By Paul Carter and Gretchen Hanson
Fall mums.
Clean-Up
• Remove dead annuals and prune back perennials now past their best—perfect material for the compost heap.
• Remove weeds and debris and turn the soil.
• Soaking hoses and drip irrigation systems should be drained and stored away for the winter.
• Harvest any remaining fruit. Tomatoes will quickly succumb to disease at this point so picking them is essential. Green tomatoes can be ripened on a windowsill indoors and the plant’s leaves can be placed inside closets and cupboards as a spider repellent during the winter months.
Planting pansies.
Preparation and Protection
• Properly label perennials at this time in order to avoid mistaking them for weeds as they flush next year.
• Fertilize all acid loving plants with Hollytone and make sure to fertilize shrubs as well.
• To save plants like cannas and dahlias, wait until after the first frost and then cut the plants back to about six inches and overwinter the tubers in a cool, frost-proof environment. Store the tubers in trays of either vermiculite or peat and remember to spray with fungicide and check regularly for signs of mold. Spray the tubers lightly with water if they appear to be drying out.
• If you have a pond, regularly skim fallen leaves from the water surface or consider covering it with fine netting. Remove all dying aquatic and marginal plants before they begin to pollute the water. If you wish to preserve them for next year, the easiest solution is to place them in a bucket inside the garage.
Transplant tender perennials and tropicals by carefully removing them from the garden and placing them in pots filled with a good potting soil.
• Protect tender perennials and tropicals. Those already potted should be brought inside, while those in borders should be carefully lifted and placed into pots filled with a good potting soil. Tender herbs can be planted in pots and kept on the windowsill through the winter. Any houseplants that have spent the summer months outside should now come in—be careful that no pests come into the house along with them. Make sure to spray with an organic insecticidal soap regularly while they are indoors.
An alternative to potting tender perennials is mulching to help protect them through the winter and ensure healthy early spring growth.• Pots that are not frost resistant should be brought inside. Similarly, any beloved pieces of statuary that may be in the garden should be placed beyond the reach of frost (or alternatively wrapped in burlap sacking).
Lawn Maintenance
• Vigorously rake the lawn (a process known as scarifying) to remove loose debris such as dead moss, grass clippings, and thatch. This will enable water and fertilizers to penetrate to the roots more easily.
• Rake fallen leaves regularly—piles of decomposing leaves will very quickly suffocate your lawn.
• Aerate the soil. This is especially important in areas of heavy traffic such as walkways or play areas where the soil is likely to have become compacted. A garden fork should be used to aerate more heavily compacted areas. Push the fork into the soil to a depth of about six inches, and then rock the fork backwards and forwards to create air channels in the soil. Continue this process at intervals of every four to six inches. A simpler solution for areas of less heavily compacted soil (and far easier on the back) is to simply walk the lawn with spiked shoes. After aerating apply a fall lawn fertilizer.
Planting
• The fall is a great time to plant shrubs. The soil is still warm and moist and any shrubs planted at this time will be established in their growing position by the following spring, ready for early growth. Always dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball and refill with a 50/50 mix of native soil and a composted leaf material such as Leafgro.
• Plant your borders with chrysanthemums, ornamental cabbages and winter pansies—there is no reason that your garden cannot continue to be filled with stunning colors.
• If you choose to leave your beds clear of fall plantings, leave the earth rough so that the frosts will break up the soil and kill any lurking pests.
• Pots now empty of plants can be planted with evergreen shrubs like euonymus or dwarf Alberta spruces to give interest throughout the winter.
• It’s absolutely essential to plant your spring flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, just before the first frost.
• Plant winter vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.
Catalog
Finally, when you are finished with garden clean-up, winter planting, and preparation for next spring, take some time to catalog your plant successes and failures from the previous year. This will enable you to avoid making the same mistakes the following spring.
