10 Things: Fall Garden Preparation

Fall is a nice way to end a leisurely warm summer. The leaves start to change into beautiful crimson and amber shades and then every gust of cool wind seems to leave the streets scattered with pretty fall foliage.  House porches welcome back pumpkins, scarecrows, corn husks and bales of hay.  It's a time to drink pumpkin spiced lattes, eat caramel apples start planning our upcoming Holiday season.

I really enjoy September, but it is also that time of the year when our yards start to wind down for the year. So here is a checklist of the essentials for this time of the year:

(1) Start pruning back your trees, bushes and hedges before the nights and mornings get too frosty.  You also need to cut back perennials and prepare them for the winter months.  Consider covering some less hardy perennials with hay and burlap before the frost. You want to time this so that it is after the last summer growth but before temperatures compromise your plants.  Aim for mid-late September.  By October, it is usually a little too cold in most states in the US

Hostas

(2) Now is the time to divide any bulbous plants and re-plant. These include hostas and calla lilies.  Hostas thrive during Fall replanting because the warm days coupled with cooler nights provide the perfect conditions for strong roots and winter preparation.

(3) This is also the time to plan your spring garden and plant the spring bulbs - tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, jaunquils. These bulbs do a lot better after having been underground during the winter months so get them into your ground during Fall the year before.

(4) Book your sprinklers to be blown out and winterized.  If you live in a climate where you experience sub-freezing conditions, as we do, your sprinklers must be blown out and closed until the temperature is steadily back over about 40F and in time for the Spring's first growth (Usually mid-April).  The cost involved is minimal - usually around $30, sometimes less, rarely much more.  This needs to be done sometime in early-mid October.

(5) If you plan on getting the help, you will need to organize leaf clean-up around the end of October, when most of the deciduous trees have completely finished expelling their season's leaves and before it is too cold.  Aim for the very end of the season so you don't need to do this too many times in the year, although expect to rake leaves a couple times to ensure your yard is tidy and in compliance with your city's leaf removal ordinances. Some cities allow you to rake your leaves directly to the curb of your street and a sweeper comes by on an allocated day to collect it. Other towns require you to bag your leaves for curbside collection.  Make sure you find out your town's regulations and comply accordingly. Many gardeners will actually take your leaves away with them and re-purpose them into mulch, so that helps too!

(6) Take stock of your lawn and prepare it for the next season.  Have it aerated to break up compressed soil so that water and nutrients can penetrate to the roots and sub-levels, apply a high-phosphorus mix to your soils to encourage Spring turf and cut your grass back for the last time of the season to 1 1/4 inches because disease is less likely to occur with short grass, plus shorter grass tends to encourage leaves to blow away rather than cling to the blades.

Pruning a dead branch or limb from a tree

(7) Trim any dead tree limbs so that the winter months of snow and wind pose no additional risks to you or your home.

(8) Mulch young plants.  The newly planted plants of the season are the most vulnerable in its first winter so you should add a layer of mulch (chopped leaves, weed-free straw or wood chips) after the first frost but before the ground freezes. As mentioned before, I have found added a layer of straw and then protected by burlap to be a great barrier between the new plants and the winter elements.

(9) Arrange now for your upcoming snow removal, or confirm with an existing contractor. Many landscapers provide this service during their down season so check rates and make sure your driveway, front stoop and any other access ways will be adequately cleared during a snowfall. Also make sure these areas will be salted to eradicate icing and ensuring safety.  This is especially important if you have regular front door visitors such as postal workers, UPS or a city sidewalk - which must be shoveled and salted by you.

(10) Order your firewood!  This is the time to clean out your wood-burning fireplace and chimneys and order your season's firewood.  Make sure this is stored properly, with a cover if you need, to keep the wood dry.  You should also keep the wood far enough from the house so as to not pose any additional fire risks to your property and to make sure any critters, such as rodents or bugs stay far enough from your dwelling.