There are many other thing to do in your Fall garden besides raking leaves! Fall is a great time for general cleanup of the yard, but keep in mind, there are some things to do that can help you garden look much better in the Spring.

Fall is the best time to plant! Getting your new additions in the ground in the fall is less traumatic to the plant and allows rooting to take place before the warm weather starts, giving the plant a jump start on the Spring season.

Mulching the soil surface under the plant, protects the roots from extreme fluctuations in temperature and frosty conditions. Mulching also helps hold moisture in the soil and discourages weeds.

Raking leaves is important! Remove and discard the leaves under some of your more disease prone plants. Plants such as Roses,  and Hibiscus, have tendency to harbor diseases and pests such as whitefly, rust, etc. These problems can over-winter in the leaf litter left on the ground. By eliminating the leaves, you can get rid of the problem for before Spring.

After the leaves fall from your deciduous plants, it’s a great time to start pruning! Roses, fruit trees, grapes, and shade trees can be shaped or cut back now before the bud for Spring.

Plants for Fall

September: Lagerstroemia hybrids. Crape Myrtle

The Crape Myrtle is one of the most attractive trees for our area. (It can also be grown as a shrub).  It blooms profusely throughout the summer and into fall. Then, as the temperatures cool down in autumn, the leaves turn to brilliant reds, oranges and yellows. The hybrid varieties are hardy and mildew resistant and bloom in many colors such as lavender, white, and many shades of pink.

October: Liquidambar styraciflua. American Sweet Gum

The Liquidambar is well known for its red fall foliage and Maple-like leaves.
These trees branch from the ground up unless pruned to expose the attractive trunk. They thrive with deep watering.

Trees and Shrubs for Fall Color

Beautiful fall foliage signifies the coming of cool weather and the change of season. In our climate, there are some trees and shrubs that show- off the red and yellow colors consistently.

American Sweet Gum (Liquidambar)
Redbud Tree
Crape Myrtle
Chinese Flame Tree
Chinese Pistache
Flowering Pear
Chinese Tallow Tree
Pomegranate
Cotoneaster
Heavenly Bamboo
Grape Vines
Boston Ivy