General Fall Season Tips:

• Plant perennials. Fall installation gives plants time to develop a strong root system. Most perennials flower in the spring; if planted then, they may not bloom the first year.
• Split and replant overgrown bulbs. Dig up the bulb after the foliage has died and allow it to dry thoroughly. After drying, bulbs can be split and replanted.
• Cut perennials to the ground after hard frost and use foliage for compost.
• Gather fallen leaves for mulch and compost use.
• Dig summer-blooming bulbs after the first killing frost and save for next planting season

September

• Take advantage of cool weather by planting trees, shrubs, and evergreens; use root-stimulating fertilizer to promote root growth. 
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs and work bone meal into bottom of planting holes for better growth. 
• Divide and replant perennials such as peonies and irises. 
• Water young trees and shrubs. 
• Now is the best time to seed new lawn, patch bare spots, and install sod. There isn’t as much competition with weed seeds now. Do it before September 15.
• Plant chrysanthemums, pansies, asters, and flowering kale for fall color. 
• Apply weed-killer and fertilizer for lawn care, but not to newly seeded areas.

October

• Clean garden beds and work compost into soil for spring plantings. 
• Remove dead annuals and add them to compost. 
• Cover tender roses before temperatures dip below 25 degrees. 
• Rake and recycle leaves for better air circulation and lawn-disease control. 
• Mow lawn until frost stops growth – tall, matted grass encourages snow mold. 
• Wrap young and thin-barked trees to protect against sunscald and animals. 
• Remove garden debris after the first frost to help minimize soil diseases and insects.

November

• Early to mid-month, cover perennials with mulch to protect the crowns of the plants from the alternate freezing and thawing.
• Put down an inch of hay or straw mulch over shallow-rooted perennials to prevent frost heaving (plants being pushed out of soil by freezing temperatures). 
• Plant large shade trees.
• Water all the trees, shrubs, and evergreens, especially new plantings, just before the ground becomes frozen.