When my daughter was in high school, she ran cross country. The meets, held in the fall, were long, difficult and often included 50-100 of the area’s best runners. During each race, I would position myself near the finish line and yell “Finish strong” repeatedly as Sarah and her friends ran by. Somehow, I hoped that this encouragement would help them beat their personal best time for the course. Seven years later, I find that this fall I am telling myself “Finish strong.”
As Northern Illinois residents are keenly aware, fall is quickly followed by winter. Any gardening activities that aren’t done between now and mid-November will need to wait until April. Personally, this past week has seen a flurry of activity in my yard.The plans that I have been talking about for months have become reality. Plants that died have been replaced and evergreen shrubs designed to give us some privacy have been planted. We have planted vines that attract hummingbirds, ornamental grasses for winter interest and frankly some unique hydrangea just because they will make me happy. It has been rewarding to see the changes and show them off to friends and family.
Here is a list of gardening activities that you may want to complete now before the snow starts to fly this winter.
Plant Spring Blooming Bulbs – Unique bulbs such as scilla, muscari and galanthus in addition to more commonly known bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocus and hyacinth may all be planted this fall to add color to your yard next spring.
Harvest Flowers – Consider collecting flowers, seed pods or leaves to create wreaths, home décor items or perhaps even some gifts.
Save seeds – Many plants produce seeds in the fall. Those seeds can be collected and planted next year. Annual flowers such as zinnias and marigolds produce seeds that will easily germinate next year. Monarda, milkweed, and columbine are perennial flowers that reproduce readily from seed.
Divide Perennial Flowers – Well-established perennial flowers often benefit from being split. Many perennial flowers are often divided about every 3-5 years for the health of the plant. The following is a list of perennial flowers that you may want to divide this fall: ornamental grasses, iris, spidorwort, yarrow, peonies, daylilies, and coneflower.
Spread mulch – While most of us consider spreading mulch a spring activity, spreading it in the fall actually helps our plants. A thin layer of mulch will help to retain moisture, moderate the soil temperatures and insulate the plant’s roots against the cold winter winds.
Installation of Flowers, Shrubs and Trees – The warm soil temperatures make fall an ideal time for planting. Warm soil temperatures combined with cool air temperatures encourage strong root growth. This is less stressful for the plants.
Water Evergreens – Depending on the amount of natural precipitation, evergreens in particular may need supplemental watering this fall. Evergreens continue to go through the process of transpiration throughout the winter. This means that they lose moisture through their needles. It is imperative that they absorb an adequate amount of water through their root system prior to the ground freezing.
Evaluate Your Landscaping – Take note of what areas you enjoy and what areas are concerning. Using a cell phone or camera to document what it looks like now, may be helpful next spring.
Remove Weeds – Weeds often propagate by seed. Removing weeds now, has the potential to greatly reduce the amount of weeds in your yard next spring.
Lawn Care – Fall is a great time to complete many lawn care items. Core-aeration, which is the removal of small sections of the lawn, has many benefits such as improving soil compaction and adding nutrients is a task that should be done this time of the year. Fall fertilization helps the lawn to recover from the summer and promotes a healthier lawn next spring.
Evaluation and Pruning of Trees and Shrubs – Damaged or broken branches are sometimes only visible after the leaves fall off the plants. Evaluation of the plants and proper pruning promote optimal plant health. Proactive removal of these branches limits the potential for them to come down during a storm or in the winter when removal would be more difficult.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
