Containers & Annual Plantings

• Plant up an Autumnal planter for your entrance. Pansies, Mums, asters, grasses, heather and groundcovers such as vinca or ivy look fabulous together. You might want to include some small evergreens plants with berries for winter interest. Also, it is great to layer some Spring Blooming Bulbs under your plants so they can come up through the pansies and bloom in the Spring

Veggie Gardens

• Harvest and enjoy the bounty of your garden. This is the part that makes it all worthwhile!
• Cover empty veggie patches with fall rye and winter pea cover crops which will grow through the winter and then can be dug back in to rejuvenate your garden for next year
• Early October is the time to plant your garlic for next summers harvest. Check out our planting tips here 

Bulb Planting

• Tulips, daffodils, snowdrops, and crocus can be purchased at the beginning of September for the best selection and prices. There are lots of interesting bulbs to choose from, so if you are looking for something different come in and ask us to show you some of our favourites. It's best to plant your bulbs in October. Add bonemeal or rock phosphate to build your bulbs and encourage beautiful blooms.

Borders & Flower Gardens

• Plant perennials, shrubs, trees, hedging and fruit trees now. Fall is the very best time to add to your garden
• Now is also a great time to think about great fall foliage like - burning bush, Aronia, Virginia creeper and Japanese maples are just a few of the very best plants for fall colour
• Check that stakes on young trees are secure for the southeasters that will come. We find the best way to stake young trees is to provide two (or three) stakes, one on each side of the tree, each eight to ten inches from the trunk. Tie an extended figure eight with a pliable material such as vinyl tie tape, soft rubber tubing or pantyhose that won't cut into the tree. Tying in this way enables the tree to move in the wind but only to a certain extent. Trees tied too tight are at risk of being damaged on the bark and do not as readily develop a collar of roots to anchor it as it matures
• As the leaves drop on your climbing roses you can also check that they are securely tied. Extra length on canes can be trimmed to shape at this time as well
• Bush roses are ideally pruned in early March but you can remove some extra lengths of these as well. This can save on winter injury from snow-load and fierce winds
• Prepare an area now for your sweet peas for next year. Dig a ditch and fill it with leafy matter from disease-free foliage that you may be cleaning out of your veggie garden or annual bed. Cover with soil and when you go to plant your sweet peas you will have the perfect mixture of partially composted leaves and soil in which to plant. Sweet peas love this!

Lawn Care

• Lime lawns to maintain pH balance over the winter months with Dolopril Lime
• Feed lawns with Fall and Winter Winterizing fertilizer. We like the BC-made Gardenpro Winterizer
• Lawns that have poor drainage can be aerated now and then have coarse sand applied
• Treat problem moss areas with iron sulphate. Two days of dry weather are required after the moss control is applied. Moss control is available in liquid or granular forms

Happy Gardening!

Shauna Lambeth ©

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