October and November are the hardest working months in Texas Gardens.
1. Get rid of weeds by using a hand held weeder and making sure you get down deep into the tap roots. DO NOT use weed killer! The only thing I might spray on stubborn weeds that grow up in the cracks of sidewalks is straight vinager.
2. Prune back perennials and discard in yard waste any diseased or mildewed branches. Be sure to clean your pruning blades with alcohol after cutting back diseased fronds.
3. Thin out and divide perennials for re-planting or giving away. This needs to be every three years for optimum growth and flowers. Bulbs like Iris and Lilly are included in this chore.
4. Prepare and enrich existing soil with organic matter and your home-grown compost.
5. Cover composted soil with at least three inches of mulch. I use fallen leaves from my own yard and from my neighbors’ yards. I collect from the sides of the road where cars have gone over the leaves several times and broken them up. You’ll see me up and down our cul-de-sace with my trusty wheel barrow and shovel gathering free mulch.
6. Plant any new perennials or bulbs.
7. Sit back and enjoy the last flurries of butterflies before the first freeze rolls in!
Which is your favorite fall gardening chore?
The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.