Tips to get your yard ready for Fall

The days are getting shorter, so the time is now to get your yard fall ready. Here are some tips for doing just that to ensure a healthy, green lawn this spring:

1. Plant trees and shrubs

Fall is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs as they will be under less stress than planting during excessive summer heat.

2. Wrap trees for winter protection

Apply wrap to young trees to prevent winter scorch cracks, deer and rabbit damage. Standing next to the tree, measure the trunk diameter at chest height and if it is 1 1/2″ to 3″ – wrap it. You can find tree wrap at Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center.

3. Check potato plants

Potato plants should be finished flowering and the foliage should be dead. Dig them up and store in a cool, dry place.

4. Feed your lawn

Use Jonathan Green Winter Survival Fall Lawn Food. This true fall/winter formula promotes root growth and stores nutrients for spring.

5. Replace tired annuals with fall colors

Mums, ornamental peppers, kale and pansies revitalize containers and flower beds that have finished blooming. Don’t forget pumpkins, broom corn and gourds.

6. Plant fall bulbs

Fall is the time to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and allium, as they need cool weather and cold winter to bloom in spring.

7. Stop fertilizing roses and perennials

They need to prepare for their winter nap rather than push new growth. Instead, enjoy their blooms for the rest of the season.

8. Don’t prune roses, perennials, or ornamental grasses

Pruning will encourage new growth that will not over winter and can leave wounds susceptible to insects and diseases. Prune them in the spring instead.

Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center : 5301 E. Terra Cotta Ave (Rte 176), Crystal Lake, IL : 815.459.8130 : www.countrysideflowershop.com