Little time left to get it all done!
Fall is certainly a busy time of year in any garden. Timing is very tight between when all the leaves have dropped and when the snow is here to stay. You need to keep on top of it all or risk having a real mess to clean up (and potentially losing some plants if it is a particularly harsh winter) in the spring.
By now you should have removed all your annuals and emptied any hanging baskets or urns. All vegetables gardens should be cleared as well as any dead material on perennials that have been hit by frost. Keeping up with the falling leaves is an obvious struggle. Now is a great time to plant fall bulbs. Some retail centres may have bulbs on sale as it is now pretty late in the season. Evergreen shrubs and hedges should be trimmed one time before winter.
Planting of trees, shrubs and perennials can still be done with great success. The plants will be dormant until the spring and will start growing in your garden before you would have been able to purchase them at a garden centre.
For you lawn, it is a great time to seed or lay new sod. Seed that doesn’t germinate now will stay dormant and continue germinating in the spring. Now is also a great time to fertilize your lawn and to spread weed inhibiting products such as corn gluten.
Protect tender plants such as roses with a mound of peatmoss, mulch or leaves. Evergreens in open windy areas can benefit from wrapping or screening in with burlap. Make sure to attend to all outdoor water taps. Remove and drain hoses and shut off water supply unless the tap is a freeze proof hose bib.
With lots of work now and a little bit of luck over the winter, your garden will have a headstart in the spring.
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