10 tips for ensuring your garden is prepped for the cooler temperatures:
- Plant your spring bulbs, including tulips and daffodils. Ideally, this should be done six to eight weeks before the ground is expected to freeze. You can also sow seeds of native perennials that require cold stratification.
- It’s best to leave perennials untrimmed (if the plants are healthy) until spring after air temperatures have increased for a spring clean up. Also, some plants produce seedheads that are attractive to overwintering birds and these can be left standing until early spring, at which time they can be pruned back.
- Get rid of any diseased foliage from infected plants. If left alone or composted, they can harbour a new outbreak next year.
- Divide dormant perennials that have become too large or numerous. These can be shared with friends or planted in other areas of the garden. Make sure new plants are well mulched to minimize frost heave.
- Fall is a great time to plant, so continue adding to your garden. In early fall, the ground is still warm and many plants are still actively growing roots.
- Water needle-leaved conifers (like pines, firs, spruces and cedars) and broad-leaved evergreens (such as rhododendrons) well into the fall. This ensures that they will be well hydrated before the ground freezes.
- If possible, leave the leaves on your lawn, as well as old brush piles or plant stalks. Pollinators and other wildlife can use them for shelter over the winter. If you do rake them, put them in your gardens where they can help to enrich the soil and provide habitat. Where walnut trees occur, do not add their leaves to the garden or compost, as they contain a chemical that can kill or diminish the growth of many plants (including a number of vegetable plants).
- Stake young and newly planted trees. Fall can produce some blustery weather in most parts of Canada and staking will help prevent damage from high winds or heavy wet snow, which can occur later in the season.
- Mulch garden beds to retain moisture and to protect your plants from rapid fluctuations in temperature. Fall is a good time to spread compost over the vegetable garden so that it is ready to be worked into the soil come spring.
- Don’t forget to fill up the birdfeeder when the weather is colder and sanitize it every two weeks to minimize the spread of disease.
Which Flower Bulbs Should you Plant in the Fall?
There are two types of flower bulbs. Hearty bulbs like tulips, daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses need to be cooled for a period of time before they’re planted, making them the perfect fall planting bulb for spring flowering. Tender bulbs like dahlias, begonias and gladiolus can not survive cold temperatures and therefore should be planted in the spring to bloom in the summer or fall.
Choose Good Quality Bulbs: Selecting good quality spring flowering bulbs is key to having a healthy, lush flower garden. Choose only those bulbs that are large, plump and firm, avoiding ones that are soft or have mould. As a general rule, the bigger the bulbs are, the more they bloom.
Where to Plant Flower Bulbs in the Fall: When planting fall bulbs, ensure that you plant them at least 4 feet away from the house. The heat from your house during the winter months can warm up the close-planted bulbs and cause them to bloom early. You can plant bulbs right up until the ground freezing prevents you from digging. Avoid planting in areas with low drainage.
Add Bulb Fertilizer to the Soil: Use a fertilizer made specifically for bulbs in the soil where you’re planting them. While some consider bonemeal a great fertilizer, it is less complete than a fertilizer made specifically for bulbs. Fertilize the planting area generously.
Position the Flower Bulbs: When positioning the bulbs in the soil, make sure to place them with the pointed end-up between 3- to 9-inches deep, depending on the type of bulb. Check the packaging to ensure you’re planting at the right depth. Remember, the depth referenced is where the base of the bulb should be when planted, not the tip.
Add Soil and Water: Once planted, add additional soil to cover the area and then water liberally, but ensure that you don’t exceed the specified amount for the type of flowers you’ve planted. Add an additional layer of mulch for added protection against weeds and other growth.
Aftercare of Flower Bulbs in the Spring: Make sure you continue to water according to the directions for your bulbs. Try to maintain a soil pH level of about 6 to 7 for optimal colouring. Keep your soil well drained as over-watering can cause the bulbs to rot. Don’t trim the leaves too short when they start to wither, as they soak up the sun and nutrients that will help next years bloom look great.
Perennial Garden Ideas & Tips
Size Matters: Plan for the size of the plants at maturity. While a one-gallon shrub may look great in a certain spot, it may crowd out the surrounding plants when it’s fully grown and block the sun from others. Leave enough room for plants to grow their fullest.
Plant in Multiples: Grouping several of the same plant together creates greater impact and a more powerful punch of colour.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Using the same plant over and over again gives the garden a cohesive look and ties together different planting areas.
Plan for All Seasons: While woody perennials, such as roses, are present all year, herbaceous perennials die back completely at the end of their blooming season, leaving only the living roots, bulb or tuber to sprout new growth the next year. Plan for those bare spots in the off-season garden by mixing woody and herbaceous perennials and choosing plants that have multiple seasons of interest.
Annuals Still Have a Place in a Perennial Garden: While perennials may serve as the basic skeleton of the garden, you can use annuals to fill in and flesh out bare spots. By choosing self-seeding annuals like cosmos or poppies, you can plant once and enjoy the effects year after year.
If It’s not Happy, Move It: While the idea of a perennial garden is to plant once and let it grow, sometimes it takes more than one attempt to find the right place for each plant. If it’s not thriving where it is, don’t be afraid to dig it up and relocate it.
For more info on planting ideas read the full article HERE
Source: NCC: 10 things you can do in the fall to maintain a healthy garden (natureconservancy.ca); Fall Planting Ideas: Fall Bulbs, Veggies & Flowers – Homedepot.ca