October 18, 2007

Expert Tips for Autumn Garden Care

Before you know it, the ground will be frozen and you won't feel like hanging out in your backyard for a while; in the meantime, there are some things you can be doing to help your garden put its best foot forward next spring. We asked Susanne Kongoy, the owner of Boerum Hill's GRDN, for some tips on tending to gardens and backyards during the fall. Here's what she told us:

-Fall is still a great time to plant or transplant, perennials, trees,and shrubs. Water until the ground freezes and mulch.

-You'll find plenty of perennials, trees, and shrubs on sale now at your favorite garden shop or local nursery. It's a great time to find bargains and fill in those holes in the garden.

-Plant hardy bulbs now! It's finally cooling off, which means it's time to think about planting tulips, narcissus, crocus, allium, etc. Bulbs are so easy, and squirrels don't like narcissus!

-Indoor gardeners should consider planting paperwhites and amaryliss for December blooms.

-It's time to redo that tired stoop pot! Switch out summer annuals for fall color or dwarf evergreens that'll get you through the winter.

-Mulch with free compost from the Department of Sanitation. The last compost giveaway is this weekend at Fish Kills on Staten Island, and it's definitely worth the trip. Check out www.nyccompost.org for more info.

Any other suggestions you can think of?

Photo by xmarcus

Posted by Gabby at 10:33 AM | Comments (6)
Categories: Expert, Gardening