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Garden Life: In fall, tidy away the debris and prepare for spring

By Robb Rosser
Published: October 15, 2014, 5:00pm

Fall is a period of transition for the garden and the gardener. As a part of my personal shift from landscaped acreage to potted patio, I made it through the entire summer with nary a mandatory garden chore. Oh yes, I did water my planters on hot sunny days and I occasionally trimmed back the miniature ivy hanging over the sides of my ceramic pots, but that was simply to avoid going stir-crazy.

Being free and easy, any gardening I did do this season was purely voluntary, not for profit. I helped a friend pick blueberries and ate a large portion of the harvest, considering my scanty efforts. I helped another set of dear friends drastically cut back a gangly rhododendron to give it one last chance to flourish and keep its place in the garden. However, that was not what I consider work. Any chore done with them is worth it for the pleasure of their company.

In the real world, watering and summer upkeep go on as usual. As the season progresses, the gardener turns to fall planting. Empty spaces in the flower border make it clear where we can fit in one more perennial or a group of spring-flowering bulbs. Try sowing the seeds of hardy annuals, too. These will dawdle through the winter months, but some will establish roots by spring and plants will likely emerge early in the season.

Along with planting for spring, this is also an ideal time to begin general garden clean-up in preparation for winter. When spring comes, there are a million and one jobs to tackle. In fall, garden activities seem to slow down. We attune our pace to the season, dragging our feet through piles of leaves and sitting on a bench to catch the last rays of sunlight on our faces.

So we prepare our gardens and our thoughts for winter as we plan in advance for the following seasons. Trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs benefit from fall planting because the lower temperature of the air signals the plant to go dormant while the warmer temperature of the soil encourages strong root growth. Typical fall rains ensure that the plants receive the water they need to establish themselves in the garden.

With our generally mild weather, the Northwest gardener can find something to do in the garden all year long. There is always some pruning or weeding to be done. Seasonal rains make it easier to pull the most tenacious weeds. As plant growth reaches the end of its annual cycle, garden cleanup becomes the number one chore in the garden. Remove spent plant material early in the season and stay on top of it to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

Pull out all dead or dying annual plants as they lose their luster. Add a light layer of compost just to fill in holes and smooth out lumps, giving the garden border a maintained appearance. Later, after first frost, when the ground begins to chill, add a heavier layer of compost to keep the ground cold. This prevents plants from emerging from dormancy before their natural cycle.

Put healthy pest-free material in the compost pile. Any plant material that is diseased or insect-infested should be removed immediately from the garden. Anthracnose-infected dogwood leaves, or rose debris with black spot or aphids should be destroyed or thrown out with the trash. Remove any fruit that has fallen from trees or vines as well.

In fall there is a point in time, a day when every gardener asks another gardener whether or not they feel the change in the air. The sunlight is still strong and the days actually look warm, but there is a hint of crispness in the air. A bite, a nip, a chill. Autumn is upon us. As if by instinct, we carry a sweater with us as we begin our chores. For the gardener, it’s simply an additional garden tool to keep on hand.

Prep your rakes and be ready for falling leaves. A day or two with leaves on the lawn will not hurt anything. If left any longer, the leaves will begin to smother the grass and leave flat yellow patches. Be prepared and tackle a small area at a time rather than the entire garden. This year, it’s not up to me to rake my current surroundings, so I intend to find a fine patch of lawn and lie down flat on my back and gaze up into the ever-changing autumn sky. I’ll wear that sweater so I can extend my transition as long as possible.


Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified master gardener.

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