Tasks
- Clean up around the base of fruit trees, and compost or dispose of all fallen fruit and nuts.
- Apply preemergent herbicide in early September to prevent winter weeds.
Pruning
- While cutting and deadheading roses, prune lightly to shape bushes and encourage fall bloom. Always prune to an outward facing bud.
Fertilizing
- Fertilize fruit and nut trees following harvest.
- Fertilize roses for fall bloom.
Planting
- The fall planting season begins in September – wait for cooler days for best results.
- Perennials: Coneflower (Echinacea), rosemary (Rosmarinus), Mexican blue sage (Salvia leucantha), thyme.
- Annuals: Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule), sweet pea (Lathyrus).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: grape hyacinth (Muscari), narcissus, ranunculus, squill (Scilla), tulip, Watsonia. Purchase bulbs by Labor Day, plant by Thanksgiving.
- Fruits and vegetables: Asian greens, radish, spinach, sugar snap peas (plant from seed)
- Trees, shrubs, vines: Abelia, Forsythia, palo verde (Parkinsonia), viburnum, xylosma.
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: petunia, gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia), marigold (Tagetes).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: fairy lily (Zephyranthes), dahlia.
- Trees, shrubs, vines: cape plumbago, rose, chaste tree (Vitex).
- Fruits and vegetables: apples, pistachio, plum, squash, tomatoes.
Things to ponder
- Chill tulip and hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks. Do not store apples or ripe carrots in the same area. Plant in early winter (October-November) after garden soil has cooled.
- Dust on leaves reduces the effectiveness of foliar fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Before spraying, shake, brush or rinse dust off plants.
- If installing a patio or other hardscape, choose water-permeable materials if possible.