From gardens to forests, a Tennessee fall is a blaze of colors.

Fall Gardening Tips

Prepare

• Plan your landscaping in September and gather your supplies for October and November planting. This means trees, bulbs, more.
• Fertilize roses one last time before winter.
• Sketch out your spring bulb gardens with varying heights and bloom times in mind. Buy those bulbs in September, but don't plant them until October.
• Dig up tender bulbs such as caladium and dahlias. Put them into storage for next year. Bring in aquatic plants.
• Collect seeds from both perennials and annuals as they die back. Label and store them for spring.
• Compost annuals and leaves.
• De-thatch and aerate the lawn. Fertilize to improve thickness and color of the grass. Raise the cutting height of Zoysia and bermuda grass to protect it from cold-weather damage.
• Add organic compost to gardens and aerate the compost pile.
• Harvest herbs for pesto and/or freezing.

Prune

• Cut away dead and diseases canes from rose bushes and prune the ramblers.
• Root prune wisteria if it hasn't been blooming.
• Cut back flowers that are still blooming and dry them for fall bouquets.
• Remove dead and lower limbs from trees.

Plant

• Plant the big stuff (trees and shrubs) in October. Fall is the best time to plant trees or shrubs in Tennessee, giving them time to establish themselves over the winter.
• Divide and transplant perennials as they die back in the fall. Label any new plantings and keep them watered.
• Plant any late season annuals and vegetables. Dianthus, pansies, snapdragons, kale and cabbage are good choices for fall color. Now is the time to plant radishes, spinach, lettuce, broccoli and other cool season vegetables.
• If you plan to reseed your lawn, do so by mid-October. Seed and mulch bare spots.