Lawns:

Mowing is coming to an end. Yippee!
 

Annuals:

Pansies are the work-horse annual in winter.  Sprinkle a teaspoon of bulb booster or cottonseed meal around each pansy at planting time.  Two additional feeding in December and January will help pansies grow in poor soil. Don't mulch much until after a hard freeze in fall.

Sow seeds of poppies, larkspur, johnny-jump-ups, sweet peas, forget-me-nots, and wallflowers.  Scatter seeds over a well-prepared bed and rake to cover lightly.  You should see seedlings this fall.  They will overwinter and make vigorous plants in the spring.
 

Perennials & Bulbs:

Divide and replant overgrown perennials such as hostas, daylilies and coneflowers. 

Plant all types of spring flowering bulbs this month. Try planting cayenne with the most tempting bulbs (tulips) to discourage moles, deer, etc.

Five common summer flower garden plants, dahlia, canna, caladium, gladiolus,  and tuberous begonia many not overwinter (and my favorite ginger lilies).  To save the plants, lift roots, tubers or corms of these about the time of our first killing frost.  They may be dug just after foliage dries.  Dig deep enough so that part of the plant will not be snapped off when lifted out of the soil. L eave soil around dahlia tubers, canna and caladium roots.  Store in a garage or other building until soil dries and falls away from plant parts. Shake soil off roots and tubers and cut away dried stem.  Discard immediately any plant parts that show soft spots or disease.  Place tuber and roots in old sawdust or peatmoss in a flat box.  Store in a dry, cool place such as a basement.  Do not store on back porch or in garage.  These plants cannot withstand freezing.  Also, store away from danger of being eaten by rats, squirrels, etc.
 

Trees & Shrubs:

Fall is a good time to plant and transplant evergreen trees and shrubs.

Root cuttings-Most flowering shrubs can be propagated by hardwood cuttings.  Make cuttings of mature wood 6-8". Dip basal ends in a rooting hormone. Set them in well ammended garden soil, leaving about 2" above ground or place cuttings in large nursery cans.  Keep cuttings moist until rooted.
 

Roses:

It is always the right time to prune out deadwood or diseased wood from roses.
 

Vegetables & Herbs:

You still have time to sow quick growing lettuce, arugula or other greens before a frost hits.  If you protect the mature crops with row covers you could have greens, parsley and cilantro throughout the winter.

Other:

This is a great time to get your soil tested.  The labs are not overwhelmed as in spring.

Putting the garden to bed for the winter: Prevent many of next year's insect and disease problems by thoroughly cleaning debris out of the garden.  Pull out all annuals that have completed their life cycle.  Cut away tops of perennials. Remove debris from beneath all plants including shrubs.

Leaves are falling and this is a good time to start a leaf mold piles.  It's as simple as raking them into a ring of wire fencing or a bin. They will compost faster if you grind them up with a bagging mower or put them through a leaf shredder. Also, add a few shovelfuls of soil to the pile as you make it.

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