Fall (September - November)

• See Guidelines for Throughout the Year
• Buy trees noted for fall color when color is showing
• Plant California natives
• Cut back and divide many perennials to 3" by end of October (Nepeta, Erigeron, Iberis, daylilies) except for grasses which can add winter interest
• Install new sod
• Remove old leaves and debris under ornamental plants to discourage overwintering of pests and compost (Allow leaves in native setting to provide natural mulch)
• Prune deciduous trees (including fruit trees) and shrubs in August or September while food storage is at its maximum to control size
• Fertilize (see Fact Sheet)

September Back to Top

• See General Guidelines appearing before the month by month section
• Fertilize
• Wash off plants with a hose spray
• Replenish mulch if less than 1½" deep
• Shop for bulbs and refrigerate if necessary although some professionals find refrigeration unnecessary. For an excellent local source of pre-refrigerated, finest quality bulbs, call Marde Ross 326-5355
• Plant new lawns
• Plant California natives when weather turns cool
• Plant cool season vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, carrots, lettuce, parsley, chard, chives, radishes, spinach, sugar peas, onions)
• Encourage a final rose bloom by removing spent flowers, feeding and watering
• Revitalize lawns later this month: rake, reseed bare spots and keep moist, cover with compost, feed, and aerate (once per year in cool season - now or spring)
• To keep roses blooming, cut spent flowers back to 5-leaflet leaves where there is a flower bud
• Cut back perennials
• Divide over-crowded perennials
• General garden clean up

October Back to Top

• See General Guidelines appearing before the month by month section
• Plant winter annuals such as: Iceland poppies, sweet peas, forget-me-nots, primroses, cyclamen, violas, pansies
• Plant California natives when rains are predicted
• To keep roses actively blooming, trim off spent flowers and cut back to 5-leaflet leaves where there is a flower bud; stop pruning roses at the end of the month to force dormancy.
• Good time to plant sod lawns; now or in the spring, aerate and de-thatch lawns
• Fertilize lawns

November Back to Top

• See General Guidelines appearing before the month by month section
• Fertilize
• Fall cleanup: pull faded summer annuals and vegetables
• Plant spring flowering bulbs. Add 1t bonemeal to soil in each hole. Its high phosphorous content contributes to root growth.
• Rake leaves, and prune dead or broken branches from trees and shrubs
• Spray nectarine and peach trees with fixed copper or lime sulfur to prevent peach leaf curl
• Spray deciduous plants with a dormant spray such as Sunspray Horticultural Oil at the rate of 2t per gallon of water this month to kill overwintering pests
• Divide perennials that are overgrown
• Fasten climbers to protect against wind damage
• Replenish mulch is necessary