Replace Summer Annuals With Fall-Friendly Options
For uninterrupted color and interest, plant fall friendly-flowers such as pansies, verbena, mums, cabbages, and flowering kale in their place. Bring herbs inside once the weather cools down to protect them from the cold.
Another good idea is to remove annual flowers after a killing frost. In addition, perennials that show signs of disease should be cut back in the fall.
After zinnias flower, cut off the old flowers (a process called “deadheading”) to encourage more flowers to form. Zinnias are annuals and will die with the first hard frost of fall. If you want them to reseed, let the last flowers of the season mature fully and scatter their seeds.
Autumn is a great season for annuals, low-maintenance perennials and evergreen shrubs to shine. In fact, some of the most popular flowers, like colorful mums, roses, dahlias, purple pansies and yes, even bright yellow sunflowers, all bloom around September and October.
Transplant perennials when the weather is cool, even a little rainy, if possible. Early spring and fall care are best times for transplanting. Then the weather is cooler and the plants are not using as much water. “However, don't move or transplant perennials while they are in bloom,” he says.
From early fall through most of November is one of the best times of year to plant spring-blooming bulbs, cool-season annuals and vegetables, as well as many trees, shrubs, and perennials. On this page: WHY PLANT IN FALL. SPRING-BLOOMING BULBS.
Q: When is the best time to cut back in the fall? A: “When they start to look too ratty for you and before the fresh new growth begins,” says Sarah. For plants that are frost-sensitive, wait until after the plants have gone through several hard frosts to ensure they're dormant before cutting back.
Spading or tilling the soil in the fall allows for the winter conditions of freezing and thawing to naturally break the soil into its particles. This results in crumbly state desirable for spring planting. Soil is often damp or wet in the spring which makes deep spading more difficult.
If you decide to incorporate leaves into garden beds, it's best to do this in the fall. This will allow for plenty of time for the leaves to break down before you plant in spring.
If you can decide, the best way of determining when to transplant is based on the flowering pattern of each plant. If your perennial blooms in the spring or early summer, it should be transplanted in the fall. If your perennial blooms in the late summer or early fall, transplant it in the spring.
Also, do not cut back hardy perennials like garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.), anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), red-hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria), and Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum). Leave the foliage. It's important to protect the root crowns over winter.
September is a great month for doing a little renovating in your perennial garden. It's time to divide and/or transplant your bulbs. The heat of summer has hopefully passed, the chances of rain have returned and there is still plenty of time for plants to recover from being moved before the ground freezes.
Although each plant's needs may vary and some will be more winter-hardy than others, in general about a month before the last fall frost is sufficient in giving the plant enough time to establish itself and take root.
October is the season to plant spring-blooming bulbs, wildflowers, and many standard gardening favorites. The flowers that don't blossom this winter can spend the cold season in the ground, strengthening their root systems in preparation for a springtime bloom.
By repeatedly deadheading zinnias throughout the summer, you can keep plants in the flowering stage, provide long-lasting color. Deadheading also keeps plants looking their best. Most flowers lose their attraction as they fade, leaving an unsightly brown head behind.
Even the planting process is easy. I put down fresh mulch, then sprinkle the Zinnia seeds where I want them. I don't worry about spacing or anything, I just scatter them. When the seeds are down, I sprinkle just a little more mulch over the area for cover.