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September Landscaping Tips

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and that means it’s already September! The days are beginning to get shorter, the temperature is cooling down and before we know it our landscapes will be painted with vibrant warm shades of orange, yellow and red! While we stretch out the rest of summer and await the cooler fall days, here are some of our favorite September landscaping tips.

 September Landscaping Tips

  • Shrub & Tree Planting – Fall is a great time to plant and encourages good root development. Planting now allows the plants to establish themselves before spring.
  • Lawn Problems? Now is a great time to sod or spot seed any damaged areas.
  • Lawn Maintenance is most important in September and is the perfect time for Aeration & Fertilization. If you have had problems with grubs, now is also a great time to take control of the situation long term.
  • Continue weeding, failing to continue to weed will cause your weeds to spread and could make next season even worse.
  • Azaleas, Rhododendrons and other flowering spring shrubs should no longer be pruned. These shrubs have already set their buds for the following and year, pruning them now will sacrifice next years spring flowers.
  • If you want to add a touch of fall to your landscape, plant your hardy mums now.
  • When deciding what bulbs to plant, keep these things in mind: small bulbs are unobtrusive and will be out of the way early. Smaller things should be placed at the front so that they will not be hidden. Larger, taller kinds will last longer and the leaves will need to be tolerated until as late as June. Taller tulips or Daffodils can go to the back where their leaves will be hidden by other developing foliage.
  • If squirrels have found the bulb garden, cover it with a piece of chicken wire. Take it at the edges so the squirrels will be unable to get under it or pull it away.
  • Add nutrient rich compost or a fresh layer of mulch to your landscape beds. Organic matter feeds your plants.
  • Divide overgrown, spring blooming perennials. Be sure to keep them well watered this fall.
  • Daylilies and almost all other perennials can be divided in the fall. Peonies must be divided in the fall.
  • If you haven’t been already, don’t forget to harvest your abundant garden. Your hard work should be coming to fruition now as your garden’s bounty grows.
  • As soon as veggie and herb plants finish producing and begin to die down, pull them out.
  • Before they are frozen, some annuals can be brought indoors for the winter. Begonias, Browalia, Coleus, Geraniums and Gerberas may be worth keeping over. If you have a place indoors with enough light, they can grow all winter and you can set them back in the garden in spring. To do this, lift whole plants, knock the soil from the roots and pot them in artificial potting mix. Geraniums can be lifted and stored upside down in a cool, dark place in brown paper bags until spring.
  • As plants are being moved indoors, trim them to shape. Remove any damaged or broken stems. Pull off yellow leaves and leaves with holes or spots.
  • If you had placed houseplants outdoors for the spring and summer months, move the plants indoors now if you haven’t already. If possible, do this gradually, moving them first to an unheated porch.
  • As the days shorten, reduce the frequency of watering houseplants. They will not dry out as fast because they are not growing much. Keep the plants on the dry side, watering just to keep them from wilting.
  • Do not give up on weed control even where the garden is empty. Many of the garden weeds make seeds in the fall. If they get a chance, they will drop seeds, providing plenty of weeds next year. Continue to weed until late fall.
  • Autumn is the beginning of the season for the cool-weather grasses. They grow a lot in the cool weather of fall and again in the spring until it turns hot. Since this long period of growth allows the grass to recover from any injury, fall is time to core-aerate, power rake, reseed or sod.
  • As long as the plants are blooming, continue to remove faded flowers. Cut down the plants as soon as the foliage begins to deteriorate. Rake out dead leaves.
  • As the weather cools from the heat of summer, the rose flowers are larger and deeper colored. Since you spend less time in the garden at this time of the year, cut some of these blooms for indoor use.
  • Landscape roses can be planted all fall. It is an excellent time for planting. It is too late however to plant hybrid tea-type roses because there is insufficient time for them to become established before winter.