As summer begins to wind down, there are certain lawn and landscape items that need to be taken care of during the months of September and October. Most importantly is that it’s the perfect time to think about renovating and rejuvenating your landscape design because these two months are a little cooler and there is more moisture in the air. This gives new plants the best possible conditions for establishing themselves in their new home.
Make a list of the plants you want to incorporate in your landscape. This is also an ideal time to start buying and planting spring time bulbs as well.
Give your garden some fall love and instant color by planting annuals, such as pansies, celosia, mums, coleus, ornamental peppers and more. For contrast, add ornamental kale, cabbage and chard.
It’s also a great time to get some ornamental grasses in the ground. They’re super drought tolerant and low maintenance, too.
If you have a herb garden or herb pots, it’s time to bring them indoors. You can make cuttings, root them and repot or just bring your pots in.
Did your houseplants spend the summer outside? Get ready to bring them inside. Before you do, check for insects and disease. Make sure you do this before those evening temps dip below 50.
Scour the shelves at your favorite gardening and home stores to stock up on items you might need during the cooler months. Not only will these shelves empty out, but quite often you’ll find some great sales on gardening supplies and tools. Items like fertilizer, potting mix and pots aren’t always available during the late fall and winter months, so you’ll want to be sure you have some of these items on hand.
Don’t neglect the weeds that seem to enjoy the cooler days of fall. Get some Preen down to stop new seeds from becoming a part of your garden beds.
Now is the time to divide your perennials and replant around your yard. Don’t mess with your fall bloomers like mums, asters and sedum. The rest of them? Divide and conquer!
Near the end of October, it’s time to stop pruning and fertilizing your trees and shrubs. You need to let your plants get ready to go into their winter dormant period and not promote growth just before that cold weather sets in.
Remember that it’s important to continue watering if rainfall is minimal. Your plants need to have that moisture before they hit the dormant stage.
It’s also time to get your bulbs purchased, but wait to plant them about four to six weeks before the ground freezes. .
If you’ve got some tender bulbs planted, you may want to dig them up, air dry and store them in dry peat moss or vermiculite. These bulbs include cannas, caladiums and gladiolus.
These are a few of the things you need to take care of over the next couple of months.