Although our weather has been particularly unpredictable this year, the season between summer and winter is typically one of the most stable and beautiful periods of the year.
I, for one, am hopeful for a period of “Indian Summer” before fall comes to a close and transitions into winter. Think of it as a special treat from Mother Nature to all of us gardeners.
Fall is a period of transition for the garden and the gardener. Our Northwest seasons are often difficult to distinguish as they segue from one to another. The calendar carries a notation on a specific day of the month that fall has arrived, but in reality we don’t actually know the exact day that summer turns to fall. One day we realize that despite the warm, clear daylight hours, evening brings a chill that can no longer be ignored.
During the early part of autumn, watering and summer upkeep goes 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 roots will be established by spring and plants will likely emerge early in the season.
Autumn is the time of year to prepare our gardens and our thoughts for winter, even as we make new plans for the following spring. This is also an ideal time to begin general garden clean up in preparation for winter.
In spring, there will be 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 the sun on our faces.
With our generally mild weather, the Northwest gardener can find something to do in the garden all year long. There’s 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 and 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.
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 when you finally get around to raking them up.
In fall, there is a point in time when every gardener asks another gardener whether he or she feels the change in the air. The sunlight is still strong and the days actually look warm, but there is crispness in the air. A bite, a nip, a chill. Autumn is upon us. As if by instinct, we start to carry a sweater as we begin our chores. For the gardener, it is simply an additional garden tool to keep on hand.
Before you dispose of all those fallen leaves, rake them into a large heap in the middle of the yard.
I won’t encourage you to take a running leap and jump into the pile like a 10-year-old boy, but I would certainly understand if you marched right through that pile of leaves, kicking them up in the air and marveling at the colors as they fly in every direction. Or maybe just take a moment to lie down on your back and look up into the ever-changing autumn sky.
Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified Master Gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.
