10 Steps to Prepare Your Lawn and Garden for Fall

Your life doesn’t stop when summer ends and cooler weather arrives. Neither does the life of your lawn and garden. A home’s landscaping adds greatly to its curb appeal, and you don’t want to lose the investment you’ve already made to create a beautiful, lush, green look. For this reason, making plans to properly winterize your lawn and garden as fall and winter arrive is essential.

Proper seasonal preparations help ensure that your landscaping handles the colder temperatures successfully and is ready to bloom into fresh life again in spring. By giving your landscaping attention now, the grounds around your home will be well prepared to look lovely and inviting when warmer weather arrives.

We recommend these ten steps to fall landscaping maintenance:

Continue to water and mow — Many homeowners assume there’s no need for lawn maintenance when summer ends. But lawns need care throughout autumn too. Keep watering and mowing as needed. Consider mowing the grass slightly lower than you do in summer to help it stay green in colder weather.
Aerate the lawn — Aeration is the process of punching holes in your lawn to allow water, oxygen, and fertilizer to penetrate your soil. An aerator can be rented if you want to do it yourself. A professional landscaper can also help.
Fertilize and spread mulch— Lawn care professionals recommend autumn as the best time to fertilize your grass, because it aids in the deepening of roots, resulting in a lusher lawn in the spring. For the same reason, fall is a great time to spread mulch around the roots of trees, shrubs, and perennial plants.
Rake leaves regularly — While raking isn’t exactly fun, it’s necessary to keep your yard in healthy shape. Leaves left in piles all season long will begin to decay, killing your grass and breeding fungal diseases. Rake regularly and bag the leaves for removal, or mulch them to serve as natural fertilizer for your landscaping.
Address bald spots — Autumn is a great time to tend to those bald patches
where your grass is thin to nonexistent. Local garden shops or a professional landscaper can mix a blend of grass seed, fertilizer, and organic mulch that can be spread over the bald spots. Water these areas every other day for two weeks to help the mixture take root.
Perform weed control — Like other plants, weeds also spend the fall drinking in nutrients and rooting down deeper. So, if weeds are a problem in your yard, now is the time to apply weed-killer. Be sure to apply the weed- killer while temperatures are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, before the weeds go dormant.
Clear out dead annuals — Once the autumn arrives, your annual flowers are likely to die out. Keep your yard looking gorgeous and well-tended by pulling out these dead plants and disposing of them. Trim back tea roses, and carefully remove dead blooms from hydrangeas and similar perennials.
Wrap delicate plants — If your yard features delicate plants and brush such as boxwoods, they may need protection against snow and ice. Shrubs can be wrapped in burlap, while small plants can be covered by overturned buckets.
Plant new trees and shrubs — During fall, many nurseries have sales, which is a great time to affordably add to your landscaping. As long as it is early autumn, before the first freeze, you can plant young trees and shrubs safely.
Add winter appropriate features — Landscaping doesn’t have to be all about greenery and flowers. Hardscaping features, lawn statuettes, outdoor lighting, and other features can beautify your yard in autumn and winter.

We want your lawn to look beautiful all year round.

When it comes to planning, planting, and tending to your landscaping, you don’t have to do it all yourself. A caring professional landscaper can assist you in determining how to add color, texture, character, and beauty to your home, giving it boosted curb appeal that makes you smile every time you see it.

At ProActive Landscaping, we offer creative, attractive hardscaping and other features that will make your lawn and garden areas pop. We can also assist you with fall preparation for your landscaping through our cleanup services, seasonal lighting installations, and more.