The Fall Garden

Fall is a great time of the year for gardening. The early fall is a great time for dividing, editing, and planting new perennials and bulbs. Garden writer and author Marianne Wilburn likes to call it “The Great Transplantation.” Traditionally, fall has been the time to tidy up and close your garden for the year. Otherwise known as, “Putting Your Garden To Bed”. This concept may seem entirely outdated, and there has been some rethinking on the subject. 

Putting your garden to bed has more to do with tidiness than the garden plants themselves. Traditionally, fall was a lot colder. Now our ground temperature in Connecticut stays warm until December according to Sarah Bailey, Advanced Master Gardener and Connecticut Certified Horticulturist. Bulbs can be planted until the ground is completely frozen. Vegetable gardens can be pulled out and if not diseased, composted. 

For many of us, the biggest task in the fall is the management of fallen leaves. Author and entomologist, Dr. Doug Tallamy believes there are benefits to leaving the leaves. Leaves act as a blanket and protect soil moisture levels. Leaves help prevent soil erosion, and return nutrients to the soil. Leaves also provide habitat for species above ground and below.  It’s ok to relocate your leaves off of your grass and add them to your garden beds, compost, or make leaf mold. Leave the leaves around the trees to create soft landings. Leaves, as mentioned, can be added to existing garden beds as mulch over winter. Plants will push through the leaf litter in the spring. Mulch protects the soil but does not act as a season extender. It does not insulate the plants or help heat up the soil earlier in Spring. Compost can be added on top of the leaves in the Spring and help break down the leaves into the soil. The leaves can also be removed in Spring and added to your composting system.

Marianne Wilburn has written that “Neat doesn't necessarily mean interesting”. Seed heads and grasses can provide habitat and add visual interest in the fall and winter garden. Hylotelephium herbstfreude (Sedum “Autumn Joy”) and Achillea millefolium (yarrow) look sculptural with snow on top. World renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf believes that the garden is just as important in fall/winter as any other season and reminds us that “brown is a color.” Leaving the seed heads on Echinacea is not only beautiful but also provides some much-needed food for birds. Sarah Bailey recommends us to expand our plant “repertoire” to include some late fall and winter interest woodies such as Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea), Ilex verticillata (Winterberry) and Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel).

There is more than one way to garden. I appreciate the slower pace of the fall garden. Daylight has decreased as well as the temperatures. The task list has shortened and I am very thankful for the rain. The unheated bird bath will be put away and the tools will be cleaned and sharpened when I get to it. There is no rush and this is my kind of gardening. The vibrant colors and textures are all around us. Slow down and enjoy the fall garden.