AUTUMN WORK
The gardener knows no rest, even in autumn.
Here's a little reminder for those who have already forgotten it! <[:-)}
IN THE GARDEN, CITIZEN!!!
Fertilize your lawn with a fall fertilizer. Cut the grass until it stops growing: leave it at 7.50-10 cm in height. Reduce watering of your lawn.
Treat and bring in the herbs and annuals that you will overwinter.
Pull out annuals damaged by frost. Do the same with summer bulbs: dry and store.
Plant spring flowering bulbs, without forgetting garlic, so that when spring comes, you can enjoy the magic of the first colors.
Weed and clean the flowerbeds one last time. Hoe 15-20 cm deep, but only 2-5 cm in perennial areas or near shrubs. Leave the ground bare. Rake lightly 2 to 3 weeks later. Once the ground has frozen hard, spread a mulch 5 to 15 cm thick in the garden, and around the shrubs, especially the most fragile.
Cut back frozen or dry foliage of perennial plants to 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches) from the ground. Cover with straw or leaves those which are fragile in the cold. If necessary, apply a powdered insecticide-fungicide to the surface of the beds.
Divide and replant perennials.
Amend the garden with compost, manure or lime. Spread 1 to 2 cm (0.5 to 1 inch) of manure or compost on flower beds, the vegetable garden or at the base of trees and shrubs. This will protect the roots from temperature variations and nourish the plants in spring.
Water the conifers (juniper, cedar, yew, etc.) abundantly until the soil is saturated, and until the soil freezes permanently. Pay special attention to foundation plants and those located under roof overhangs.
Rake the lawn, the base of the trees and the flowerbeds. Clear the interior of the shrubs of accumulated dead leaves and branches. Discard dead leaves from diseased plants. Accumulate organic mulch for winter (compost bin). Use dry dead leaves to fill the rose cones.
Prune certain plants as needed, such as rose bushes, hawthorns, maples, birches.
Transplant poorly located trees or shrubs.
Complete your layout by taking advantage of fall sales on perennials, trees and shrubs.
Install appropriate winter protection in good time. Adequately protect the plants according to their needs (twine, mulch, cones, jute or agrotextile) and the constraints of the location (driven snow, ice).