Tip: Once you know what you want to add, plant new perennials and shrubs in the fall, and you will have larger, stronger plants with better blossoms next spring.

(ARA) – As the crisp fall air ushers in a new season, many gardeners may be left wondering: what now? Garden experts from across the country weighed in with their tips on the best things you can do this fall for a fabulous garden next year.

Plant now, bloom later

Judy Nauseef, president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), suggests planning ahead for next spring. “Fall is the time to take stock of your garden and plan for next year,” she advises.“You can see what worked and what didn’t, where you have holes and what needs to be replaced or moved.”

If you need help assessing your garden, she recommends calling in a professional landscape designer for help. You can find one in your area at www.apld.org.

“Once you know what you want to add, plant new perennials and shrubs in the fall, and you will have larger, stronger plants with better blossoms next spring,” adds Nauseef.

Many perennials provide color through the end of the season, especially trendy grasses. For your shade garden, try Hakonechloa ‘Beni-kaze’ from Briggs Nursery for its attractive green foliage that turns brilliant red in the fall. This gorgeous flowing Japanese forest grass is stunning planted in mass with ferns, hostas or other shade-loving perennials.

Give your containers a fall facelift

By summer’s end, container plantings have often seen their day. Give your tired containers a fresh look by adding bright fall annuals and colorful foliage in bold fall colors of red, orange, deep purple and gold. There are still plenty of plants available at your local garden center that will see your containers through the cooler months of fall.

“There are plenty of pansies, mums and asters available, but don’t stop there,” says Ed Bemis, of the Massachusetts Flower Growers Association. “You can create wonderful unique fall flower pots using foliage and flowering plants in the colors of autumn.”

Some favorites are yellow, red and rust colored snapdragons that will keep blooming through a bit of frost, and orange and rust coleus.

Everything’s coming up roses

“Fall is an excellent time for planting, and roses are no exception,” says Steve Hutton, plantsman and president of Conard-Pyle Co.

“Establishing roses in the fall is easy,” adds Hutton. “The weather and soil conditions are better in the fall, as opposed to spring when it tends to be cold, muddy and wet.”

For fall color, Hutton recommends planting the new Drift groundcover roses. Continuously blooming from spring to early frost, they are naturally dwarf, with very attractive foliage. Just remember to give them plenty of water and lots of sun.

Frost protector

No matter what you’re growing, a sudden frost or freeze is deadly, spelling doom to your garden and landscape. Protect your lush flowering baskets, vegetables, herbs and favorite plants from Jack Frost with FreezePruf, new this year from The Liquid Fence Company. This non-toxic spray can increase a plant’s tolerance to cold and protect home gardens from damage caused by cold.

This means gardeners can get a couple more weeks of growing and harvesting – at least two weeks earlier in spring and two weeks later in the fall. Just imagine tomatoes in October and mums still blooming after Thanksgiving.

Deer-proof your garden

Winter months are some of the deadliest times for deer destruction in the garden. “Deer are creatures of habit and stay near a good food source – like your backyard,” says Dave Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Association. “A lush garden or lawn is a magnet for hungry deer and rabbits, especially in the winter.”

To keep deer out, look for all-natural products, like Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent, that use taste and scent aversion to turn animals off your plants and make them unappetizing to common garden-munchers.

Repellents should be applied monthly and should be reapplied after a heavy downpour of an inch or more.

Winterize your accessories
Mother Nature “naturalizes” cast stone and terra cotta garden accessories, but the harsh forces of winter can cause fine planters, birdbaths and statuary to crack and crumble.

According to the “garden accessory connoisseurs” at Campania International, a little care will help your garden “art” last for generations.

Cast stone planters and statuary should be raised off any surface which freezes and thaws. Terra cotta planters, which can absorb moisture and are subject to winter freeze-thaw cycles, should be stored indoors for winter.

If your planters are left planted outside over the winter, raise them off the ground so they will drain and not freeze to the surface. To winterize both cast stone and terra cotta accessories, simply place them on two pressure-treated wood strips, making sure not to block the drainage hole.

For birdbaths and fountains, bring tops in for the winter. All bases, bench legs and statuary should be raised up off the ground, so as not to freeze to the ground’s surface.

Remember, fall is for more than watching football games and raking leaves. It’s the best time to protect your investment, so you can have a glorious spring garden.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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I find that I tend to gather ideas like that.  Passing by a house and seeing how well an idea works for them that I feel the need to rush out and copy it.  This idea was very simple and made use of cinder blocks and impatients.

The owners of the house had created two large flower beds on either side of the stairs leading up to the front yard, something that tends to be pretty standard for a lot of homes.  Instead of relying on a simple plant to create the boarder of the flower bed, the person took regular cinder blocks and placed them along the flowerbeds with the hollow portion of the blocks facing up.

A passerbyer would only see the dark grey stone and the flowers and shrubbery that peeked over the top of the stones and alone it might not have been that interesting.  That is if they had kept to just the border.  Instead, they took the cinder blocks and built up a mini stair case going up the sides of the stairs in an interlocking pattern.  Once the blocks were in place, the cinder blocks were filled with soil, and an impatient was placed into each one to create a boarder/planter out of each block.  The effect was amazing and it really made me think of different ways to use this little idea.

I felt the overwhelming need to share so that is what I did.  Lately, I have seen a big move to living mosses on stairs but this took the idea to a new level and instead of having to worry about moss tripping guests, the homeowner was able to create a different sort of steps leading to the house and also create a frame for the garden around the front door.

So if you are looking for an inventive way to do your edging, I would strongly suggest cinder blocks and a nice flower that can rest securely in each one.

Sirena Van Schaik

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Hidden treasures are really what brings a landscaping design together. Sure you can make a pretty spectacular landscape with large bold statements that can be seen by all but it lacks a special something that personalizes the whole space. There are many ways to add hidden treasures in your landscaping ideas and these can be:

• Vases or urns: Hide them in plain sight or in places where no one will even think to look. I came across one home that had urns filled with brightly colored flowers tucked beneath some vibrant green foliage. A quick glance didn’t really show the layers of textures and colors but when you sat down in the space, you picked out the subtler details and the effect was beautiful.
• Secret Gardens: Mini gardens or little oasis in your landscaping plans are excellent ideas too. This can be extravagant to something as simple as a small bird feeder or bird bath nestled into a shady spot under a cove of small trees. A person jogging down the walkway may not notice this little oasis but if he was meandering, he might be surprised by this little secret world that you created in amongst your greenery.
• Add some exotics: Having a few rare blooms or greenery can also be a nice touch. Not everyone will get the rarity but for those who do, you will enjoy surprised exclamations when they notice the little treat.
• Personalize: A few personal touches, things that you love can be a great way to add a hidden treasure to your garden. This could be with stepping stones, wind chimes, candles or anything else that would be a treasure to you. I know when I was about 10, my dad and I went on a hunting trip in British Columbia where I grew up. We were passing this huge field that sloped down the side of a mountain when I had this urge to go for a hike. My dad grumbled about it but climbed out thinking that maybe I saw a deer and didn’t tell him (I did that a lot on hunting trips). We didn’t find any deer but what we did find was this breathtaking boulder that had split completely in the middle. I had him lug this 40 pound rock back up the side of the mountain and when we got home it found a cherished space in one of our flower beds. It became a hidden treasure with a personal story and even when we sold the house, we took that rock with us.

And there are a few ways to add hidden treasures to your landscaping ideas.

Sirena Van Schaik

Photo Credit 

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One of the great things about container gardening is the wide variety of items that can be used as containers. Many of the items can be found around the house or even purchased from thrift stores. Old washtubs, and even filing cabinets laid on their sides and removed of their drawers (which can also be used as containers) make great containers. You can even cut the tops off of milk cartons and use the bottom sections as planters. These everyday items can be attractively decorated to look nice.

In addition to converting things like coffee cans and old shoes into fun and cute flower and herb holders, there are plenty of more traditional planters and containers that can be incorporated into an attractive landscape design. Clay pots and large urns make attractive holders, and the urns can even be used to hold vegetables. Additionally, container gardening is not limited to the ground. Hanging baskets bought at the store make excellent additions to any landscape. Plus, they can be hanged from the house, the porch, and even from tree branches and along fences. These baskets create little bursts of color no matter where they are. Window boxes are also attractive variations on container gardening and can add a great deal to the look of a home.

Containers make great accents as well as being practical and money saving. They can be just as beautiful to look at as the rest of the landscape design elements. Indeed, container gardening is a great way to enjoy the benefits of having a garden without as much backbreaking labor. Weeds cannot work their way into the containers, and if you have the right depth of container it is possible to have very healthy plants with strong roots, making them resistant to disease and pests. Additionally, flowers in containers are well protected from cutworms and from rodents who may burrow into the root system. Containers are excellent sources of protection for many plants.

In order to ensure that your container-based landscape is a success, it is important that you make sure that your plants do not need an extensive root system. Most flowers, even perennials, are fine in most containers. Even many vegetables are fine in coffee tins and washtubs. Corn can easily be planted in the filing cabinet lying down, and most drawers are plenty deep for tomatoes. Lettuce is a vegetable with a fairly shallow root system, and peppers have requirements that are very easy to meet with containers. Make sure, before planting, that your container is adequate for the needs of your plants. Herbs, of course, can thrive in just about any size of container, and many of them can even be grown inside the house (near a sunny window, of course).

Fill the containers with potting soil or garden soil. These soils are rich in nutrients and can provide your plants with the food they need. It is even possible to mix in a little organic compost for added nutrition. You will need to water your plants occasionally, but because your plants are enclosed in the container, there is no need to water them as often as plants in the ground. This is because the container will help retain moisture, and there is no drainage. Rather, you need to be careful not to over water your container garden.

Making use of a container garden is a great way to save time and money in your landscaping. It is also a creative way to display your plants and even to grow your food. And, if you have a small amount of space, container gardening can allow you to have a variety of plants that you might not otherwise have room for.

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