It’s Time to Get a Head Start on Your Garden for Next Year : Nurseries are stocked with plants and bulbs that will begin blossoming in early spring.

Nevermind that the fall season is still held off by the waning days of summer. Resolute gardeners are venturing into their landscape to begin preparing for early spring of 1995.

This seasonal work starts every September. Fall is a favored time to sow an array of plants in Southern California--and included at the top of the list are perennials.

“It’s a great time to plant those things that you want to root out before the cold weather hits,” said Charles Gray, a nurseryman at Green Thumb International in Ventura.

Gray explained that soil temperature during this time is still warm, creating an optimum environment for root growth.

“The plant is able to get itself established before going into a shut-down period over the winter, which makes for an explosion of spring color,” Gray said.

He did say spring. So keep in mind: perennials will be busy taking hold underground, so don’t expect much of a show above ground until then.

Most nurseries and garden centers across Ventura County are currently well-stocked with a healthy offering of these flowers.

Unlike annuals, perennials continue to live year after year. Blooming season, which normally comes once a year, can stretch from one week to more than a month, depending on the variety.

And varieties are many.

Perennials, Gray said, can take on such tremendously different form that there are far too many to mention.

“They can range from ground cover to bed filler, border plantings--all different sizes, from 10-inches to four feet,” he said.

Besides most of the sages, the following also make for good fall planting:

Foxglove (digitalis) , an erect plant two to eight feet high with tubular flowers; Delphinium, fan-like foliage with columns of showy flowers; Columbine, lace-like foliage with gorgeous flowers in pastels and deeper shades.

Most nurseries offer “color packs” or “six packs” that contain starter plants for $2.29 or less. Larger, four-inch single plants can generally be purchased for $1.89 or less.

Left in the ground to grow year after year, perennials will begin to clump together and can actually begin to choke each other out. This can be prevented by digging up and separating and replanting to other locations. Caution: This thinning process should only be done during the plant’s dormant period.

Perennials perform best in soil rich in organic matter. Consult your local nursery staff for each flower’s specific needs before planting.

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September is also the time to acquire bulbs, a specialized group of perennial plants, said Deanna Gore, vice president of the Conejo Valley Garden Club.

“If you’re wanting early spring blooming, you’ll want to start thinking about getting your bulbs real soon,” she said.

According to nurseryman Gray, selection at most nurseries is currently at its peak and so is product quality.

Don’t wait too long to procure your bulbs. After another month or so, fall-winter bulbs will start to disappear as nurseries begin to stock summer-blooming bulbs.

“It’s early for planting bulbs but you have to get them while the getting is good,” Gray said.

While some bulb types can be planted in late fall, others will have to spend time chilling in your refrigerator before they are planted.

“Tulips and hyacinths, for instance, will have to spend six weeks in the vegetable crisper,” Gray said. “The cold actually sets the bloom phase.”

The danger in planting these early?

“If you plant now the warm weather would cause them to grow prematurely,” he said. The result: The bulb would sprout a dwarf flower stem but the blooms would be anything but spectacular.

Purchase now and sink the bulbs in mid-January for late February and early March blooming, he said. November is a good time to plant those types not in need of chilling, he said.