While it may be hard to accept, we are in the latter half of summer and for those with a green thumb it is now time to get the garden ready to weather the inevitable chill that fall brings.
We spoke with Leslie Cornell, owner of Cornell Design & Landscaping, to discuss some of the things that you can do now while the weather is favourable to keep your garden healthy as the seasons begin to change.
She began with some advice on how to help the centerpiece of your property, your lawn, from succumbing to the impending cold.
“At this point, it’s a great time to use your fall fertilizer for your grass,” said Cornell.
“Give your grass a full fertilizing, that is going to give it the strength to get through winter.”
Next on the list, of course, are the trees and perennials. While the ones most often planted in our region are typically hardy enough to withstand whatever our climate throws at them, sometimes a few extra steps can go a long way to help them thrive.
“Put bonemeal around trees and shrubs and perennials. The reason for using bonemeal in the fall and not a liquid fertilizer is that we want our plants to shut down (for the winter),” she explained.
“Bonemeal actually takes about a full season to break down. It will take all winter to break down in the soil and become available.”
She noted that the delay in nutrient delivery from the bonemeal will give your plants a strong start once the conditions are optimal to begin growing again.
A key component of getting ready for the fall and winter is encouraging your plants to end their growth stages and go dormant. One of the primary ways to do that is by reducing the amount of water the plant receives.
“When you hold back on water, your plant starts to do really amazing fall colours. You’re not stressing it so badly that its drought stressed, you’re just holding back so the plant has to be tougher,” she explained.
“It’s not as lush, it’s not putting out new growth which will not harden up for the winter anyway. Therefore, you’ve got a plant that’s now structurally sound going into winter.”
It may be tempting to keep pruning and deadheading your garden all the way to the end of the season, but Cornell advises gardeners to wait longer before starting to prune–except dead, diseased or damaged portions.
“We’re not going to do any of that until we have had a freeze. What happens is, once we start getting freezing temperatures, there’s lots of plants that even after that first snow in October, that need that help to shut down,” she said.
The pause on pruning and deadheading is especially important for roses, Cornell explains.
“I often stress that at this time of year, it’s time to stop deadheading your roses. Roses are some of the toughest plants to shut down, but they have natural signals in their own system that if you don’t deadhead them, they will naturally make a rose hip.”
“Those rose hips actually look amazing through the winter, some of the plants will turn a red colour and you’ll have that decorative rose hip all winter.”
While pruning after the freeze may be recommended for many plants, there are some exceptions.
“Unless it’s a spring flowering plant, when you’re looking at lilacs and white flowering spirea, those plants do not get pruned until after they bloom in the spring.”
While the time when fall approaches is often seen as the end of the gardening season, those looking to make some last-minute additions can take advantage of the favourable weather while it lasts.
“Lots of garden centers will have their trees and shrubs on sale through the month of September,” Cornell noted.
“It’s an excellent time to plant perennials, they’re shutting down in the nursery, but the ground is still warm. It’s a wonderful time for planting.”
Her final tip for garden prep is not necessarily directed at the plants themselves but will save you an expensive headache once things thaw out again in the spring.
“Make sure that by the last week of September irrigation systems are ready for freezing temperatures. You’ve got to blow out your underground irrigation systems.”
She noted that they repaired at least 20 irrigation systems due to not being winterized in the spring of 2024. Adding that they would be glad to help those who need assistance getting theirs ready for the winter.