I don’t know about you, but summer is not optimal gardening time where I live. Fall, on the other hand, is glorious. The weather cools down, the social activities resume, and with all the comings and goings, there is no better time to give the fall garden a bit of a makeover. She looks so lovely in an autumn color palette.
If you’re hosting a holiday this year or even just a tailgate, you want your garden to wow your company. If summer has left your yard looking crunchy and overgrown, utilize this comfortable time of year. There are so many fun and practical things that you can do to give your yard an autumn facelift.
I’d love to share some of the ways that I like to give my garden a fresh makeover in the fall. Whether you want to do a simple cleanup or a major revamp, you can follow some or all of these steps to transform your autumn garden.
Step 1: Catch Up On Weeding
Weeding is a priority when cleaning up an area.
Think of weeding as wiping off the old makeup in your makeover process. Create a clean and neat foundation that will complement and accentuate the new elements you bring.
Summer weeding can be a sweaty, laborious chore. Everything grows so quickly. Depending on where you live, it can simply be too hot to go outside and work in the garden during the day.
Not to mention, many of those weeds are excellent nectar sources if you like to feed pollinators. It’s better for the butterflies and bees to leave them be while they bloom.
Now that cooler weather is rolling in, it’s a wonderful time to pull those weeds before they go to seed. A late summer garden can be beautifully wild, but a freshly weeded garden is also beautiful.
Step 2: Do Some Tidying Up
Cutting down grass and pulling out weeds are ideal tasks when the weather starts to cool down.
Some tasks are a thankless chore in the summer. My husband seems to be making one continuous loop with the mower for three full months. Trying to keep up with edging and weed eating feels nearly impossible. If I’m being honest, I let many of these tasks slide in the summer.
There are also summer annuals that are beginning to look crunchy and brown. If you harvest seeds, they should be ready to collect about now. While you’re at it, you can start dealing with those plants that won’t bounce back in the cooler weather.
Some gardeners prefer to rip out summer annuals altogether when cleaning up. Some argue for cutting the tops and leaving the roots, though. Leaving those roots will help improve and maintain the structure of the soil and prevent erosion.
If you like to keep a leaf-free lawn, it’s getting to be raking time. You may be well on your way to autumn leaves falling in some climates. Don’t toss those leaves, though—compost them! You can use leaves as mulch in garden areas where you want to bulk up the nutrients in your soil.
Step 3: Replace Summer Annuals with Fall Bloomers
It could be a great time to plant perennials.
Once you have a tidied-up space, you can begin the real fun of the fall garden makeover. There is satisfaction in seeing your space look clean and tidy. But filling those spaces with fresh, fall-blooming annuals is joyful in its own way.
Many flowering annuals revel in the warm soil and cool, moist autumn weather. It’s also a great time to plant many perennials. That warm soil is perfect for developing strong roots before the winter freeze.
As long as you’ve got about six weeks before your first anticipated frost date, you still have time to plant. There is a plethora of flowering annuals and native plants that provide color later in the year. Many bloom up to and even beyond that first frost.
Don’t forget to liven up your containers and front porch plants to match the season. Mums, marigolds, and Marguerite daisies all bloom this time of year and look wonderful in a container arrangement.
Step 4: Plant a Tree or Two
Trees are great additions that often last for years.
Fall is a great time for planting trees and shrubs. This is a long-term addition to the makeover process and something you can enjoy for many years. Planting in early autumn allows these larger plants to put down some roots before the winter.
For many plants, summer heat is more stressful than winter cold. Those that go dormant in winter put their growth on hold and don’t require much care until spring. The warm soil and cool air keep evergreens happy and help them set down roots.
I think fall is an ideal time to plant some evergreens. As your deciduous plants turn various shades of autumn, adding green to the mix creates a beautiful accent to the color palette. Not to mention, they will keep things looking manicured throughout the winter.
Try to get your evergreens in the ground when the weather cools off. Give them a low-nitrogen fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium to encourage strong roots. Top dress your evergreens with manure or compost and a thick layer of mulch to retain moisture and insulate the soil.
Camellias are a wonderful broadleaved evergreen addition to the garden in the fall. Many species are hardy in zones 6-10 and have a fall or winter blooming habit. I just think they are wonderful in winter. Tea olives and holly are other wonderful evergreens that provide cool-weather interest.
Step 5: Mulch
Adding mulch provides good looks and can benefit the plants.
Mulching isn’t just good for your plants; it also looks good. This simple step of a fall makeover can rid your lawn of leaves while adding many benefits to your garden. Adding leaf mulch in your beds and around larger plants can tie things together, creating a more cohesive appearance. A hearty helping of mulch can make a bigger difference than anticipated.
Mulch is great for the garden during the cooler months—it’s truly great year-round. Mulch helps to regulate the soil temperature, making the transition to cold weather less stressful. This is important for newly planted trees and shrubs with new root growth.
I prefer to use natural mulch that hasn’t been dyed. Dyed mulch is often made from treated and scrap wood that may contain chemicals. The dyes are used to cover up color inconsistencies. Those chemicals seep into the ground and can harm important microbes and insects that keep the soil healthy.
However, undyed mulch breaks down over time, feeding the very organisms that the harmful kind can kill. I prefer the look of leaves or pine bark mulch in my own garden.
Some gardeners worry that using pine straw or bark will lower the pH of their soil into an unhealthy range. Studies show that this is not the case, and it’s a perfectly acceptable way to care for your beds. It has all the benefits of other natural mulch, retaining moisture and feeding the soil as it breaks down over time.
Step 6: Add Decorative Elements
Save on outdoor furniture during sales as fall rolls in.
My favorite time to shop for new outdoor decor and furniture is late summer and early fall. Why, you ask? SALES! Most stores put their outdoor furnishings on sale to make room for holiday decor, and I am here for it!
As part of your landscape makeover, add outdoor seating to make your garden a welcoming retreat for enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Now is also a good time to pick up other architectural or planting elements that will come in handy for years to come.
If you’ve been considering adding some raised beds or maybe an arbor or two to your garden, fall is a good time to invest. Shopping Black Friday sales can also save you a lot in this area! Did your patio umbrella fade in the summer sun? You can probably pick up a new one for a song in the fall.
Step 7: Touch Up Existing Decorative and Functional Elements
Repaint worn out furniture and refresh gravel pathways as needed.
Speaking of faded umbrellas and other sun-worn items, everything is about to get a break from the intense summer sun. A fresh coat of paint on outdoor furniture and garden elements makes things look like new again. Also, thoroughly clean your cushions.
General maintenance and upkeep of the non-plant items in your garden will give everything a fresh look. I like to collect wrought iron furniture for my outdoor spaces. When it shows nicks and scratches, it’s easy to put a fresh coat of paint on it.
Consider pressure washing pavers and sidewalks and rejuvenating garden paths. If you have areas with gravel or other non-living ground-covering elements, they need tending, too. Freshening up these areas lends to an overall tidy appearance.
Step 8: Add Some Native Plants
The weather can be perfect for shrubs to develop strong roots.
For the same reason, fall is a good time to plant trees and shrubs and to put some native plants in the ground. The combination of warm soil and cool air encourages strong root development.
Autumn tends to have more consistent rain than we get in summer. Adding natives this time of year means far less work for you. Native plants require less care in general. If you plant while the air is hot, you’ll have evaporation to contend with. When the air cools, the soil remains moist longer.
Flowering natives are excellent for pollinator populations and positively impact other wildlife. Black-eyed Susan is native to most of North America and is a wonderful fall bloomer. Add some of these cheerful yellow blooms to your fall garden. They complement the autumn foliage wonderfully.
Step 9: Plant Cool Season Vegetables
Plant frost-resistant vegetables that can taste and look great,
This is the time for planting cool-weather vegetables like kale, cabbage, and broccoli. A new raised bed with a bounty of beautiful vegetables brings a cottage garden feel to the space.
Something great about many of these veggies is that they are frost-resistant. In fact, they taste better after a cold snap.
Even if you don’t intend to eat them, there are beautiful, ornamental varieties of kale, cabbage, and others. Colorful ornamental cabbage makes an incredible border that will look great well into winter.
