| Fall brings about a new adventure in gardening. It's | | | | spring but may require some staking. |
| a time to focus on elimination and conservation. | | | | - Clean up and stake evergreen shrubs, grasses |
| Colors will fade, allowing for other parts of the | | | | and perennials as needed. |
| garden to shine. Proper pruning is necessary to | | | | - Use anti-desiccants to help plants survive the |
| accent seed pods, winter foliage and stems. Fall is | | | | winter. |
| a great time to add dimensions to your garden in | | | | - Mulch roses with 12 inches of coarse bark. Don't |
| the form of texture, shapes and colors. Following | | | | prune roses too heavily until springtime. |
| are gardening tips for pruning and planting in during | | | | - Do a thorough fall weeding to prevent unwanted |
| the fall. | | | | spring surprises. |
| Fall Pruning | | | | - Level your garden by filling holes, raking up dead |
| Following are tips for fall pruning: | | | | leaves and reducing high spots. |
| - Cut most low growing perennials to the ground | | | | - Apply a thin layer of compost for winter |
| unless they have evergreen foliage such as | | | | nutrients. |
| Creeping Phlox, Thyme and Veronica. | | | | Fall Planting |
| - Prune plants with sloppy fall foliage like Irises, | | | | Following are tips for planting fall annuals: |
| Daylilies and Shasta Daisies. | | | | - Add Pansies and flowering kale in drifts or |
| - Leave stems with interesting seed pods | | | | clumps to add extra color and interest. They will |
| standing, like Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan | | | | diminish in winter but will come back in the spring. |
| and dried Iris seed pods. | | | | - Use a slow-release granular fertilizer when |
| - Remove clutter by thinning or cutting down | | | | planting. |
| plants that remain in clumps like Bee Balm or | | | | - Use a liquid fertilizer weekly until there is a killing |
| Obedient Plant. | | | | frost. |
| - Clean up broken and bent stems. | | | | - Water all garden plants regularly through the |
| - Strip stems of browned leaves to accent seed | | | | winter to keep them alive. |
| heads. | | | | Use these gardening tips to prune and winterize |
| - Throw out annuals as they decline. | | | | your garden, and to plant flowers that will add |
| - Cut back fussy grasses like Panic Grass. Upright | | | | color and interest through the fall and winter. |
| varieties such as Feather Reed may last until | | | | |