From flower-gardening-made-easy.com
In the early
fall garden, the air is cooler and fresher –
what a relief this is if you get a lot of high humidity over the
summer!
But, sadly, the days are getting
shorter and the first frost is looming.
Still, if you've planned your garden
well, you have late-blooming perennials such as sedums,
asters, mums, and ornamental grasses to enjoy.
And in northern areas, gorgeous
fall colors are on the way. As the season winds up, there's
plenty to do in garden.
Early fall garden
jobs: In the yard
There's still plenty of bloom in
the early fall garden
One important job in the early
fall garden is to continue to water your plants, especially
your evergreens and trees and shrubs if it isn't raining
enough. Going into the winter well hydrated will help
keep your plants thriving. More
on winterizing trees and shrubs.
Lawn care: Aerate
your lawn and reseed any dead or thin spots. This is
the best time of the year to lay sod, overseed or start
a lawn from seed because temperatures are cooler and
rain tends to be more plentiful than in the hot summer
months. More
lawn care tips.
Create a new bed: Do soil
preparation for any
new beds you want to have ready for spring planting.
Landscape projects:
This is a good time to plan or do landscaping projects,
such as walls, walkways, patios, and decks. See
landscape design tips.
Early fall garden to-do list:
In the flower garden Container plantings:
Once they're past their prime, empty containers of annuals
and store frost-sensitive containers in the basement or the
garage.
Perennials: Don't
be in a great rush to cut back all your perennials early.
Seed heads and foliage
that's coloring up can be beautiful, and the seeds are
food for migrating birds. Just cut back plants that are
diseased, those looking past their prime, or those that
may become "weeds" if allowed to self-seed freely.
Late season gaps: If you have too little
color in the garden now, visit your local garden center
for some ideas on late-season flowers to add, and take
advantage of end of season sales.
Plant or transplant perennials: Divide overgrown
perennials—this is the ideal time to divide and
move peonies and
Siberian and bearded
irises.
Deal with spent annuals: Pull or dig
out summer annuals that are past their prime, and plant
mums and colorful kale for fall interest.
Dig up summer bulbs if
you want to keep them. After the first frost, dig up
dahlias, cannas, gladioli, and similar non-hardy bulbs
for winter storage; see
how-to tips.
Garden planning: Make notes about garden
changes or plants that you might want to move in the spring.
Think spring bulbs: Buy spring-flowering
bulbs while they're
in plentiful supply, but don't
plant them too early.
