It’s slowly but surely cooling off in Wisconsin. As we enter into fall there are a lot of things left to be done in our yards while the soil is still warm and plants can begin to take root - including adding new shrubs and trees and moving around some of our existing plants.
Melinda Myers is a gardening expert and the author of many books on the subject, including Small Space Gardening and Midwest Gardener’s Handbook. She shares her tips for fall planting.
"For those of us that are procrastinators, this was a great year to procrastinate with the hot dry summer, fall is always a good time to plant but especially this year ... the soil is warm, the air is starting to cool - perfect for the gardener."
While Myers suggests waiting until after fall to remove outgrown or struggling areas, fall is still a good time to remove some plants.
"After things are dormant is a good time to do some trimming. I'm a fan of late winter, early spring because you know if there's been winter damage or animals have done some munching. You can take care of correcting that, see what's left and do your pruning," Myers explains.
Myers also says that fall can be a good time to stock up before winter sets in. She points out that many garden centers restock their nursery during this time with a lot of variety.
"We're looking at our landscape now going, 'oh there's an empty spot there, I wish I would have had more shade or color in this corner'. And so it's a good time because the season is so fresh in our mind still happening that you know where you want to make some additions. So it's a great time from weather standpoint, and also planning and implementing," says Myers.
