As the summer garden season nears an end, don't let your guard down. Keeping up with a few basic chores can improve your landscape's beauty and reduce your workload next season.
- Continue weeding. Removing weeds now before they go to seed will eliminate hundreds of weeds next season. Destroy invasive weeds, those that have gone to seed and perennials that may root in the compost pile. And mulch the soil if you haven't already done so.
- Keep watering new plantings, stressed and young plants, evergreens, and moisture loving plants as needed throughout the fall. Water thoroughly and whenever the top few inches are crumbly and slightly moist. Check my plant guide for more specifics on your plants watering needs. Properly watered plants are better able to survive the rigors of winter.
- Reduce future workloads and improve your garden's health and beauty. A layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles or woodchips will help suppress weeds, conserve moisture, moderate soil temperatures, and improve the soil as they decompose.
- Replace faded annuals with cool season annuals, mums, and other fall plants, decorative squash and pumpkins. And add a few fall containers to your front entrance, patio or deck. It adds color and a feeling of freshness to the garden.
Pansies, Diascia and Nemesia
- Monitor and manage pests as needed. Keeping plants healthy throughout the growing season increases your overwintering success. Hand pick small populations of insects, rake and destroy disease infested leaves, and always use the most eco-friendly products when greater intervention is needed.
- Keep applying animal repellents. Use a long lasting all natural product like Bobbex. Keeping hungry animals away from your landscape will help reduce the future risk of critters moving in and dining on your landscape.
Nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can't Miss Small Space Gardening
and The Garden Book for Wisconsin
. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment segments which air on 89 TV and radio stations throughout the U.S. She is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, hosted 'The Plant Doctor' radio program for over 20 years as well as Great Lakes Gardener on PBS. Melinda has a master's degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure. Myers' web site is www.melindamyers.com
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