With the freeze coming now or later it’s time to think of those chores you can do in October and November.
Flowers
• Plant spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, and crocus, for a splash of early season color.
• Remove dead annuals from the garden.
• Trim perennial stalks to tidy the garden for winter.
• Pot bulbs for indoor forcing.
• Clean up dead iris and peony foliage and destroy it to decrease the spread of disease.
• After a light frost, dig canna, gladiolus, dahlias and other tender bulbs for winter storage.
• Make notes about the garden to document successes and failures.
Lawns
• Continue to mow the lawn if necessary, bluegrass 2 inches, tall fescue 2½ inches.
• Core aerate turf to reduce soil compaction, improve drainage, break up thatch, and help nutrients move into the soil.
• Control dandelions, henbit, and chickweed with a broadleaf herbicide while seedlings are young.
• Sharpen mower blade for a clean cut.
• Check oil level in your lawn mower.
• Keep fallen leaves removed from the lawn to prevent shading and dieback on grass.
Trees and Shrubs
• Plant new trees and shrubs and keep them watered during dry winter months.
• Once the leaves have fallen, transplant trees and shrubs.
• Trim dead, broken, or diseased branches from trees and shrubs.
• Enjoy fall leaf color, which normally hits its peak about the third week of October.
