It may not seem like it yet, but summer is winding down and it's almost time to plan your fall garden maintenance. There are some important chores to do before the first frost that can help your flower gardens look their best next spring.
Take time to plan now and you may be able to free up some of those autumn weekends for drives through the countryside in search of pumpkin patches and beautiful changing leaves.
Tips for Fall Garden Maintenance and Yard Care
Your summer plants may have provided beautiful blooms, but their time has passed and they need to be cleaned up. Annuals with fading flowers should be removed from the garden along with any weeds that have recently appeared. Also, it is a good time to thin out your perennials by transplanting some plants to other gardens or planting beds. Reducing the number of perennials in an area can help keep them healthy by cutting down on competition for nutrients and water during the winter months.
Planting spring bulbs in the autumn allows their roots to develop all winter, so now may be the time to add some tulips to your landscape. A few other fall garden maintenance and yard chores to consider include:
- Mulching gardens, shrubs, and trees
- Pruning trees and shrubs
- Fertilizing your lawn with nutrients needed for the long winter
- Removing dead branches, debris, and leaves from your lawn
These are just a few suggestions for getting your garden and yard ready for winter; helpful articles from Colorado State University and The Washington Post offer further information.
Fall is a good time for cleaning and inspecting the gardening and yard tools that served you well all summer, too. Sharpening and lubricating your tools now can keep them in good shape during the winter and save you time next spring.
Jeffrey Anderson has a Degree in English from V.M.I. and served as an officer in the Marine Corps. He worked in Residential and Commercial construction management for 25 years before retiring to write full time.
