While we all love our Edmonton summers, there’s so much to love about our autumns. The mosquitos disappear, the air is fresh and crisp, and it always seems to be the right weather for a stroll through the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, our landscapes are in need of an outfit change! Here are our best tips on making a graceful transition from summer to fall.
Give Your Lawn Some Love
As summer comes to an end, the things you do in your lawn now are going to start having an impact for next year. Keeping up with pulling weeds before they go to seed will dramatically reduce the number of weed seeds germinating in your spring gardens. A late-summer or early fall application of fall fertilizer, ideally a few weeks into August or early September, will help your lawn’s roots grow nice and robust. Make sure to purchase fall fertilizer, as spring fertilizer will cause your grass to overgrow and die off during the winter! Fall fertilizer, on the other hand, encourages strong roots so your lawn can survive the frozen weather. Overseeding some of the sparse areas now will also start the process of rebuilding a uniform lawn before it goes dormant for the year.
Your grass can also benefit from a little extra length around now. As each blade works hard to store energy for the winter, raise your blades a little and let the lawn go a bit longer between cuttings.
Shut Down Water Features
One of our favourite landscaping services is installing water features—they can completely transform your outdoor space! However, as soon as leaves start falling, it’ll become much more difficult to keep your water features clean. Once you start noticing floating foliage in your pond, fountain, or bubbler, it’s time to be proactive. You can either make it a routine to skim the water feature every morning or use netting or covers to guard against falling debris. A few weeks before the first frost is due, start shutting down the water feature. Drain the feature, remove and clean the pump, and thoroughly clean all the feature’s components. Lining the feature with tarp or using a cover will help prevent fall and winter debris from building up before next you open the feature next year.
Consider Planting New Trees and Shrubs
As your garden flowers begin to fade, you might notice your yard is starting to lack colour. Shrubs and trees are some of the best plants for fall colour, and the end of summer into early fall is an excellent time to plant them. Choosing varieties with rich autumn tones, like Chokecherry, Dogwood, and the more cold-hardy Maple varieties will keep your yard looking vibrant through the season.
Transition Plants Inside
If you’ve spent the summer letting your houseplants experience the outdoors or enjoying tropicals in your patio planters, it’s time to start re-introducing them to the indoors. Start as early as possible, bringing them back inside for a few hours at a time to prevent shock. Once the temperatures start dipping near freezing, you’ll be ready to pull them inside for the winter season at a moment’s notice.
Plant Fall Flowers
With cooler temperatures comes cool-weather flowers! By late summer, many of your planters are likely ready for a top-up of fresh blooms. Fall favourites like mums, asters, pansies, and violas provide a burst of warm, jewel-toned colour. Don’t shy away from ornamental grasses, either! They offer fantastic texture, many have beautiful fall tones, and they can be left standing for added interest through the winter.
Have Fun with Decor!
Once the landscape is in tip-top shape, all that’s left is to add a little personality. Door swag or autumn wreaths enhance your autumn colour palette, while covered porches can be dressed up with some wood seating and cozy textiles. Don’t forget about lighting—the sun is going to start going down earlier and earlier, so it’s a good time to add some extra lighting around pathways, garden beds, and around specimen plantings. Some white twinkle lights can look especially charming on shrubs and tree canopies.
Your summer landscape will be missed, but fall is a whole new opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors! If you’re considering a more substantial change this season, get in touch with our landscape design team to book your consultation.
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