While it was a mild growing season, and we were blessed with cooler temperatures and plenty of moisture, we did have more leaf disease issues than normal this year. Many folks have commented that their plants looked awful heading into fall. For those deciduous trees and shrubs, simply rake and dispose of the leaves. By next spring, we should have a blank slate with clean foliage. If you spot disease issues in the spring as leaves emerge, fungicides may be called for, but this late in the year, just practice good sanitation.

Bulbs

Now is the ideal time to plant bulbs. From grape hyacinths, to daffodils and tulips and hyacinths, there are plenty of choices available to you. Plant them in a well drained location that will receive at least six hours of sunlight next spring when they are in bloom. Sunlight after bloom is critical for re-blooming the following season. Plant your bulbs 2-3 times the size of the bulb deep in the ground. Layering a variety of bulbs will give you a bold splash of color next spring. After planting, consider planting seasonal color on top. The bulbs will pop up right through your annuals for even more interesting color displays. If you have already planted bulbs in the past and are simply adding to the planting, be careful not to damage existing bulbs when planting new ones.

Amaryllis bulbs are another seasonal bulb that are quite available now. Many gardeners have accumulated so many bulbs that they have begun to plant them outdoors. While they are truly not considered a hardy bulb, they have been overwintering outside just fine. Make sure that you cut the old foliage off after a killing frost, and add a little extra mulch. They should bloom six to eight weeks after they emerge next spring. If you grow them indoors, pot new bulbs now and watch for signs of new growth. On older, existing bulbs by now the old foliage should be gone and again we watch for signs of new growth. Once you see the bulbs begin to emerge, increase the amount of water and sunlight they receive and rotate the pot weekly to keep the stem straight. The bulbs should be in bloom in six to eight weeks.

Composting

Fall color started earlier than normal this year, and many trees have been shedding leaves for months. This is the season to rake and clean up the garden. If you don’t have a compost pile, consider starting one. Don’t add diseased plants to the pile, since home compost piles will not generate enough heat throughout the pile to sufficiently kill disease organisms. Other items you should not add to a compost pile include meat products, oil, and animal refuse. Composting bins vary in size and construction and there are numerous excellent publications regarding composting available through our extension website. What starts out as raw materials in the fall turns into gardening gold in the spring. Using compost to amend your soil is an excellent way to add organic matter, and build up the moisture and nutrient holding capacity of your soil.

Perennials

Many perennial flowers have completed their life cycle as well and the foliage can be removed. This is especially important around plants that have struggled with insect or disease issues. Leaf rollers plague cannas annually, and they overwinter in the spent debris, so don’t give them any debris - cut back the plants and remove any weeds and grass nearby. There is still time in November to divide spring or summer blooming perennials, but do it soon. The late winter/early spring blooming hellebores are covered in new foliage now. This is their growing season so don’t cut that off.

Winter Color

The mild growing season kept many gardens in full bloom all season long. Depending on when a killing frost occurs will determine when your summer annuals play out. Geraniums, petunias, callibrachoa and lobelia will actually tolerate several light freezes, while impatiens, coleus and lantanas will die down quickly with cold weather. Regardless of whether you have summer color left or not, you need to get your winter color planted now. Choices include pansies, violas, panolas - a cross between pansies and violas, ornamental kale and cabbage, snapdragons, dianthus, and more. Keep in mind that with all of these plants, the later you plant, the larger the plant should be in order to have any type of impact in the winter landscape. Flowering winter annuals should have blooms on them at planting if you wait this late, because they won’t have much time to get established before cold weather hits. If you plant small green plants late in the season, you will not see your first blooms until spring, and that sort of defeats the purpose of fall planting. Flowering kale and cabbage could have been planted as early as late August, but late planting needs larger plants to have any size and depth to the winter landscape. Pots of mums are still available for quick color, but these too can be treated as fall annuals and tossed once their blooms are spent. Don’t dispose of your Halloween pumpkins and gourds. They can continue to give you color and interest through November, and some folks now decorate them for their Christmas displays.

Trees

There are many trees statewide that have been damaged from storms in the past few years. Some have seemed to recover well, while others are a mere skeleton of their former beauty. So that you are not totally devoid of shade, you can leave these damaged trees growing a little longer, but start planting their replacements. November is the ideal month to plant a tree, but this can continue all winter long. Planting larger plants while they are dormant, allows them time to put down roots before they have to contend with supplying nutrients and water for foliage. Once these new trees begin to have some size, remove some of the older, more damaged ones. Monitor the old trees for decay next spring and assess safety issues then.