What better way to guarantee your gardening success than to follow the example of the ultimate Master Gardener, Mother Nature? In the fall, nature "plants" seeds for upcoming spring and summer show of wildflowers.

Cooler autumn days provide a wonderful opportunity for home gardeners to emulate nature. It's a great time to add perennials to your landscape.

The soil is still warm, which encourages root growth, so plants get a head start on those planted in spring. When summer brings heat and drought, your fall-planted perennial flower, tree or shrub already has a well-established root system and is better able to deal with the tough conditions. Fall also is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs.

For fall gardening inspiration, attend the Fall Garden Workshop held by the Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County. This year's event is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Unionville Fire Hall on Route 8 north of Butler.

Topics include native plants, trees and shrubs that add fall and winter interest to the landscape, a brief refresher on bulbs, ornamental grasses and container gardening.

Keeping Mother Nature in mind, the workshop kicks off with a session called Connecting with Native Plants. John Totten will discuss how native plants help us reconnect with our memories of people and wild places. He'll also explore ways natives can help solve gardening problems.

Totten holds degrees from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment; is a principal in Gardens! LLC, a landscape gardening firm; and is a consultant and teacher on native plants.

The day's second session features Bob Yates, a longtime nursery man and horticultural specialist, who will speak on how to plant trees and shrubs that change the landscape's look as the seasons change. He'll offer advice on growing his favorites and on plants that do best in our area. Yates has a wealth of knowledge about woody ornamentals and their use in the landscape.

Flower bulbs are next in the spotlight. Eileen Stroup, a Butler County Master Gardener, will speak on bulbs, some new and exciting, and some old reliables that bloom year after year.

Stroup also will talk about the bulbs for sale at the workshop. Stroup has been in charge of the Master Gardener exhibit at the Butler Farm Show for eight years.

Following lunch, ornamental grasses take center stage as Laura Deeter talks about the color, zest, movement and texture of using grasses in the modern garden. Grasses have formed an intimate part of the American garden for more than 150 years and have a place in gardens large or small, formal or informal. Deeter is an assistant professor of Horticultural Technologies at Ohio State University.

Rounding out the day's sessions, Jessica Walliser, a well-known local gardening book author, will illustrate the ins and outs of overcoming space restrictions with container gardening. In a session called Container Savvy, Walliser covers potting soil recipes, variety selection, organic fertilizers, maintenance tips, pest control ideas and staking and trellising.

You'll leave this lecture knowing how to feed your family delicious, homegrown veggies right from your own back porch.

Walliser, who has a degree in ornamental horticulture from Penn State University, has taught at Phipps Conservatory for more than 15 years. She co-hosts "The Organic Gardener" on KDKA radio Sunday mornings, writes several gardening columns and has written several gardening books.

There will be bulbs and plants for sale during the lunch break and after the final session. Registration costs $30 and includes breakfast and lunch. Parking is free.

Additional information and registration forms are available from the Penn State Extension Office by calling 724-287-4761 or downloading a registration form at http://butler.extension.psu.edu/MG/fallseminar.htm.

Susan Struthers is a member of the Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County.