We have also received a shipment of very nice 1 gallon conifers- some very unusual and interesting choices for your cool-season planters or landscape (start small and save!).

 

• Trim back leggy annuals to encourage bushy new growth if you plan to keep them until frost.  Dead-head blooming annuals for renewed bursts of color.
• Dig up, divide and replant perennials if needed.
• Plant fall perennials such as mums, aster, sedum, ornamental grasses, heuchera, astilbe, autumn and holly ferns.
• Dead-head knock-out roses to encourage blooms through most of November!
• Prune dead, diseased or broken branches from trees and shrubs.  Avoid pruning trees and shrubs heavily now, as this could encourage new growth that might be damaged by an early cold snap.
• Apply fertilome All Seasons with Barricade (red and yellow bag) to zoysia, bermuda and st. augustine lawns.
• Pull weeds from your garden beds.  Cut down on future weeding chores by pulling up warm-season weeds before they set seed and cool-season weeds as they begin to germinate.
• Fall can be a very dry season, so even though temperatures begin to drop be diligent about keeping all your plantings well-watered.
• Certain insects and diseases overwinter in plant debris and mulch.  Remove dead plant material and old mulch, and replace with fresh, before planting for fall and winter.

 
If you don't already own it, Southern Living's Garden Problem Solver is a must-have* for gardeners to identify and learn how to deal with the most common garden pests in the south.  Peruse the "Bugs and Other Critters" chapter and you'll be surprised how many beneficial insects call your garden home.  Beneficials are insects that actually prey on harmful ones, pollinate plants or break down dead and decaying material; they are the soldiers and the workhorses of your landscape.  By learning to identify the good guys you can encourage and benefit from their presence and become more mindful of applying insecticides, which kill both the bad and the good guys. 

 

How can you be mindful of beneficial insects and get help from insecticides when infestations occur?  First, identify the pest so you can use the correct insecticide and not apply unecessary chemicals to your garden.  Some insects have impermeable scales or covers, may be present in large numbers or may hide on the undersides of leaves, rendering a contact insecticide ineffective (use a systemic insecticide instead).  According to the Garden Problem Solver, healthy plants are less susceptible to insect infestations.  If given proper light, water, nutrients and pruning your plants are less likely to need a chemical intervention.

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