GARDENING JOBS FROM YVONNE CUNNINGTON

Early fall garden jobs: In the yard

There's still plenty of bloom in the early fall garden Photo: © Y.Cunnington
Watering: One important job in the early fall garden is to continue to water your plants, especially your evergreens and trees and shrubs if it isn't raining enough. Going into the winter well hydrated will help keep your plants thriving. More on winterizing trees and shrubs.
Lawn care: Aerate your lawn and reseed any dead or thin spots. This is the best time of the year to lay sod, overseed or start a lawn from seed because temperatures are cooler and rain tends to be more plentiful than in the hot summer months. More lawn care tips.
Create a new bed: Do soil preparation for any new beds you want to have ready for spring planting.
Landscape projects: This is a good time to plan or do landscaping projects, such as walls, walkways, patios, and decks. See landscape design tips.)
Early fall garden to-do list: In the flower garden
Container plantings: Once they're past their prime, empty containers of annuals and store frost-sensitive containers in the basement or the garage.
Perennials: Don't be in a great rush to cut back all your perennials early. Seed heads and foliage that's coloring up can be beautiful, and the seeds are food for migrating birds. Just cut back plants that are diseased, those looking past their prime, or those that may become "weeds" if allowed to self-seed freely.
Late season gaps: If you have too little color in the garden now, visit your local garden center for some ideas on late-season flowers to add, and take advantage of end of season sales.
Plant or transplant perennials: Divide overgrown perennials—this is the ideal time to divide and move peonies and Siberian and bearded irises.
Deal with spent annuals: Pull or dig out summer annuals that are past their prime, and plant mums and colorful kale for fall interest.
Dig up summer bulbs if you want to keep them. After the first frost, dig up dahlias, cannas, gladioli, and similar non-hardy bulbs for winter storage; see how-to tips.
Garden planning: Make notes about garden changes or plants that you might want to move in the spring.
Think spring bulbs: Buy spring-flowering bulbs while they're in plentiful supply, but don't plant them too early.

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