October is the time to really begin cleaning up and tending to your landscape.  You put it off in September, but now you know and can really see that this needs to be done.  You will thank yourself profusely in the spring that you took the time to do this now.

The first thing you should do is walk around the entire yard and make a list of the areas that need to be tended to, minus the leaf raking. This needs to be done every fall and does not need to be on your task list ~ it’s a given. I’ve listed some of the tasks from my growing list to get you started:

• The summer annuals that are now withering should be cleared from the landscape.
• Broken branches should be trimmed and cleared.
• Dead grasses need to be gently raked away.
• Add mulch to thin or bare areas of the landscape beds. Even though winter is on the horizon, the snow will not always be on the ground and you will want your landscape to look attractive.  Well-groomed beds with carefully laid mulch will help to accomplish this.  The mulch will also help protect the plants in your landscape beds throughout the winter.
• Cut back perennials to give them a clean start next season.  Remove stray grasses and twigs from around the perennials of so that your bed preparation will be minimal in the spring.
• Empty out flower boxes and annual flower containers.  Wash all the containers thoroughly with soapy water and dry them completely before storing them ~ damp containers will get moldy.
• Clean the gardening tools so they will be ready to go in the spring.  Dry metal tools thoroughly and store in a dry place so that they do not rust.  There is nothing worse than getting your tools out for your early spring gardening and finding them rusted.
• Clean out the garden shed or supply area so that tools, mowers, trimmers, etc. can be stored neatly and cleanly next month. Dispose of broken tools, broken flowerpots and anything you know you will not use next season (or ever).
• Time is running out if you haven’t begun to plant or add to your bulb garden for next year.  Stop procrastinating and do it now before it is too late. Spring and summer-flowering bulbs can be planted until the ground freezes, but do it now for best results. Plant bulbs about 3 times as deep as their height.  It’s a good idea to put a marker where your new bulbs are so you don’t mistakenly pull the new growth in early spring.

There’s still time to plant mums and ornamental cabbage and kale. The mums will highlight your landscape with the pretty colors of autumn and will last until the frost sets in.  The cabbage and kale are very cold-hardy and will keep their vibrant color through December. Remember to remove the yellow lower leaves before you plant and be sure the bottom leaves are flush with the ground.

• Once you are satisfied with your cleanup, add some seasonal decoration to your landscape beds.  A bale of hay with pumpkins and gourds on top and in front of it adds a lovely autumn accent to the landscape at the front of your house or near your roadside mailbox.  A large basket turned on its side with small pumpkins and gourds spilling out of it is another popular seasonal decoration.

October landscape cleanup will give you a nice head start for next year’s spring season. When spring arrives and you remove the winter mulch, cabbage, kale and mum remains from the landscape, the beds will be clean and ready for new planting and decorative mulch.  Your perennials will be trimmed, your shed and work areas will be neat, your tools will be clean and ready to use; your flower boxes and containers will be clean and ready for the new season.  When your newly planted bulbs begin to bloom next spring and summer and you look around your clean and neatly trimmed landscape, there will be no doubt in your mind that the extra work you did in October was well worth the effort!

©2009, KH Adams, Trumbull, CT