courtesy of MCC

Believe it or not, autumn is gardening season! When the temperature starts slowly dropping and leaves kaleidoscope into stunning hues is the ideal time to focus on your garden to ensure that flowers, trees and gardens bed will over-winter successfully.

The cooler days of fall enable gardeners to spend ample time outdoors without the threat of blazing heat. In addition, soil harbors a lot of residual warmth in this time of year. The colder temperatures haven’t yet arrived nor have the leaves wholly fallen, making this a prime time to assess what’s already in the landscape, what needs pruning back and where to address planting for next year.

Pull on your gloves, break out your spade and dig into the following elements of your garden!

Pamper Perennials As annuals and perennials start to fall back, mark the spots where perennials are located so they can be easily identified later on. This way, when planning spots for spring bulbs or other spring layouts for next year, perennials won’t be overlooked or covered over.

Clean Up

Look at shrubs and trees and cut out dead or diseased wood. Tidy up the borders of your beds. Rake the leaves and gather grass clippings to add to the compost pile. Take out vegetables that have already bloomed and borne fruit and start to sow cooler weather plants, such as onions, garlic, beans, and sweet peas. Trim and clean up hedges, as they won’t be growing much more this year.

“Get tulips and other spring bulbs ready for planting so they’ll burst with color next year."

Install Pavers or a Rock Wall

Embrace the cooler temperatures to work on labor-intensive projects, such as putting in a garden bed, retaining wall or walkway.

Plant Spring Bulbs

Get tulips and other spring bulbs ready for planting so they’ll burst with color next year.

Dig Up Herbs

Relocate herbs like parsley or basil to indoor gardens. Otherwise, strip all leaves and freeze for storage during winter.

Consider Mums

Chrysanthemum plants are perennials. While they look beautiful in pots, if planted, maintained and winterized, they can bloom every fall.

Fertilize and Compost

Fertilizing your lawn in autumn helps ensure grass will stay healthy throughout the winter. Replenish spent soil with mulch and compost so garden beds will be revitalized for spring planting.