Autumn is one of the most relaxing and delightful times to be in the garden.
The mornings are pleasantly cool while the daytime sun has lost its summer sting, making it the perfect time to also be working in the garden.
Show your lawn some love
Remember all too often lawns are neglected at this time of year, however by lavishing a little TLC on your lawn, it will reap benefits well into spring. It's important to apply a quality slow-release lawn food. This will allow your grass to top up its energy reserves after a long, hot summer and store some energy, improving its resilience for the winter ahead.
If your lawn is looking a little patchy after the wear and tear of summer then grab your garden fork and open that soil up before raking over some clean, dry river sand. This will open the soil up, aerating it, improving air, water and nutrient movement. Finally, make sure your lawn is getting maximum exposure to sunlight by keeping it free of falling leaves.
Start a compost heap
Autumn is a great time to be looking at establishing a compost heap. At the simplest level a compost heap needs a combination of what's often called 'green and brown' material – green, moist nitrogen-rich fresh material and brown, dry carbon-dense material – to function well. All of those diced-up fallen leaves and lawn clippings from your lawnmower are an ideal starter for a compost heap. Come spring you should have a nice pile of rich, home-brewed material ready for adding to the veggie garden.
Plant spring flowering bulbs
It's not too late to add one of the single most spectacular spring displays you could ever wish for – spring flowering bulbs. You'll find bulbs in virtually every flower colour in the rainbow in most garden retailers or online. Some of the traditional, such as jonquils, daffodils and freesias, can be left alone post-flowering to naturalise in the garden, whereas others such as tulips will need lifting and storing in all but the coolest areas.
Plant trees and shrubs
Did you know that now is one of the best times to be planting many trees and shrubs? The air and soil are still warm enough to allow for development and establishment and soil stays moist with lower evaporation, reducing stress on new plants. You may not notice much growth before winter but come spring, autumn planted shrubs and trees will take off fantastically.
Project planning
Here's a project everyone can enjoy – relaxing and observing. Now is the ideal time of year to be chilling out in your garden and thinking about the next project you may want to undertake. Many of the garden projects that require a bit of hard work are best left for the cooler months meaning now is perfect for planning and working out budgets. Looking at a new lawn? Set it out now so that in late winter you can do the spade-work to lay it as soon as the weather warms up.
Whatever your garden ambitions, now is the time to put pencil to paper and start turning them into reality for next spring.
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Source: Nicola Conville – Home Beautiful
Photo: MUILLU on Unsplash
Disclaimer: The opinions posted within this blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of CENTURY 21 Australia, others employed by CENTURY 21 Australia or the organisations with which the network is affiliated. The author takes full responsibility for his opinions and does not hold CENTURY 21 or any third party responsible for anything in the posted content. The author freely admits that his views may not be the same as those of his colleagues, or third parties associated with the CENTURY 21 Australia network.