Fall is prime gardening time so take advantage of these golden days to beautify your space, tackle some outdoor chores and get a head start on next year!
REFRESH SUMMER FLOWER POTS that are looking tired. Gently pull out any spent plants and replace with fresh annuals or perennials. Some cold tolerant varieties include Lamium, Pansies, Violas, Asters, Heucheras, Grasses, Ornamental Kale and Cabbages, as well as classic Chrysanthemums.
BRING IN ANY TENDER PLANTS you intend to keep over the winter. Summer houseplant vacation time is over, so make sure you bring your babies back inside now before evening temperatures start dipping into the 30’s. If you intend to save corms or tubers such as Caladiums, Cannas, Gladiolas or Dahlias, make preparations to store them properly over the winter so that you can enjoy them again next year.
CLEAN UP YOUR FLOWER BEDS by pulling up dying annuals and cutting back any dry and withered perennial leaves or flower stalks. Be sure to leave some seedheads for the birds and winter interest! It’s surprising how some minimal tidying up in the garden right now will refresh and revitalize the space and carry it through until that final killing frost.
LIFT, DIVIDE AND TRANSPLANT any overgrown perennials or add a few new ones. The moderate temperatures and reliable rainfall of autumn help plants get quickly established before winter sets in, giving perennials a vigorous head start on growth next year!
Photo courtesy of morningchores.com
PLANT FLOWER BULBS now for early spring color. The list of bulbs available for fall planting is vast so narrow it down to your favorites while also keeping bulb-snacking critters in mind. Some dependable bulbs that naturally repel voles, mice, chipmunks and squirrels include Snowdrops, Siberian Squill, Snow Glories, Hyacinth, Daffodils and Alliums.
SPREAD COMPOST around your plants to nourish and protect both new and established gardens. Adding nutrient-rich compost will greatly improve the quality of your soil and help retain moisture during dry summers. Good quality bagged compost is available at any garden center or start your own pile now: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting
CELEBRATE THE SEASON and be sure to give thanks for another bountiful gardening year!
All photos by Nancy Marie Allen except where noted
October is the grand finale of the gardening season and the optimal time to prepare for spring!
Although May is probably the busiest gardening month for me, October brings about its own frenzy of activity. It’s my last chance to get it all done before snow – a month of bringing in tender plants, dividing and moving perennials, planting bulbs, and, finally, putting the garden to bed for winter.
Rose Hips in Fall (Photo by Roman Kraft)
GETTING READY FOR BED
Chatting with fellow gardeners over the years, I’ve discovered that everyone has their own garden bedtime ritual. For me, the schedule goes like this. Mid-September through mid-October is perennial dividing and planting time. Many plants, shrubs, and trees get established faster in the moderate temperatures and frequent rains that fall provides. By the time spring rolls around, they are well on their way and better able to withstand those first hot days and the dry conditions that are sure to follow. Best of all, I’m not out in the hot spring sun digging and watering, the heaviest work having already been done in the cooler days of fall.
For many of us, all those beautiful potted plants that we brought outdoors in spring now have to return to their inside home. Watch the forecast for any impending frost and plan accordingly. It’s always best to segregate your outdoor plants to one area of your home where you can monitor them for any insects before letting them join your other houseplants. Placing them in a cool room initially will help them gradually get used to the warmer and drier air of the house. Any potted perennials can be moved into an unheated garage where you should water them sparingly until putting them out again in the spring. Tender bulbs like gladiolas, tuberous begonias and dahlias should also be lifted and stored out of the cold. For tips on winterizing tender bulbs and plants, click on the link: https://wimastergardener.org/article/storing-tender-bulbs-for-winter/
BULBS AND MORE BULBS
October is also prime bulb planting time. Visualize your garden in early spring. Would you like to see flowers blooming as early as February and continuing on through summer? If so, look into all the types of flowering bulbs that are available and pop a few favorites into the soil now. Come spring, you’ll be glad you did! For more on planting bulbs, see my blog, The Wonderful World of Bulbs
Blooming Bulbs (Photo by Erda Estremera)
GARLIC ANYONE?
Garlic is also a bulb that you can plant in the fall. Best done from mid-October thru early November, garlic bulbs are the last thing I plant. Shredded leaves make a great mulch to layer over the garlic bed for winter protection. In early spring you’ll notice the long green leaves coming right through the mulch and by summer your garlic will be ready for harvest! For detailed instructions on planting garlic, click on the link: https://nevegetable.org/crops/garlic
Garlic Cloves Ready to Plant (Photo by Joey Huang)
ONE FINAL CLEANING
Cutting back spent perennial foliage is best left until after a hard frost when pretty much everything has died back to the ground. I like to leave some plants standing for winter interest. The dried flowers of astilbe and sedum look lovely into late fall and add drama when they catch an early snowfall. Seedpods of echinacea and rudbeckia provide food for birds while rose hips and berries add spots of color in an otherwise dreary landscape. How much you clean up is really a personal choice; just remember that all dead plant material and fallen leaves return valuable nutrients back to the soil.
After all the plants and bulbs are in the ground, and any plants I want to save have been brought inside, there are a couple of final steps I take before winter. One thing I do every fall is to apply organic bulb food to my garden beds. This is really the only fertilizer I use and it seems to benefit my perennials as well as the flower bulbs. On top of that, I like to spread some compost around my plants which not only provides nutrients over the coming months but helps to improve the soil. Shredded fall leaves make a great winter mulch for plants that might need some extra protection like hydrangeas or roses, and a good layer of snow provides the perfect winter blanket!
Photo by Alex@worthyofelegance
SAYING GOOD NIGHT
I’ve always hated goodbye’s and coming to the end of the gardening season is no exception. The cold and gray winter months ahead can look so bleak but I know there’s life under the surface, waiting for the warmth of spring to begin anew. So rather than say “Goodbye” to all my garden friends, instead I’ll say, “Good night, sweet garden – See you in the spring!”
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