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 gardenContainer 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.
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