Landscaping: Fall checklist

Fall is the perfect time for landscaping.  It is also perhaps the most important time.  As the summer heat breaks and the plants prepare for winter, you can prepare your landscaping so that it’s ready for the spring.

Flowers
Fall is the time to plant.  If your landscaping includes spring bulbs, you need to plant them in the fall.  Have a vision for what you want in the spring.  Map out where you want the flowers to bloom once winter is over, and plant your spring bulbs there.

Another part of your fall landscaping should be to take care of any rose bushes.  Stop fertilizing them in the fall, but do spray them with fungicide when their leaves drop.  Also, cover your rose bushes with at least eight inches of loose soil or mulch and prune them back to 36 inches.  A little landscaping help with them now helps them to bloom in the spring.

Trees and shrubs
Pruning the trees and shrubs is a part of fall landscaping.  Now is the time to cut back dead or diseased branches.  Also, your trees and shrubs should be heavily watered before the cold weather hits.

Lawns
Fall is also a busy time for lawn landscaping.  This is the time for the lawn to be aerated to loosen compacted soil.  The next step is to seed and fertilize.  Doing this landscaping maintenance in the fall prepares your lawn for the spring.

Potted plants
Your landscaping probably includes several potted plants, but these cannot stay outside once the nights get colder.  Bring in the houseplants once the nighttime temperature starts reaching 50 degrees.  Also, if you have a Christmas cactus, it requires a bit of work now.  Three months before you want it to bloom, stop feeding it and reduce its water.  Make sure that it has complete darkness from sundown to sunrise and sunlight all day.  When buds start to appear, you can start feeding and watering it again.

Miscellaneous
Don’t forget the non-living aspects to your landscaping.  Water hoses need to be drained and stored.  Any debris cluttering the lawn or flower beds needs to be removed to prevent damage or disease.

Fall landscaping is almost as if you are tucking your plants and flowers into bed.  You are getting them all settled for the winter so that they can wake up in the spring when you can enjoy your landscaping to the fullest.