Fall Gardening To-Dos for Long-Lasting Lawns and Gardens

The falling of the yellow, amber and red leaves herald the coming of the cold winds and later, snow. Autumn is the perfect weather for making the necessary changes to your lawn and garden. This is to prepare it for the winter and the spring to come. If you enjoy puttering around your property, now’s your last chance to do so, before you put away your gardening tools for the winter. Be sure you have all the Utah landscaping supplies you need.

After the summer days, your garden and lawn will be thirsting for some TLC from you. Armed with Utah landscaping rocks, hardy plants and your favorite gardening tools, get ready to cross-out the following fall gardening must-dos:

• o Start clean and fresh. The hot summer days may have left your garden dry and lifeless. Clear out all the plants that have bid their final goodbyes due to the heat. Do the same with fallen leaves and diseased parts of the plants. Any plant parts that are diseased should not be added back as mulch. Instead, discard these or burn these to prevent further infection to your plants. When doing your fall gardening, you can decide whether to leave a significant portion of your garden as is, to provide food for birds and other animals that will need it in the winter.  However, this will mean more work for you when the snow starts to melt. On the other hand, you can also trim your plants, getting rid of its seeds, flowers and berries. This considerably lessens the work you need to do in spring time.

 

• o Mulch around. Utah mulch provides protection for plants, ensuring that they have the moisture they need during the cold winter. The mulch also provides a warm and comfy blanket for your plants. After getting your supply of fresh mulch, spread this around, with a height of two to three inches distributed evenly. It is best to get quality fresh mulch, such as what you can get from Landscape Supply of Utah. This is to avoid mulch that use diseased plant parts.

 

• o Lawn up to it. Fall is a good time to reseed any bald patches in your lawn. The ground provides a welcoming place for the seeds to grow – something you can look forward to in the spring. Be sure that you guard your new patch, minimizing traffic in the area and watering the spot regularly. Rake the leaves that may prevent the sun and moisture from penetrating the roots. You can use a mulching mower or shred these leaves so you can use these as mulch.

 

• o Put the bulbs to bed. Now’s the time to put those bulbs to root. To enjoy the beauty and drama of blooming crocuses, grape hyacinth, daffodils, tulips and dandelions in the spring, you need to put these babies to bed this fall – the flower beds, that is. These bulbs should be planted roots down, at the depth needed for them to flourish. When planting these bulbs, arrange them based on your vision of the color combinations or based on a solid color in one setting.

 

• o Say goodbye to the weeds. To prevent weeds from making a vicious comeback in spring, get ri of them now. Pull these weeds up to the roots and discard.

 

• o Invest in planting new trees. As the poem says, there is not a poem lovelier than a tree. So why don’t you make your landscape a veritable work of poetry? Autumn is a great time to see these trees grow, as this season is very conducive to the growth of many species of trees. The seedlings should be well-fertilized and wrapped in burlap to give it sufficient nourishment and protect them from the elements.

 

• o Protect your “old” trees. Young trees should be staked or tied securely to prevent damage from the wind. Instead of ropes, use stockings, which can stretch and flow with the wind. Prevent rabbits, mice and other critters from burrowing into the trees.

 

• o Clean out your water features. Sift through the water in your pond (as well as other water features) to get rid of fallen leaves and branches. Uncleared plant debris will cause an increase in the levels of ammonia that may harm the fish in the pond. Better yet, if your pond is not deep enough for the fish to safely spend the winter there, drain the pond and bring the fish indoors.

 

• oHold off on the pruning.  Even if you’re itching to snip and snap with your pruning shears, don’t. Pruning will only encourage new growth, at a time when the plants are getting ready to go dormant. The new growth will be exposed to the harsh cold. The only exceptions would be any dead wood that could be an ideal hiding place for insects that could later wreck havoc on your plants.

Doing these essential tasks this fall will help ensure that you enjoy your garden for a long time. You will have a landscape that is healthy and thriving.