Your clients may think that once summer ends, their landscape is done for the year. But a little care and maintenance in the fall can go a long way. Our fall landscaping checklist will help you prepare your Ulster County, NY, clients’ landscapes for winter and ensure healthy spring growth. Visit our plant nursery to fulfill all your fall planting needs.
Add Fall Color
Planting fall flowers will keep a landscape vibrant as the temperatures start to cool. While both perennials and annuals can bring fall color to a flower bed, annuals often offer the most vibrant hues. Our plant nursery features flowers for each season, which helps take the guesswork out of selecting the right plants for the time of year.
Related: Our Garden Center’s Tips for Beautiful Raised Planting Beds in the Ulster County, NJ, Area
Flowering perennials that can survive early frost, including Chrysanthemums, Black-eyed Susans and Celosia, all provide much-needed color with their fall flowers. Non-flowering plants such as blueberry bushes, kale and sedum can also bring gorgeous fall colors as their leaves change in cooler temperatures. The addition of fall-friendly annuals such as marigolds, pansies and snapdragons can also add bright pops of color for a lively fall landscape.
Plant Spring Bulbs
Fall is also the time to prepare your clients landscape for early spring. The best way to ensure vibrant, early spring colors is to plant spring bulbs in the fall. Early bloomers such as tulips and daffodils can be planted in the fall, provided they are protected from frost, but wait until spring to plant summer-blooming bulbs like dahlias and gladiolus.
High-quality bulbs are the key to successful spring flowers. Start by selecting the best bulbs at the E.P. Jansen plant nursery. Look for bulbs that are plump and firm and avoid those that are soft and mushy. Also look for large bulbs which generally offer more blooms than smaller bulbs.
Plant Trees and Shrubs
Planting trees and shrubs in the fall when the soil is still warm and moist but the air is cool allows them to establish a strong root system. When preparing trees and shrubs for fall planting, it’s important to consider future growth. The hole should be 2-3 times as wide and just as deep as the root ball of the plant. The experts at our plant nursery can verify the mature size of plants so you know how much space to leave for expansion.
Related: 5 Beautiful Edible Landscaping Plants from Our Nursery in the Ulster County, NY, Area
Prepare Existing Plants for Winter
A little extra care will help existing plants survive the winter and ensure they look their best come spring. Use burlap to wrap cold-sensitive plants such as roses and delicate shrubs, as well as new evergreens and any plants that are in close proximity to roads and sidewalks that use road salts. A fresh layer of mulch will also help protect plant roots over the winter.
To lessen damage to trees and shrubs over the winter, trim dead or damaged limbs before they are weighed down by snow and ice. Fall is also the time to cut back and divide perennials. Removing excess foliage gives the plant more energy for root production and will result in heartier plants in the spring.
Plan or Start Hardscaping Projects
Fall is the perfect time to complete hardscaping projects. Our stoneyard is less busy after the summer construction season has slowed, and supply is more readily available. And working on labor-intensive masonry projects is much more enjoyable in cooler temperatures. Your clients’ landscapes will also suffer less damage from heavy equipment and supplies when the ground is not soft and wet.
