Fall-ing in Love: Gardening Tasks for the Autumn Season

Originally published in September's Edition of Great News Media, Down by the Bay

For many, autumn is a season of senescence; a time to put away tools and lay the garden to bed in preparation for a cold winter. And while this may certainly be true in some cases, it doesn’t mean everything is over just yet! There are plenty of tasks ahead that need to be done in order to prepare, protect, and benefit your beautiful garden for the months ahead. So prepare to fall in love with our gardening tips to help you cultivate the perfect landscape this autumn season.

Soil & Mulch

• Apply soil amendments like compost, leaf mould, bone meal, kelp, or biochar.
  

• Apply organic mulches at the appropriate depth (2-3") and leave a wide buffer (6”+) around the base of trees and shrubs.

Lawn & Turf

• Rake up or mulch fallen leaves with a lawn mower.
  

• De-thatch and/or core lawn with an aerator.
  

• Apply turf fertilizer in early to late fall.
  

• Weed, overseed, re-seed, and/or topdress.
  

• Edge turf away from garden beds.

Bulbs, Annuals, & Perennials

• Divide tender perennial bulbs and store them in a dry, cool, dark location.
  

• Plant spring perennial bulbs when the ground is cool yet unfrozen.
  

• Harvest summer vegetable crops and plant fall crops like legumes, brassicas, and root vegetables. Alternatively, sow a winter cover crop like vetch, clover, oats, rye, or barley.
  

• Remove or replace annuals and cut back herbaceous perennials to 6” above ground-level.
  

• Create a seasonal planter for a vibrant splash of colour.

Trees & Shrubs

• Prune any diseased, damaged, dying, or dead branches.
  

• Selectively prune crowded branches, epicormic shoots, and suckers.
  

• Rejuvenate old, spent shrubs with a hard prune to ground-level (some exceptions apply).

This article is a sneak peek into our 60-minute webinar/seminar, Putting Your Garden to Bed: A Guide to Preparing Your Yard For Winter, which explores the winterization process of ornamental landscapes in the Canadian Prairies. To learn more or register, please contact us!