Essential Autumn Gardening Tasks To Start Now
Autumn is a period of transition and a time of massive change within your garden. This is a slower season within your gardening calendar, as plants begin to fade and prepare for their winter dormancy.
Although this may be a slower season, your gardening work is not over. Your garden needs support during this time to ensure it can withstand the harsh winter conditions and return to full bloom next spring.
To ensure that you are providing the best possible support to your garden during this time, we are sharing the most essential autumn gardening tasks to begin now. At Heath Landscapes & Garden Design, we provide landscaping services all year round and have a great understanding of how the seasons impact outdoor spaces.
Using this experience, we are helping you prioritise the most vital autumn gardening tasks to give your landscape the best chance to not only survive, but thrive throughout the end of the year.
Autumn Gardening Starts Here: Tidy, Clear And Refresh
The first step in autumn gardening is clearing your landscape. You want to ensure your garden is neat, clean and free from debris as the season progresses, as this can lead to bigger issues.
Falling leaves are a classic sign of autumn, but can cause havoc in your garden without regular maintenance. Some of the most vital tasks to perform to keep your garden tidy during the autumn include:
Leaf Clearance & Lawn Care
Leaf clearance is an ongoing task during the autumn gardening season, and will remain this way until the branches are clear. This means, as part of your autumn gardening work, you need to remain on top of leaf clearance.
Sweep, rake and remove all fallen leaves from across your garden. They may fall on paving or decking, which can lead to mould, stains and even pest infestations without the right care. Leaves falling onto your lawn can lead to similar issues, causing moss growth and dead patches.
While clearing leaves from the lawn, take some time to aerate and feed the grass. This will help support the roots throughout the winter, ensuring you have a vibrant, lush lawn to enjoy come spring. Make sure to use an autumn-specific lawn feeder to provide the most support to your grass.
Cut Back Spent Growth
To help your plants prepare for their winter dormancy, pruning is an essential part of autumn gardening. Now is the ideal time to trim back faded perennials, deadhead any late blooms and generally tidy flower beds and borders.
This is a time to focus on the plants that are already showing signs of wear and helping perennials conserve energy so they can bloom beautifully once spring comes back around.
While pruning perennials and flower beds, consider the condition of any structural plants, such as shrubs and ornamental grasses. Assess these plants to ensure they remain stable, and remove any dead or dying stems so they can remain a focal point in your autumn and winter garden.
Weeding And Mulching
Periodically throughout the autumn, much like with leaf clearance, remove any weeds that may appear in planting and lawn areas.
While many plants begin to slow down in autumn, weeds will continue to appear, and this is the ideal time to take hold of this issue before it gets worse in spring.
When assessing your planting areas during your autumn gardening, take the time to apply and refresh mulch. Whether this is the first time you are applying mulch, or need to refresh the existing support, make sure all plants have an even level of organic matter to conserve heat, moisture and overall structure.
Autumn Planting Preparation And Gardening
As autumn is a slower period for new growth, this season presents the ideal opportunity to reorganise your planting areas, consider new ventures, and maintain what remains.
Divide And Replant Perennials
As the flowers begin to fade, autumn presents an opportunity for you to assess your current planting displays and consider where additional support may be needed.
During their dormant phases, perennials can be replanted, allowing you to divide any overcrowded flower beds. Not only will this make your garden appear more attractive, but it will also encourage new growth from your perennials, as they will have more room and energy. By dividing and replanting perennials now, you can get ahead on your spring displays and enjoy more vibrancy when the time comes.
Plant Spring Bulbs
One of the main purposes of autumn gardening is getting ahead of next year, which is why planting for spring plays a major role.
Once you have cleared and pruned the planting areas within your garden, you should now have more space for new options. Take some time to consider how you want your garden to look in spring, and gather the necessary bulbs.
Autumn is the ideal time to plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and alliums, as it allows them to establish healthy root systems before blooming next year.
Tree And Shrub Planting
As well as planting spring flowers, you can incorporate new trees and shrubs as part of your autumn gardening tasks. Like with bulbs, autumn is the perfect time to plant various trees and shrubs in your garden to get ahead of the spring blooms.
The cooler temperatures and moist soil of the season help new trees and shrubs establish, so they have plenty of stability ahead of their main growing seasons next year.
With its new planting opportunities, autumn gardening is a great time to redesign your landscape and create engaging planting displays that can be enjoyed once the weather warms up. Soft landscaping is an essential part of successful garden design, as we explore in this guide.
Eco-Friendly Autumn Gardening For Wildlife Support
Although you may not want to spend as much time outdoors during the winter, plenty of other creatures do. Local wildlife, birds and insects continue to need habitats, food and hydration as the weather changes, and there are several ways this can be done during your autumn gardening schedule.
Leave Wildlife Areas Undisturbed
While most fallen leaves need to be cleared and composted, leaving a small pile in the corner of your garden can be incredibly beneficial to local wildlife. A small pile of leaves and logs can provide essential shelter to hedgehogs, insects and other garden visitors, shielding them from the worst of the weather.
If you choose to create organic habitats, make sure the piles are in a corner of the garden that is unlikely to be disturbed and is separate from the planting areas you want to cultivate.
Add Bird Feeders & Nesting Boxes
Organic materials can be used as wildlife habitats, but there are other options available. Bird boxes, feeders, and baths are potentially more stylish ways to support wildlife during your autumn gardening, and can provide interest in the space throughout the cold months.
By attracting birds and other wildlife creatures into your garden, you are encouraging movement and visual interest without any additional effort. This can be an engaging sight for people of all ages, and a fun family activity to see you through the dark, cold months.
Sustainable Autumn Gardening
With fallen leaves, branches, and general garden debris, there are plenty of ways to incorporate organic gardening techniques into your autumn tasks.
When raking and removing fallen leaves and branches, consider using these materials as compost or mulch in planting areas. This not only saves money but also promotes biodiversity and can offer better support to your plants than any synthetic measure.
Organic mulch offers long-term support within autumn gardening, as it can maintain heat and moisture. As the organic materials decompose, they provide essential nutrients directly to the root of plants, supporting their long-term health and stable growth.
Garden Design Opportunities During Autumn Gardening
As we have mentioned, the slower pace of autumn gardening can provide space for you to reconsider your garden design.
Whether you are looking for a paving upgrade or a complete refurbishment, autumn allows you time to assess your current space, reflect on the past few months and decide what the best changes will be for you. This can apply to both front and back gardens, and we have a guide on front garden design to get you inspired.
From hardscaping upgrades, such as a new porcelain patio or fencing repairs, to a whole new theme of garden design, there are various ways you can upgrade your garden ahead of the new year.
Hiring a landscape gardener during this time can result in lower fees, as this is generally an off-season for many companies. It can be the ideal opportunity to install a new deck or driveway for some budgets. To learn more about the costs of garden design, check out our guide.
Allow the slower pace of the season to get you excited for what’s to come. Take your time to research local garden designers, and get ideas from their past projects to see what can be done in your own landscape. If you are looking for more inspiration, check out our garden design trends post or this complete guide to garden design, to see what can be done.
Conclusion
Various autumn gardening tasks can occupy your time during this season. As the weather gets colder and things start to slow down in your landscape, there are various autumn gardening tasks needed for prolonged support.
With autumn gardening, you can keep your landscape healthy and attractive throughout the final months of the year, ensuring a vibrant return come spring.
To ensure you are providing the best care for your garden this season, consider working with a professional landscaping company like Health Landscapes & Garden Design. Our team can offer a range of services to keep your garden in prime condition, no matter the season, and deliver tailored solutions to suit your specifications.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about our services or to request a quote, please contact the team today.
FAQs
When is the best time to plant in autumn?
Early to mid-autumn (from September to October) is ideal for planting as the soil is still warm, so roots can establish before winter.
Should I cut everything back before winter?
While pruning is a part of autumn gardening, not everything needs to be cut back during this time. Some plants and seed heads can provide structure, visual appeal and wildlife support in your garden during the winter and therefore should be left alone. Pruning and deadheading can be done to some trees, perennials, and structural plants.
What are the most important autumn gardening tasks?
Preparing your garden for winter is essential during the autumn, such as mulching and plant pruning. Keeping your garden free from debris is also important to support healthy growth during this time.
