ellen Fall is here, and with it, we have had rain, cooler weather, and a ton of acorns falling. There isn’t much to do much in the yard except take out wild grapes, unwanted tree seedlings, and any other weeds. The rain makes it extremely easy to take out tree saplings.
Everything gets easier in the fall. Nature is closing up shop. Plants either take clues from the shortening of the days or the cooling of the weather. I am trimming off diseased plant parts to discard and having fires to clean up the tree limbs that have fallen. Add your wood ash to your compost for an extra boost of calcium and potassium, but make sure it gets mixed in well with the other compost components before putting it in the garden. I will likely run the lawn mower over the fallen leaves to break them up a bit this year, but other than that, I will leave them in place to build the soil structure.
I have taken some time to add a few more daffodil bulbs into the newer beds. Daffodils are fantastic purely for their naturalizing capability and their tendency to be left alone by deer and rodents. Before the real frost sets in, I plan on digging up some of my roots from this year. Dahlias, salvias, begonias, and elephant ears are on my list. Hoping to get some good cuttings to start too. As a rule, take twice as many cuttings as you really want. This will allow for the inevitable death of some of them. Don’t forget to collect seeds from some of your favorite plants.
It is the season of fires and brisk weather. Put on some socks and a sweater, and embrace the slowdown.
