Top 5 things to do in fall for your garden
WILMETTE, Ill. (WLS) -- 1. Plant bulbs. Use the "Bulb Bouquet" technique for the best display and the least work - dig holes 8 inches deep and 10" wide - put 8-10 large bulbs in the bottom fill hole with 4" soil, place small bulbs in a circle around the edge of the hole. Best combos are daffodils with grape hyacinth, tulips with siberian squill. 5 holes with 20 bulbs each give you 100 bulbs!! By digging only 5 holes!!
2. Feed, Weed and Seed time. Most important is fertilizing the lawn - one time for fall and another time for "winterizing" - usually done on Labor Day and Halloween. Eliminate weeds in lawns now by using Bonide Weed Beater Ultra - it is active even at temperatures as low as 45 F.
3. Use cold tolerant plants for gardens and containers, There are annuals and perennials that can tolerate temperatures that dip into the upper 20's F - Pansies, kale, ornamental grasses, Heucheras, ivies, are just a few. Jennifer's favorite is called leadwort or Ceratostigma - blue flowers and leaves that turn bright burgundy as the temperatures drop.
4. Winter protection for roses, hydrangeas and newly planted evergreens. After the first 3 hard freezes, mulch the crowns or centers of the plants and spray with Wilt-Pruf, an anti-transpirant.
5. Animal protection. The rabbits and squirrels have been terrible this growing season, so prepare to protect roses, sweet barked trees like crabapples and evergreens. Spray on repellents that are applied while temperatures are above freezing will stay on the leaves and bark for 60-90 days. Best products are Repels-All by Bonide and Plantskydd. Protect now to save your valuable landscape plants.
