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Fall Landscaping Projects

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

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Fall Landscaping

Fall is a great time to get some fall landscaping projects done around your home. Spending some time on your landscaping in the fall can pay big dividends next Spring. Fall landscaping projects can include: planting perennial bulbs, fertilizing your lawn, aerating your lawn, cleaning up leaves and brush, turning over your compost bed,  and thinning out crowded flower beds.

As the leaves begin to fall and your gardens die off it’s a great time to plan for next year. Whether you’re hoping to add additional gardens or remove plants that didn’t perform well.

It’s also a great time to plant fruit trees, grass and other plants that will flourish in the fall weather and develop a good root system before winter.

Plant Perennial Bulbs

Planting perennial bulbs in the Fall is a landscaping project that pays off in a big way come early Spring. Last fall we planted Tulip and Daffodil bulbs in some of our flower gardens. This spring we ended up with some beautiful Tulips and Daffodils that certainly brightened up the gardens after a long cold winter.

Fertilize and Aerate Lawns

Fertilizing your lawns in the fall can help promote thicker healthier lawns next summer. I recommend you read Fall Lawn Care Tips & Maintenance for some great advice on fertilizing and aerating your lawn this Fall. Each year I aerate my lawn and fertilize it. I also have my soil tested and typically end up having to apply lime. After doing this for 4 years the lawn has become much greener, thicker and healthier.

Pruning Trees & Shrubs

Fall typically isn’t the time to do pruning. Most all trees, shrubs and flowering bushes get pruned either in late winter just before the growing season or immediately after flowers have dropped. However, if I know of dead branches and limbs I will prune them before winter starts to avoid damaging the rest of the plant.

Prepare For Snow

The last project worth mentioning is preparing for winter snowfall. Many of the small shrubs, bushes and hedges will benefit from snow shields and/or being wrapped/covered. Small ornamental shrubs can be lightly wrapped with burlap bags to protect them from deep snow and snow falling off roofs. Many of our shrubs and plants get buried in tall snow banks which can break limbs and cause significant damage. In some cases we use small wood “tents” that prevent deep snow from crushing the plants.

Photo Credit: Marionzetta