Note: I also have to say that viburnums I planted last November grew several inches this year, whereas the ones I planted in spring are trying hard to catch up.
  
  
• Whatever you can get in the ground now is a "good thing." And don't forget to add trees now as well.
  
  
• Gather your leaves-don't let them leave your property! You can mulch them over next spring's tomato beds or compost them. Leaves are free fertilizer and soil conditioner-put them to work!
  
  
• Harvest sweet potatoes, tomatoes, basil, and beans before the first frost. You can freeze basil in ice cube trays filled with oil or water. Try fried green tomatoes, or stick them under the bed to ripen.
  
  
• Be sure to pick up a free copy of the Grow Green publication, Native and Adapted Landscape Plants at your local nursery. This is a wonderful reference for great plants to grow in Central Texas. You can also get a copy by calling the Cooperative Extension Office.

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