Fall Gardening Tips

September through late October is a great time to get things done in the garden. Some of the summer flowers are looking a little bedraggled and fall is a time to refresh and get a head-start on spring.

Diseases can over winter in the stems of your perennials and the fallen leaves of your trees and shrubs. Rake up the leaves and cut your perennials back. How far to cut back? A good rule of thumb is to only leave about 5 – 6” of stems. If you have woody perennials and shrubs like roses and crepe myrtle, cut back about ½.

Just because the temperatures are cooler does not mean our plants can do without moisture. Winter survival of woody plants depends greatly on the moisture of the soil in the fall. Continue to water deeply at least once a week into November.

Fall is a wonderful time to mulch your beds. Adding a 2 – 3” layer of mulch will help buffer the fluctuating temperatures and moisture levels throughout the fall and winter. Mulch also helps keep those pesky weeds from growing too!

No – it is not too late to plant shrubs and perennials in the fall! As a matter of fact, the cooler soil and air temperatures along with the increased rainfall helps reduce the shock that plants incur when planted.

Don’t be too anxious to set your spring bulbs out into the ground. We suggest that you wait until late October, early November. We often have some big rains and the bulbs will just rot away with the additional moisture and some of those hot days we always have in September and October.