Fall Clean-up?

Now that the weather has turned a bit cooler, you might be eyeing your yard and garden, dreading all the cleanup that needs to happen over the next few months. But wait… does it really? Pause before you pull out the shears and trash bags.

You'll still want to pull up your spent summer annuals and veggies and replace them with cool-season color and crops, but your yard will thank you if you leave everything else alone. Those messy perennials are beneficial to local wildlife, providing shelter for insects like ground-nesting bees and giving birds seeds to eat and perches to nest or hide in. Leaving them adds winter interest to your garden when there isn't much color in the cold months, and when the snow falls, the dried-up stalks may even provide built-in insulation for the crown of the plant, keeping the roots more stable. You will want to cut back anything diseased, and preventively cut back your peonies, hostas, and garden phlox after the first hard frost. Otherwise, work with nature and leave everything else alone until spring.

Speaking of leaves, LEAVE THEM! Fallen leaves are a vital wildlife habitat. Many critters rely on leaf litter for food, shelter, and nesting material in the winter. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before they emerge in the spring. Leaving a light layer of leaves also enriches your soil with nutrients and acts as a natural insulating blanket that protects plants from freeze-thaw cycles. National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski says, "Let fallen leaves stay on your property," and I think he knows what he's talking about.

If you truly can't stand the look of an unruly yard in the winter (but let's be real, your yard probably doesn't look that great then anyway), section off an area where you can rake your leaves into a pile and keep them there instead of bagging them for the landfill. You can start a compost pile and use it in your spring garden to add essential nutrients and beneficial microbes. And consider leaving your coneflowers, ornamental grasses, and Russian sage standing throughout the winter. Plus, without all this work you’ll have more time to enjoy the lovely fall weather!

Mums vs. Asters

Chrysanthemums (mums) certainly steal the spotlight in fall gardening and landscaping. It’s no surprise as they provide bursts of seasonal color in many different options at a reasonable price. But what if there was a better option?

Mums are native to Asia and Europe. They bloom in the fall, and while some varieties are hardy in our zone 7 climate, they are usually treated as annuals once done blooming. Garden centers fill up with these plants along with fall decorations in September, and they are quickly bought up to be added to fall landscapes. 

Another similar mounded looking plant that shows up in garden centers around this time (usually even a bit earlier) is the aster. And get this - there are over 100 native asters to North America! They bloom from August through frost and since they are native plants, they provide essential late season nectar and pollen for the butterflies and bees, and are also hosts to many butterflies like crescents, checkerspots, & ladies. Asters can be grown successfully in fall planter arrangements, and as perennials* they can be planted in the ground so they come back year after year.

Native gardens are essential to the local ecosystem and wildlife, but you don’t have to change it all overnight to make a difference. Maybe this year for every 2 mums you bring home, plant 1 aster nearby. For more information on starting your native garden, read our Native Garden blog post below!

*A perennial plant is a plant that lives for more than two years and comes back to grow and bloom year after year.

Planting Perennials in the Fall

Fall is a great time to plant your perennials. With warm soil, mild air temps, and autumn rain, you have the perfect conditions for strong root development before winter sets in. Planting now may seem like a waste since the cold is creeping up on us, but it is actually ideal for growing strong, healthy plants that will thrive for years to come. Think of it like an investment in your garden, and you will still get a few months of beauty this year!

Why plant perennials in the fall? The warm soil makes it easier for roots to establish, and right now, most plants aren’t working their hardest to push out blooms, so most of the energy is going into sending these roots into the soil. The warm ground with cooler air temperatures relieves some transplant stress that may occur at other times of the year. Summer brings hot air mixed with dry, overheated soil, while spring has cooler air temps but the soil is also cold and recovering from winter. Fall typically has more consistent seasonal rainfall, and the cooler air allows the moisture to soak into the soil and help roots establish quicker. Once spring comes, the established plants will be ready to bloom early and put all of their energy towards flowers instead of settling in.

Once you pick your plants, the ideal time to plant is at least 6 weeks before the ground freezes (in our area, this is usually late December/January). Even with the heavier rainfall in the fall, be sure to water new plants deeply at the roots. Apply 2-3 inches of mulch to insulate the soil and prevent frost heaving*. And since fall planting is focusing most on root development, avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers which promote leaf growth - just stick to root-boosting fertilizers or natural soil amendments. 

Although we are holding onto the last stretch of summer, we’re excited for fall planting! It’s also a good time to divide up your established perennials (hostas, irises, daylilies, grasses, etc). Enjoy these cozier temperatures and get out in your garden!

*Frost heaving is the upward swelling and lifting of the ground surface caused when moisture in the soil freezes and expands.

Native Gardens

Recently there has been a growing interest in planting native gardens, likely due to the rising concern over the decline in bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Local wildlife has evolved with native plants, and they rely heavily on them for survival. Planting a native garden has many benefits and can be done in many ways, like dedicating a section of yard to native plants, adding in native plants to already established garden beds, or completely re-doing entire landscape designs to support native species. Any way you do it, adding native plants or a whole native garden will greatly improve your local wildlife habitat.

Since these plants grow naturally in this area, you are eliminating a lot of maintenance and work when planting natives in your garden. They require little to no fertilizer, as the nutrients they need are found naturally in the soil. Same with watering - they can likely survive on just rainfall and don’t need much additional irrigation. Additionally, native plants tend to handle more extreme weather conditions better than non-natives, as they have evolved over thousands of years with the local climate patterns. These adaptations allow them to fare better during seasonal droughts, heavy rains, and temperature swings in the area. They have also evolved to withstand local pests without needing chemical help. Once established, a native plant garden is pretty self-sufficient. 

The most important benefit of gardening with native plants is that they provide food and shelter for wildlife. Native bees, butterflies, birds, insects, and other animals get their food and fuel from native plants. From nectar and pollen to nuts and berries, native plants provide specialized food sources for local wildlife each season. For example, the purple coneflower’s summer petals attract pollinators, and when left standing in the winter its seedheads feed goldfinches and provide insect cover. The deep root systems of native plants improve local soil health and create dense structural layers. Native shrubs and dense grasses provide safe physical shelters from harsh weather and predators, and multi-tiered tree canopies allow for safe perching, roosting, and nesting. Our local wildlife quite literally needs native plants in our yards to survive and thrive!

A native garden isn’t just what you plant, but how you tend to it. Caring for a native garden means working with nature. Keeping fallen leaves and dead plant stems on the ground throughout the winter gives bees and other bugs a safe place to stay warm and rest. As mentioned previously, you likely won’t need to and should avoid using harsh chemicals and pesticides since they could harm beneficial insects too. Keep an eye on the weeds and pull invasive, non-native weeds early so they don’t take nutrients and space from the local plants. 

Ready to start your own native garden but not sure how to? A popular gardening standard for native vs. non-native is the 70/30 rule - 70% native and 30% non-invasive exotic - which was popularized by ecologist Dr. Doug Tallamy. Don’t overwhelm yourself, and start small. Learn about your local wildlife and climate, and pay attention to what is already there. Add in a few milkweed or native aster plants. Remove one or two invasive plants. Pick one section of your yard and start there first. It doesn’t take much, and soon you will have increased biodiversity and a more resilient ecosystem in your garden.

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HElpful resources:

https://njskylands.com/wildlife-insects-garden

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1140/