Fall Garden Maintenance Checklist.

By: Samantha Delaney

Fall Garden Maintenance Checklist
As garden enthusiasts, we know once the temperatures steadily drop, it is time for us to get out into our backyard oasis and start cultivating color. From the glimmers of gold in chrysanthemums to the deep hues of green and purple found in cabbage and kale, autumnal colors have the power to simply take our breath away. 

However, before we start celebrating Fall foliage, it’s important to prepare our be-witching gardens. Make sure your garden is ready for planting with our easy-to-follow checklist!

At Pleasant View Gardens we offer a variety of services to help assist you in cleaning and maintaining your garden this Fall before the bitter winter hits. Some practices we recommend and also provide are: Fall clean-up, soil amending, mulching, planting bulbs, and dividing and transplanting plants.

✔ Fall clean-up 
Fall clean-up is exactly how it sounds! Raking, blowing, and removing fallen or accumulated leaves from your planting areas can keep your garden looking tidy and clean. Any dried and healthy leaves can also be used for composting (which is also great for fall). Clean-up makes it that much easier to check the rest of the tasks off your list and enjoy your morning cup of coffee with a spotless view. 

✔ Soil amending 

The soil is the foundation of our gardens, and fall is the perfect time to give back to the soil. By amending soil, you add additional materials that will improve its quality. You can amend the soil by adding in compost, peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and even leaves. This process can improve the properties of the soil makeup which can aid in water retention, permeability, water infiltration, aeration, and overall structure. Soil amendments can add nutrients to the soil and help retain soil moisture. This process encourages the health of your soil which in turn can assist in the growth of plants throughout your planting beds. 

✔ Mulching 
During the fall, mulch can provide a lot of benefits. Mulching can enhance soil quality over the winter by insulating it and providing a warmer environment for beneficial organisms in our soils. As a result, this can also help our plants cope with extreme weather conditions. Mulching can also help control erosion, retain water throughout winter, and suppress weeds.

✔Planting bulbs 
In horticulture, we are always required to stay a step ahead…or maybe a few more than that. Planting bulbs in the fall allows us to take advantage of our naturally cooler temperatures to create the perfect environment for bulb germination. At Pleasant View Gardens, we can help you install bulbs such as Tulips, Daffodils, Grape Hyacinths, Irises and more to help you lay the groundwork and enjoy a burst of color in the Spring! After the initial plantings, not much maintenance is required to keep getting color year after year. 

✔ Dividing & Transplanting Perennials 
Early spring and fall are the best times to properly divide and transplant perennials. However, if a plant of yours is blooming in the Fall months, it’s best to wait until Spring to do any moving. Dividing is a great process for anyone who has some plants they love so much they want some more! By separating or splitting the plant, you can add more of your plant of choice to other areas in the garden. 

At Pleasant View Gardens we can help you check off your garden maintenance checklist so you can get started on your fall plantings. Contact us today for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!