Autumn means Husker football, trips to the pumpkin patch with your friends or family, soups, zucchini bread, and for some…it may even mean a pumpkin spice latte here and there.

Here in the landscape and garden world, we also enjoy those fall staples, especially after a long day of doing client fall clean-ups. or our own.

Clean the debris. 

Fallen leaves and weeds are the perfect place for pests to settle in for the winter. Clear out flower beds to keep the critters at bay. Pay special attention to rose beds, as their foliage can foster disease over the winter. (Roses should never be cut back in the fall.  Trim appropriately in the spring)

Clean up the vegetable garden. 

After the final harvest, pull out old vegetable plants and remove debris. If you compost, now is the time to add a layer of compost to help nurture your soil for planting next spring. Give it a good till while you are at it.

Dead branches and heavy snow rarely end well…trim them branches. 

Trim up dead, damaged, or diseased branches you did not get to in the summer. Prune out-of-place tree branches that may cause trouble during the winter. You do not want any branches breaking and falling during the snowfall to come.

Dry everything out. 

Drain all water from hoses, fountains, and drip irrigation systems, and store them in a dry place. Water left standing over the winter will likely freeze and cause damage, leading to a slow and annoying start in the spring.

Feed that lawn, you will not regret it. 

Send your yard into winter with the nutrients it needs to survive the long, cold sleep. Add a fall lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous content to encourage root growth and enjoy a lush, green lawn come spring.

Leaves, get rid of em. 

Don’t let fallen leaves get the best of you; if left unattended they can suffocate the grass. Rake em up. You might even be able to skip the raking part if you have a leave blower. (Leaf blowers are also handy for blowing snow off the sidewalks or drive)

Plant bulbs

Planting bulbs is a rewarding and low maintenance way to brighten up your yard in the spring. Planting bulbs like hyacinth, tulips, daffodils, crocus, and my personal favorite…Allium is a rewarding and low maintenance way to brighten up your yard in the spring 🙂 now is the time to get them in the ground.

Prune Trees & Shrubs

Trim any dead branches and cut back overgrown bushes.  This is especially ideal for spring blooming shrubs like lilacs and forsythia, as fall pruning risks the loss of blooms.

One. Last. Mow…Sad, I know. 

Set your mower to a low setting and give the lawn a close buzz before winter sets in. This helps the soil dry out quicker in the spring, giving you a lusher lawn come spring.

Divide and cut back perennials 

If your perennials really took off this year, go ahead and spread the love amongst your yard and or friends.  This is going to save you time and money come spring, plus you will be so happy seeing those extra babies popping in the changing of the season.   It’s also important to cut your plants back about halfway, this is going to promote root growth and also promote more blooms in the coming spring.  Fall blooming plants such as mums and asters are the exception to this.  They should be divided and cut back in the spring.

Protect cold-sensitive plants

Laying a generous amount of mulch around the base of your plants will help keep them protected throughout the winter.  Is not a necessity, but better safe than sorry, right?

Clean and store tools.

Don’t throw your gardening tools in the shed and forget about them until spring. Take time to give them a good cleaning and add a light coat of oil to prevent rust during the cold season.

If you follow this checklist, you’re bound to have a wonderfully winterized yard that will be ready to wow you with lush, green bounty once the warm weather and vibrant colors come back around.  If one or all of these things don’t work in your life yet you still want to experience the benefits, give us a jingle, or email.