Fall Garden Checklist
Use this timely guide to prepare your garden for winter.
Early Fall
- Clear away debris from the base of rosebushes. Fallen leaves can hold diseases that might overwinter.
- Water, water, water. Give all of your plants a good drink, especially your trees. Their roots need plenty of moisture to make it through the upcoming months.
- Amend your soil. Get the ground ready for next year's beds and your fall bulbs by tilling the soil and adding fertilizer.
- Shop for bulbs. Order from catalogs or visit garden stores early for best selection.
- Plant shrubs and evergreens. Early fall planting gives new plants enough time to get their roots established before winter.
- Plant fall annuals. As your summer blooms fade, add color to your garden with fall annuals such as mums, pansies, and ornamental kale.
Mid Fall
- Lower the height on your mower. Grass grows more slowly in fall, but it still needs to be trimmed to prepare for winter. A lower cutting height helps the soil dry out more quickly in spring.
- Feed the birds. Don't forget your feathered friends -- their food supply grows scarce in fall.
- Divide and cut back perennials. Try rearranging plants if they haven't been working in their current location.
- Rake and mulch. Left unattended, fallen leaves will suffocate your lawn and beds. Shred them and they make great mulch.
- Dig up summer bulbs. Store dahlias and Caladium in peat moss for the winter.
Late Fall
- Get bulbs in the ground before the big freeze. Plant your favorite bulbs now for colorful springtime blooms.
- Force bulbs indoors for winter color. Bulbs such as narcissus and hyacinth work well.
- Feel your lawn. Don't let your lawn go into winter without the nutrients it needs to battle the long sleep.
- Empty hoses, fountains, and drip-irrigation systems. Ensure any standing water is removed from your watering equipment; store items in a dry place.
- Bring tender container plants indoors. Remove dead foliage and break up any hardened soil before nursing cherished plants indoors for the winter.
- Clean up the veggie bed. Remove weeds and debris so pests won't settle into a winter home in your garden.
- Dig up annuals. Spent and dead, your summer annuals can now nourish the compost heap.
- Protect cold-sensitive plants. Shrubs, roses, and perennials that might succumb to blasts of cold should be protected with mulches or screens. Place these protective barriers after the first freeze.
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