Fall Gardening

When the weather gets colder you can cut your perennials back to a few inches and top with a layer of organic mulch.  It would be good to mulch your entire garden with a couple of inches of decomposed organic matter.  This will help keep weeds down, and insulate the earth from heavy frost.  Keep it away from the trunks of trees and shrubs.  You will want air circulation during the cooler wet weather to help avoid diseases. 

Rake up fallen leaves from your yard.  A pile of wet leaves is the perfect breeding ground for mildew and diseases that will attack the rest of your garden in the spring.  If you don’t have a leaf shredder you really don’t need to buy one.  Fill your trash can with the leaves and use your string trimmer to shred your leaves for better composting.

Chrysanthemums

Every nursery will be selling chrysanthemums right now.  If you don’t have any, now is the time to get them.  Look for plants with plenty of unopened buds.  These beauties will get a second bloom but it is not nearly as showy as the first flush of color.  You can use these flowers to decorate your house and front porch by leaving them in the pot, and planting them in the spring.  Make sure you don’t leave them indoors too long, they prefer the outdoors.  Don’t limit yourself to the traditional mums either; there are wide variety of colors and bloom types.  

Fall is the perfect time to plant any of the larger trees and shrubs you have been holding off from planting in the summer.  The cooler weather means less chance of transplant shock, and easier to maintain adequate moisture.  Plus the cooler weather and damp soil should make for easier digging.  I like to choose my trees in the fall so I know what color they will be.  Sometimes the tags on the plants cannot fully capture the color changes the plant will go through.  Ask your local nursery workers for suggestions on color and landscape need.  The wide variety of fall color can suit any size garden in sun or shade.  Learn more about Planting Trees & Shrubs.