Fall Garden Tips

Everyone must take time to sit and watch
the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence




Before the onset of cold or cooler weather, you should clean your garden and landscape. It's better to do this now during the cool, refreshing days of fall, then wait for spring.

Look over all your trees and shrubs carefully and prune out the dead or diseased branches. They are easier to see while the healthy ones are green and flourishing. Be sure to give all of your trees and shrubs a good, deep watering before the first heavy frost.

Removing any diseased or insect-infested plants from your garden is very, very important. Take a Saturday or another day you have to spare and make a project of it. Either burn or discard these plants and other debris.

Cleaning carefully will give your plants a fresh start in the spring. Rake up leaves as well. It's also a great time to pick out any broken stakes, garden art, bricks, cracked pots,nursery tags etc. If it doesn't belong, get rid of it. You will appreciate this in the spring when you don't have to wade through soggy plant stems and muddy flower beds. Don't get too carried away with the chopping though. Some plants like sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, and ornamental grasses can be left for the birds to snack on. Some other plants like calendula, snapdragons, cosmos, gem marigolds and others can be allowed to reseed themselves if you leave the seed heads on the plants.

Many readers have concerns about tent worms this time of year. Every year we snip off the branches that have tent worms and throw them in a fire. They are harmless to us, but can cause damage to trees or shrubs. You can also use gloves and pull the "tents" off the trees or shrubs then dumb them in a bucket filled with water that you've added a little bleach and dish soap.