Autumn is here and your garden has given you a bunch of wonderful moments in the past few months. Now it's time to give something back and prepare it for the coming winter.
First of all take a good look at your lawn. Does it look tired? Giving it a bit of nutrition might be a good idea. All the autumn rain will make sure any kind of fertilizer gets distributed evenly. Even if it does not look tired, get a garden fork in your hands and make sure you give your lawn a bit of air. Scattering some lime over it might be a good idea if you have moss you want to get rid of. Raking any grass clippings is a good idea as well, as they will simply take too long to decompose during winter months.
Gather all the fallen leaves and grass clippings and get ready to do some composting. Many people simply burn the fallen leaves, but this not only makes your neighbors unhappy because of all the smoke, but burning big piles of leaves can also be dangerous. Creating a compost heap will give you a lovely natural fertilizer that should be ready in about two months. Be sure to cover it well to keep out water and keep in nicely warm so the process doesn't stop too soon.
Autumn is the right time for trimming some common types of hedges. Hawthorn and yew are two of the plants that might need your attention at this time of year.A bit of trimming will make every type of hedge ready for the spring season, giving plants ample time to recover during winter.
You might want to start the coming spring with some new plants. Autumn is the time to create new plant by cutting. Cut about 3 inches from the hardwood herbs like sage, bay or rosemary. Trim the lower part of the cuttings, and then plant them in a nourishing potting mix. They should get ready for replanting in your garden once spring arrives.
Perennial plants are divided in autumn. Dividing your perennials has a wonderfully rejuvenating effect on all your plants. Be sure not to wait too long, as you don't want the weather to get too cold. You should get down to dividing right after the nights start to get cool. Divided plants will have ample time to grow new roots before spring makes the other parts of your divided plant to grow.
It may sound too obvious, but some people tend to forget that there are plants in their garden that are too tender to withstand cold temperatures. Be sure to put those plants away from the cold when autumn starts.
Autumn is also a great time for planting anything that will grow some serious roots. Think hedges and all sorts of trees. Autumn is the time for growing roots as the soil is still warm enough to encourage roots to grow, while lower temperatures will discourage growth of other parts of the plant.
Enough theory for now; let's do some gardening. As you can see, your garden eagerly awaits you.
Comments