This has been a tough year so landscape adjustments may be necessary!  Don’t get overwhelmed, just consider these next few steps:

Looking out your windows….

What do you see?  Think critically and realistically about the space that surrounds you.  Do you have large enough areas for fall color to make an impactful statement?  Do you have a good combination of seasonally interesting plants?  Do you have textural contrast in your landscape?  Do you have appropriate focal points?  Do you have adequate space for your outdoor activities?  If you are not sure, take some photos of your outdoor space and stop by Good Earth for a conversation.  The goal in creating an outdoor space is to bring you and your family into that space, and accommodate your activities and your lives while being an intimate and aesthetically pleasing environment during all season, even winter.  But we’ll get to that next month!

Bring the energy back….

Fall can be energizing after a long summer and seeing the colors that represent it can jumpstart that energy.

Start with your seasonal color areas and how you want to use them.  For example, for great depth and movement, choose two shades of the same color of pansy or viola and mix them together.  Or plant complimentary colors together, with one in front of another; keeping the two colors separate but in close proximity will really set them off.

And don’t stop with just pansies or violas!  Next spring when you are admiring the tulips and daffodils, it will be too late!  Plant them this fall; it’s much less expensive than potted or cut ones you can purchase next spring, and you will get to enjoy them much longer.     Mustard makes a great colorful leafy accent to any annual area, as does Swiss Chard.  Another great accent is Millet.  Remember to mix it up and get some layers added in to the annual beds. Also, think about fall blooming perennials such as Autumn Joy Sedum or Anemone.  Other great fall plants are Tom Thumb Cotoneaster, Burning Bush, and ornamental grasses.  For more blooming, the Knock-Out rose series blooms from April to November.

Don’t forget these steps…

If you just can’t bring yourself to let loose on the decorating, no fear, there is much to do to get your landscape ready for spring. Preparing now for the weeds of next year may sound crazy but it is worth the work; October is the time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to take care of winter weeds. These herbicides control weeds by killing the weed seeds before they become a problem in your lawn.  Also, apply Fertilome Winterizer in October to build a strong root system and promote winter hardiness. Use a Pre-Emergent Herbicide, such as Ferti-Lome Start-N-Grows with Dimension, in your landscape beds to prevent cool season weeds in your landscape.  When plants transition into dormancy, it is time to divide any perennials that need division and transplant any trees or shrubs that need to be moved.  Fall is the best time of year to plant, or transplant; you actually get better establishment of roots which insures better success.  When digging up a plant to move it, try to get as much of the root system as possible.  Replant the tree or shrub at the same depth it was planted at originally.

For both planting and transplanting use Ferti-Lome Root Stimulator.

Let Good Earth help you “fall” into your landscape this season!