Garden Update: Fall
Our guide on how to extend the life of your summer blooms, prep your garden for the cold months ahead and help it achieve a thriving spring
As the cold creeps in, it’s time for a garden check up. Here’s our guide on what to remove, keep, plant, cut back, and how to read and care for your garden during this transitional time. With a few quick fixes, you’ll not only have some gorgeous clippings to dress up your table, but exterior spaces that look lush and lively well into fall.
OUT WITH THE OLD, AND IN WITH THE NEW
•What to Dig up
Many summer annuals, like zinnias, cosmos and impatiens, will just now be starting to turn yellow and will worsen or die out completely with the frost. These can be dug up and completely removed.
Some summer annual exceptions are pansies, violas, and snapdragons. “Leave these in the ground for as long as you want, even through the winter,” says Charlie Nardozzi, horticulturist for the National Gardening Association.
•What to Plant
If you don’t want bare beds through the fall, consider planting annuals that are known to thrive in cooler temperatures. Chrysanthemums, flowering cabbage, pansies, and violas are good choices and are available now in garden centers, Nardozzi says.
GET YOUR PERENNIALS IN ORDER
•Cutting Back
When you see perennials starting to yellow or die out, it’s time to cut them back. Cut them to three inches above the ground, so you can still see their location when planting bulbs in the coming weeks. Use the cut flowers to dress a dining or hall table. They will typically last seven to ten days once cut. Just trim the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days.
- •Divide and Conquer
If your perennials aren’t flowering like they used to, consider dividing them. This technique should be done every three to four years for all perennials, Nardozzi says. Dig up the plant, split it in half, and replant it in two locations. When doing this, beware of crowding your flowerbeds, if they lack ample space they will flower less. Proper division will ensure that they blossom more fully next season.
•What to Keep
Some perennials, such as dahlias, peonies, and coneflowers last well into fall, so hold off on clipping until you absolutely have to. Plus, they may even look better in autumn. Peonies will develop beautiful burgundy leaves, and coneflowers have a stunning shape that remains once the petals have dropped.
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