FALL GARDEN TO-DO LIST
Every year it seems as though fall arrives sooner than anticipated and I’m left scrambling to accomplish all the garden tasks I’d planned on doing. So this post is my attempt to get my plans in order and give myself (and perhaps you) a little nudge to get going before the cold weather gets here.
Here are 7 THINGS on THE list FOR this fall.
Bumble bee taking a moment on the dahlia's last fall.
01. Order and plant spring bulbs.
Our dream for what is currently a steep patch of dirt and weeds, that we call the shoreline slope (shown below), is to fill it with spring bulbs that erupt in a glorious display of life and colour every year. Right now it’s mostly overgrown with gout weed, sweet pea vines and choke weed that has grown over an existing terrace from many decades ago.
We know that narcissus (daffodils) do well in the location, as there are a few clumps that pop up in the spring, so we’re planning to plant a lot more of those. Then we’ll be adding tulips, hyacinth, crocus and perhaps a few other treasures. The area gets lots of sun and has well draining soil so we’re optimistic about the growing potential.
The shoreline slope where we've planted a few trees (beech, birch and maple) and plan to plant a lot of spring bulbs.
02. SOW PERENNIAL SEEDS
Where we have our bee hive we want to continue to cultivate the perennial pollinator garden with lots of deer resistant flowers. This will include adding cone flower, rudbeckia, daisies, salvia and lupine to the location.
I’ve been collecting seeds from the cone flower (shown below), rudbeckia and daisies so we’ll sow those when the weather gets a bit colder.
We also want to sow more wildflower seeds in different zones throughout the property for pollinators to enjoy.
Patch of wildflowers on the slope where we have a beehive.
Bumble bee collecting pollen from the echinacea (aka. cone flower).
03. CUT & DRY HYDRANGEA BLOOMS
The deer did a real number on our hydrangeas this year, which was painful to endure, but luckily we did get a fair number of blooms to enjoy. I’m determined to enjoy them for as along as possible, which means it’s time to begin drying them. The process is simple and goes something like:
Once the blooms have turned a pale colour with a papery texture*, cut the ones you’d like to dry. Leave about 12” of stem and snip with sharp clean scissors just above a node. *You can also cut fresher blooms with more vibrant colour, the drying process will just take longer.
Remove the leaves and place the stem in a few inches of water (some recommend 1/2 the stem in water but I’m using less as my blooms are already slightly dry). The water will evaporate over time and you do not need to add to it.
Keep the vase in a cool spot out of direct sun and let them slowly dry out over a few weeks.
They blooms will dry out and should retain their shape and colour for several months.
To minimize wilting and shedding you can spray your hydrangeas with hairspray but I prefer to let them just evolve naturally.
For other methods and more tips, this post is a good resource.
Hydrangeas drying on the sill of a window in the Sleeping Cabin. This spot doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight.
04. Make PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR WHILE THE STATE OF THINGS IS TOP OF MIND
We are making a few changes to the ribbon garden between the house and the raised planters (shown below) because it essentially became a deer buffet this year.
We’ll be transplanting all the hostas, lilacs and Japanese anemone’s to new spaces in the spring (we’d do it this fall but their new home’s aren’t ready). This will free up a fair bit of room for more of the deer resistant flowers that have done well this year. Those will include echinacea, rudbeckia, daisies, foxgloves and peonies.
We’ll also be installing some deer proofing in the hydrangea garden so that the deer can’t destroy them and they can still grow freely. My attempt at netting them this year didn’t really accomplish much in either way.
Bird's eye view of the main cottage and surrounding green space, with the ribbon garden highlighted.
05. NOTE WHICH PERENNIALS TO PRUNE IN FALL OR SPRING
Perennials to prune in the fall:
PEONIES
HOSTAS
GERANIUMS
DELPHINIUMS
DAYLILY
COLUMBINE
PHLOX
SALVIA
YARROW
ASTILBE
BLEEDING HEART
BEE BALM
BLANKET FLOWER
BEARDED IRIS
JAPANESE ANEMONE
After the first frost or two, these should be cut down to about 3 inches above the ground and all dead foliage and plant debris should be cleared away for disease and rot prevention for optimal growth next spring.
A perfect peony from earlier this year. The flowers are long gone but the foliage has remained lush and green. It will be pruned this fall after the first frost.
Perennials to prune in the spring include:
ANNUAL WILDFLOWERS Should be left up through the winter to help them drop their seeds and come back the next year.
ECHINACEA (CONE FLOWER) and RUDBECKIA (BLACK EYED SUSAN) should be left up until spring to attract and feed birds throughout the winter.
SEDUM & ORNAMENTAL GRASSES should be left throughout the winter to add height and interest.
FERNS, BUTTERFLY WEED and HEUCHERA (CORAL BELLS) should be left until spring because the foliage helps protect their crowns.
HYDRANGEAS (may vary based on variety so google the one(s) you have), aside from in-season dead heading, most varieties should be left until late winter to early spring to be pruned. We have Endless Summer and Limelight hydrangeas and for both it is recommended that they be pruned minimally and only in the late winter or early spring.
Rudbeckia (aka. black-eyed Susan) can be left through the winter to attract and feed birds.
06. PREP TUBER STORAGE
Last year I overwintered as many dahlia tubers as I could and they did quite well. I split most of them this spring, which resulted in being able to easily fill 6 raised beds. This year I’ll be saving the best tubers from the dahlias I grew this summer and hope to be able to split those again in the spring.
My tuber storage set-up includes:
Clear plastic storage boxes (with a few holes drilled in the lid of each one)
Perlite (to store tubers in)
Cool dark cellar space (to store the boxes in until late winter/early spring)
07. COLLECT & SAVE SEEDS
This year will be my first attempt at collecting dahlia seeds to plant in the spring. The amazing things about dahlia’s is that each seed produces a completely unique dahlia variety. They often have some traits similar to the flower they were collected from but are usually different in petal shape, colour and even form, which is so exciting!
Floret put out a great seed-saving mini course (it’s free) and I’ve learned so much from it.
Bumble Rumble dahlia's in various stages. The closed pods will dry out and form seeds inside.