Creek Side Gardens Fall Garden Tips

Perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetables.
Soil is warm until early November to help grow new roots.
Get a head start for next season.
Take advantage of sale prices from suppliers.
Find the right plant for the right location – sun or shade, tall or short, early-mid-late season etc.
Plant fall bulbs – tulips, daffodils, hycacinths, crocus

Add beauty, shade and increase the value of your property.
Established woody ornamentals require less water and are easy to care for in the fall.
Dig hole, amend soil with compost, rough up root ball, plant at same depth.
Keep new plants well watered initially, and then allow drying out to encourage new roots.

Perennial gardening offers low maintenance and beauty once established.
Most perennials are seasonal bloomers – early, mid or late season bloom.
Challenge and fun is to design a palette of color throughout the season.
Visit the garden center seasonally to see what is available for color.
Dig hole, amend soil with compost, rough up root ball, plant at same depth.
Keep new plants well watered initially, and then allow drying out to encourage new roots.
Divide perennials such as iris, peony, oriental poppy, daylily

Plant pansies, mums & Black-eyed Susan’s in ground beds or containers.
Some will over-winter if cared for throughout winter.
Lots of colors and sizes available.
Consider the Creek Side Fall Porch Kit for decorating – straw bale, corn stalks, mum, and pumpkin!
Plant cool season seeds like lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, carrots, wildflowers, cover crops

Lawn grasses love the cool fall temps.
Fertilize now and again in early October.
Over-seed thin areas with general purpose grass seed to fill in. Keep seed moist to germinate.
Mow tall to conserve water.

Stop pruning now as this encourages new growth which will be tender this winter.
Or may cut off next year’s flower buds depending upon variety.
Deep root water established trees & shrubs on a warm day now.
Discontinue fertilizer.
Use tree wrap on trunks of trees less than 3 years old mid-Nov.to prevent sun-scald.
Resume tree and shrub pruning after early Nov. – early Mar.
Winter water once a month, especially new plants.

Remove weeds from beds
Fertilize once more then discontinue.
Dead-head old flower stems.
After first frost, lift tender perennials for winter storage – dahlias, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, canna
After frost, cut back perennials with crown to 3” above ground, to 1” if no crown.
Mulch perennials & roses after the first hard frost.
Cut back grasses in spring to enjoy winter interest.
Winter water once a month, especially new plants.

Till or spade the soil leaving chunky clods to hold more snow & retain water.
Home-made compost can be added to the soil at this time of the year – empty compost bins.
Prepare compost bins for leaf mulch.
Sow a cover crop of legumes to hold soil in place, then till into soil in the spring. i.e. cover crop
Clean up annual containers after frost and store.
Prune raspberry canes – last years summer fruiting canes to the ground, this years about half way down to ground
Bring in houseplants.