DEADHEAD AND TRIM Early fall is a good window for cleaning up plants. Cutting off dead branches and removing spent blooms redirects each plant’s energy where it’s needed as colder weather approaches. A few plants are exceptions: azaleas, rhododendrons, and forsythia set their spring buds in the fall, so leave those alone. Late summer is also the time to thin deciduous and evergreen trees and to trim back the roses. On a rose bush, find the highest five-leaf grouping and cut just above it. That cut often coaxes out one more bloom before the season ends. DIVIDE PERENNIALS Daylilies can be divided once their blooms fade: drive a sharp spade into the clump and work a section away, keeping a good root system with each division. Hostas divide well in late summer too. A mature hosta can carry seventy or more “eyes,” and keeping divisions in groups of at least twelve can yield five new plants to move elsewhere or share, while giving the original plant more room to grow. PLANT FOR SPRING AND FALL Fall bulbs go in shortly before the ground freezes, when soil temperatures are consistently cool. Order crocus, daffodil, tulip, iris, and hyacinth now and store them somewhere cool until planting time. Evergreens can go into the soil in late summer and early fall so they establish roots before the first freeze, and deciduous trees can be planted into mid-fall. Hold slow-rooting varieties for spring. The vegetable garden has a second act as well. Carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts planted now will be ready for harvest later in the fall, and onions, garlic, shallots, and asparagus can overwinter for a spring harvest. Mark their locations so you remember where everything is when spring planting begins. PART ONE: IN THE GARDEN
FEED THE SOIL Mulch holds moisture through the late-summer heat, shelters newly planted perennials, and feeds the soil as it breaks down. Chipped branches, grass clippings, and hay all work, as long as the material is weed-free. The compost bin earns its keep now too. Add spent vegetable plants, end-of-season grass clippings, and the smaller twigs from pruning, along with vegetable peels, coffee grounds and filters, and undyed paper. Skip meat, dairy, oils, and any leaves showing black spot or mildew. Compost breaks down fastest with heat, air, and water, so keep the pile in a sunny spot and stir it regularly. It will keep working slowly through winter and be ready for spring plantings. GIVE WILDLIFE A PLACE TO LAND Clean and fill bird feeders, and sweep out bird, butterfly, and bat houses. If you have space away from the house, stack larger pruned branches in a loose pile, and small animals will move in for the winter. Native plants that draw bees, butterflies, and birds deserve a spot in your fall planting plan, since pollinators repay the favor across the whole garden. PROTECT WOOD AND MANAGE WATER Stain or paint wood fences, raised beds, and garden structures before winter weather rolls in, replacing any split or rotting boards first. For vegetable beds, choose all-natural stains so nothing transfers to your food. Then walk the property during a good rain, or run a hose, and follow where the water goes. Downspouts should carry roof runoff well away from the foundation. Sump pumps need their maintenance now, before the wet season. If a French drain runs from the backyard to the street, confirm it flows freely. This is also the moment to set up rain barrels: build a flat, level base, install a diverter in the downspout, and the collection begins.
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