Fall To-Do list

 Calling all gardeners! Now is the BEST time for several tasks and projects for the home landscape. We've received plenty of rain late this summer. The soil temperatures remain warm even as the air cools. The timing is perfect for transplanting trees, shrubs, perennials and grass seed. And, if you're like a lot of us, most of the planting around the house was completed in spring, providing beautiful blooms and color in April and May but leaving the landscape a little bland right now.
 Here, in no particular order, is a fall to-do list.

• Plant pansies, mums and ornamental cabbage and kale for autumn color in pots and the garden.  

• Renovate the lawn; check our website for some seeding and fertilizing tips.
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils and other colorful flowers.

• Plant perennials, trees and shrubs. They get a chance to be well rooted in time for spring. Look for plants with colorful leaves, late season flowers and attractive bark. Consider trees and shrubs with berries, like pyracantha, hawthorn, beauty berry and various hollies. They are beautiful and the birds love them.  

• Protect houseplants and tropical plants. Be prepared to bring them in before the first frost. Check leaves and stems for insects; spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap before moving plants inside. Repot  plants in the spring if necessary. 

• Dig up summer bulbs like dahlias, cannas and caladiums. Store them in a frost free area and replant in spring.
• Visit our water gardening department for information and a handout on how to overwinter your pond. Better yet, attend Tim's seminar on October 8th at 9 o'clock for tips from the expert.
• Tidy up. Recent storms have left branches and leaves in the lawn and garden
• Edge perennial beds.
• Remove spent flowers from daisy-flowered perennials and annuals to keep them flowering for the remainder of the fall season.

• Remove perennial weeds that have taken root in the garden.
• Empty the compost bin. We'll be filling them back up with leaves in no time.
• Keep a journal of successes and challenges in this year's garden. Take some photos to keep with the journal for reminders of the past season.
• Clean bird feeders to get ready for any of our feathered friends that aren't flying south.

Mostly, enjoy the fall. We'll have all the gardening supplies you'll need plus everything to decorate your home for autumn. Pumpkins of all sizes, gourds, Indian corn, corn stalks,and other fall decorations are displayed in abundance outside.

Fall wreaths and garlands, many ornaments for Halloween and our famous Halloween shop are stocked up and ready for visitors.

And, if you want to take a sneak peek at our Christmas display, you might find our elves hard at work.