MAROON -- With their colorful and numerous blooms, fall mums are an easy way to make a big landscape impact. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman) Alt text -- Maroon and white flowers cover a carpet of green foliage. ###
Planning
- Build or buy a compost bin in anticipation of autumn leaves.
Planting
- Plant cool season vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, and English peas.
- Sow hardy annuals: sweet alyssums, calendulas, annual pinks, snapdragons, sweet peas.
- Sow rye grass seed in winter lawns (only when necessary).
Fertilizing
- Stop feeding mums when the buds start showing color.
- Don’t fertilize ornamentals after August 15.
Miscellaneous
- Apply pre-emerge herbicide to the lawn for winter weed prevention.
- Turn your compost pile.
- Propagate by layering: Scrape the underside of a strong branch, bend it down to the ground, cover with soil, and weigh down with a brick. Check for roots after 3 months.
- Pick flowers in bloom and dry them for future arrangements. Bundle flowers together and hang them upside-down in a dry, sheltered area.
- Repot houseplants. Prune away damaged foliage and apply fertilizer.
Blooming
- Cannas, cosmos, copper plants, marigolds, periwinkles, salvias, ageratums, coleus, asters, celosias, chrysanthemums, coral vines, ginger lilies, morning glories, petunias, phlox, rattle boxes, spider lilies, torenias, vincas.
Fruiting
- Golden raintrees, beautyberries, dogwoods, ginkgos, pyracanthas.
