Top 10 Rules for Fall Gardening

The season sizzles with breathtaking beauty. While you’re busy tackling garden chores, take time to absorb the scenery. If you’re in the market for a new tree or shrub, check out ones at local garden centers, which often discount nursery stock after Labor Day. Many natives, like sassafras (shown), bring fabulous fall color.

As you keep your focus on color, look to pansies, violas and sweet alyssum for pretty fall blooms in planting beds and pots. Other strong fall performers include garden mums, ornamental cabbage and kale, snapdragons, nemesia and flowering stock. In colder regions, buy the largest plants you can, because falling autumn temperatures and impending frosts won’t favor rapid growth.

While it’s tempting to ignore leaves tumbling from trees, allowing them to pile up on a lawn can harm grass. A leaf vac makes quick work of dry leaves, chopping them into smaller pieces perfect for composting or using as mulch on planting beds or an empty vegetable garden.

Another option for dealing with leaves is mowing over them. If the leaf layer is thin, use a mulching blade and let the pieces lie on the lawn. When you have a thick leaf layer, add the grass catcher bag to your mower and collect the leaf pieces as you mow.