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Check out the great selection of bulbs
in stock at Vander Giessen's and enjoy
spring color for years to come! |
By all accounts, autumn has arrived. Although we continue to
see unseasonably warm weather, rain has returned, leaves are falling, and
plants are beginning to go dormant. Although your mindset for the yard may be
one of winding down, here are some easy tasks to accomplish before the season
passes you by.
1. October is still a great time to plant
shrubs, trees, and perennials as well as colorful, hardy winter pansies. This
summer proved particularly challenging in the watering department, and if you
lost a few shrubs or trees, don’t feel too bad—you’re certainly not alone.
As you work in your yard this month, use the more regular
rains we’re getting to your benefit and replace your lost shrubs and trees. Given
the continued warm weather, our soil temperatures remain high enough to allow
for good root development. In other words, whatever you choose to plant should
get nicely established before winter arrives.
When you plant, keep in mind that while you don’t need to
fertilize your plants this time of year, you should treat whatever you plant
with a transplant solution like Superthrive. Doing so will encourage healthy
root development without forcing additional plant growth.
2. Mid-autumn is the perfect time to plant bulbs for a
great show of spring color. Admittedly, in our instant-gratification society,
bulbs are a bit of letdown—after all, you’ll leave the nursery with some
packages of rather ugly, brown bulbs—but oh, are they worth the wait!
Depending on what types of bulbs you plant, you can look
forward to your bulbs multiplying and returning year after year, called
‘naturalizing’. Daffodils (which, by the way, are deer-resistant) are
especially good at naturalizing, but many other types will naturalize easily as
well. If tulips are your thing, Darwin Hybrid varieties will naturalize the
best. Check out the selection of bulbs available at Vander Giessen Nursery and let us help you choose the best, most colorful bulbs for your setting.
When you plant your bulbs, throw some bone meal in the hole before
you plant; if you already have existing garden areas or pots with bulbs from
last year, now is also the time to sprinkle some bone meal on the soil surface.
Simply scratch it in lightly and let the rains wash it into the soil to feed
your bulbs as they gear up for next spring.
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Apply Scotts Turf Builder Winterguard
in late October or November for a
healthy lawn this winter |
3. Now is the time to begin preparing your lawn for
winter. Our dry summer stopped most moss growth, but as the rains return,
you’ll likely see moss begin to reestablish itself in your lawn. If some of the
forecasts I’ve seen are right, we’re in for another mild winter, and that makes
for ideal moss-growing conditions.
Head off any future moss problems now by applying Super
Sweet lime to your yard. Not only will moss problems be minimized, your grass
will be better able to utilize the fertilizer you apply. Late this month or
sometime next month—after your last mowing of the year—feed your lawn with
Scotts Turf Builder Winterguard to keep your grass healthy through winter and
ensure a quick green-up in spring.
4. Keep your winter and trailing Cool Wave pansies
looking their best with a couple feedings of Jack’s Classic Petunia Feed this fall and
winter. While formulated for petunias, this fertilizer has the extra iron
pansies need to keep dark green leaves and large flowers. Don’t worry about
feeding as regularly as you do your summer flowers, but if you remember to
fertilize even once a month, you’ll see a marked improvement in how your plants
look.
As you begin to put your yard to bed this month, take the
opportunity to plant for spring and keep your yard looking its best—and enjoy
the chance to savor autumn’s beauty!
