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The lazy days of summer are coming to an end and the mornings have the early fall chill. In the evenings sitting on the patio usually requires a sweater after sun down.
If we have had a drought towards the end of the summer we make sure we water everything well in the early and late fall, especially our new trees and shrubs because that will help them through the winter.
This is the time to double spade or rotor till any new vegetable or flower beds we intend to plant in the spring. We do not lay sod down any longer like we used to do in Florida, but if you do, this is the time to lay down new sod or replace any sod patches that need replacing.
By now I am taking the annuals out of the garden containers and if you have a compost pile you can dump them on there. Our perennial garden containers get an extra good watering in late fall and a layer of mulch. We put our garden decorations and containers in our greenhouse so they don’t get cracked from any winter weather. No greenhouse, then a tool shed or basement will do.
I generally leave most of our perennials alone unless some look diseased. Basically I leave the plants on for the birds who usually winter dine on any seeds that may be in any remaining flower heads hopefully allowing some to fall to the ground to reseed again.
This is the time I divide any Bearded and Siberian Iris and plant them in any bare spots I may have. This is the time I check out my peonies and divide them and also put them in any bare spots. In a year or two they will all be thick and bushy again. Saves a lot of money!
We no longer live in a hard winter area, but if you do then right after the first frost, dig up dahlias, cannas, gladioli, and other non-hardy bulbs for winter storage letting them dry for a day in an area in your garage or basement then pack in cardboard boxes or paper bags with some dry clean wood chips and put in an area that does not go below 40 degrees F or above 50 degrees F. Because we have mice occasionally I will then set those bags and boxes inside of big plastic containers and I leave the lids off of them. But you can cover all with newspapers.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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