Fall Garden Checklist

The leaves may be starting to put on their autumn show, but it's not time to hang up the gardening tools just yet.

Take advantage of the cooler weather to clean up your garden and get it ready for a good growing season next year.

Give your garden a once-over.

• Which ones have outgrown their space and need to be divided?
  
  
• Look for signs of disease or damage.
  
  
• Note which areas could use soil amendment and new plants.
  
  
• Do any plants need to be moved to a more suitable location?
  
  
• Does the shape of the garden bed need to be adjusted?
  
  
• Look for hardscape elements that might need repairing - edging, walkways, trellises, etc.

Get your garden ready for winter.

• Dig up tender bulb or tuber plants that won't withstand the winter.
  
  
• Bring houseplants indoors, but check for insects first.
  
  
• Weed garden beds and remove spent annuals.
  
  
• Deadhead and prune one last time. Disinfect pruners in between plants to reduce the risk of spreading disease.
  
  
• Do not prune roses. This stimulates new growth that may not be able to survive cold weather.
  
  
• Divide overgrown perennials.
  
  
• Amend soil.
  
  
• Add mulch after the first frost, where necessary.
  
  
• Remove summer annuals from window boxes and planters, and replace with cool-weather bloomers like pansies or ornamental kale.

Get your garden ready for spring.

• Plant spring bulbs.
  
  
• Plant shrubs, trees, roses, or climbing plants.
  
  
• Apply fall fertilizer to established lawns; turf or sow bare areas.
  
  
• Dig new garden beds and amend the soil.

When your fall gardening chores are all done, be sure to clean all your tools and store them properly so they'll be ready to go in the spring.

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