It may be hard to believe, but September is just around the corner.  While your yard may be in full bloom right now, it won’t be long before you’ll need to start preparing for winter.  To help you get organized for the change in seasons, we’ve come up with this September landscaping to do list.

Lawn

September is the time to aerate and dethatch your lawn.  This will allow your lawn to drain better while giving it easier access to nutrients.  A light fertilizer will help your lawn throughout the winter.  Now is also the time to plant new seed if you need it.  

Annuals And Perennials

If you like winter annuals such as ornamental kales and cabbages, pansies and snapdragons, now is the time to plant.  This is also the time to start off a new patch of peonies.  Or you can transplant existing ones as well as other perennials.  Overgrown perennials can now be divided and transplanted to make sure they don’t take over your entire garden.  Tender bulbs such as begonias, caladium and elephant ear should be dug up and stored after the first frost.  Tag any perennials before they die off so you don’t accidentally disturb them before they start growing again in the spring.

Trees And Shrubs

Autumn is the time to clean up any fallen fruit and dead trees or shrubs.  Remove any diseased limbs and dispose of properly.  This is also a good time to plant or transplant new shrubs and trees – either in the ground or into containers.

Vegetables

Now is the time to clean up your vegetable beds.  Clear away any dead or leftover vegetation.  Late season veggies can be planted or the soil should be covered with compost.  An alternative to compost is planting a green manure such as clover or legumes which can be plowed under come spring.

Pest Control

The fall is when slugs reproduce.  Look for signs of their eggs under rocks and other hiding places.  Lay down some slug pesticide now to make for a better growing season next year.  Weeds tend to store up a lot of energy during the winter, so getting rid of them now will help you next year.  Also make sure to remove them before they’re allowed to go to seed.