Wouldn’t you know that the lovely Colorado fall season was interrupted with a blast of chill and measurable snow — truly a preview of winter to come. This is not unexpected where weather changes can arrive without invitation and impolitely ruin what otherwise was a perfect autumn.
Good days are ahead; get outside on mild November days to tidy up the landscape. Check off these important fall garden chores. A garden put in order this fall is an accomplishment to hang your hat on over the long winter’s nap.
Leaves and lawns
Fallen leaves are nature’s free gifts to gardeners, so take full advantage of them. Spread them around beds, borders and new plantings for added insulation. Also, add leaves to the compost pile.
One easy way to make a leaf puree is to line a large trash can with a bag and fill it with dry leaves (no branches or sticks). Use a string trimmer to shred them. Hold the trimmer vertically and keep the shredding action in the middle of the trash bag to prevent the whirling string from damaging the garbage bag. Wear eye protection and gloves.
If the shredded leaves are used immediately around garden beds and borders, the trash bag isn’t needed, just shred and spread. Otherwise, fill up the bags and use all winter for topping off the compost pile or wherever the shredded leaves are needed to protect plants.
Don’t like to rake and bag? Dry leaves can be mowed into the lawn, which adds more organic matter to the soil. Remove the bag attachment, set the mower height high and make several passes over the leaves until they meld into the grass layer.
Start your own compost method for next year’s garden. With less outdoor space, consider purchasing a bin or compost system at a local independent garden center. Or make your own pile by digging a hole in an out-of-the-way area, placing wire and a reflector around it for added attention. If you can’t dig a hole, then build a compost pile, surround it with chicken wire or something similar, and fill with leaves, lawn clippings and spent vegetables from the garden or grocery store.
Rake leaves from the lawn often or as soon as the trees are bare. The mass of heavy leaves that remain on lawns during the winter can lead to snow mold and other issues.
Protect the vegetable beds all winter by adding a deep layer of shredded leaves over the vegetable area or other open planting areas in the landscape to protect soil from blowing away.
Avoid raking and blowing leaves into the street or tossing them in garbage bins. Rake leaves into paper bags and take to a leaf drop, where they are used to make low-cost compost that will be available next spring. Municipalities have collection or dropoff sites through early December. Denver pumpkin and leaf drop information is at 3-1-1 or denvergov.org.
Don’t forget the lawn. Fall aeration followed by fertilization is super beneficial to maintain a healthy lawn and a good start next year. The fertilizer moves into the holes left by the aeration plugs and gets right to the root system. Be sure the lawn is moist to pull deeper plugs.
Fall garden cleanup
If you’re not already in a licensed and insured arborist’s queue to safely remove any broken and damaged tree branches from the recent storm, get going.
To cut back the garden now or wait? The answer is all yours. If undecided, opt for less is more, meaning wait until spring.
Plants receive insulation and protection from frequent freeze/thaw winter cycles when spent greenery is left in place. Snow-covered foliage also adds some contour and landscape character over the long winter months. Think of the birds and beneficial insects, too; they appreciate seed heads and take advantage of standing foliage for screening and shelter.
Don’t cut back woody plants like butterfly bush, blue mist spirea, Russian sage, culinary sage, roses, lavender and other late summer or fall blooming plants. Many woody plants resent being cut in the fall; plus, the leftover stubs look unkempt through the winter.
Exceptions to fall cutting back include perennials like bee balm, phlox, peony, salvia and Japanese anemone, to name a few that developed powdery mildew over the summer. Collect all the milky-looking fallen leaves so spores don’t hang around over the winter. Toss the debris away instead of adding it to the compost pile.
Remove all the foliage, dropped leaves and roots from the vegetable garden. Toss in the garbage if diseased or pest-infected. Plant diseases can winter over on cages, stakes and trellises. It’s a good idea to disinfect them before putting them away for the season. Mix a gallon of water with a half cup of bleach in a sprayer and clean all supports. Rinse with water, dry in the sun and store. Wipe off soiled garden tools and give the metal parts a spray of multipurpose lubricant or vegetable oil.
Mid to late fall is a great time to directly seed outdoors native wildflowers, ornamental grasses and certain perennials that require outdoor cold temperatures and moisture to germinate and grow next spring. Carefully read seed packages for planting directions. Always avoid buying mixes that include seeds of plants that become invasive. Local independent garden centers sell seed mixes that grow well in Colorado.
It’s time to dig up non-winter-hardy summer bulbs, including gladiola, cannas, tuberous begonias and dahlia. Dry for a few days and place in boxes or crates filled with sawdust, vermiculite or perlite in a cool, dry place where they will not freeze over the winter.
Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region. Visit her site at http://gardenpunchlist.blogspot.com/ for even more gardening tips.
