Fall is here and it is time to put the garden to 'bed' for the winter. Here are some things that should be done to get the garden ready for the dormant season.

Clean up vegetable gardens and annual flower beds. First, harvest all usable vegetables and annual flowers. Then, leftover debris can be tilled into soil or placed into the compost pile. Be sure to clean up weeds as they can harbor diseases and insects. Add compost and other organic material to enrich the soil for next season. Mulch beds to prevent erosion during winter

Clean up perennial flower beds. Again, remove weeds that may harbor diseases and insects. After we have a couple of frosts, mulch the perennial bed (about 2 inches of mulch is enough). Plants can be cut back now or in early spring, depending on when you have time. Some plants provide seeds for the birds in winter and you may want to wait until spring to cut these back.

Tree and shrub maintenance. Prune trees after they go dormant (lose their leaves) or in early spring. Do not prune evergreens at this time. Prune late summer and fall flowering shrubs after they go dormant. DO NOT prune spring flowering shrubs in fall (they already have their flower buds). Instead, prune them in spring when they are done flowering. Trees and shrubs can be fertilized after they go dormant (October) or in spring. Continue regular watering as long as ground is not frozen, especially on evergreens as they will continue to lose water through their needles.

October

• clean garden tools before you put them away for the winter
• be sure garden chemicals and fertilizers are stored properly for the winter

November

• if the ground is still not frozen, keep watering evergreens
• store seeds in paper bags or envelopes in the refrigerator. Be sure they are dry before storing.
• Cut small branches from your evergreens to use as holiday
• decorations. Put them in water to keep them fresh; replace as they dry out.

Need to find a place to buy pumpkins?:
www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins/index.html

Want to select a good poinsettia?:
www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/poinsettia/index.html

Enjoy Fall!!
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fallcolor/

Every year, the question comes up, "Can I use my fall leaves as mulch?" Most of the time the answer is 'yes'.

Many types of leaves do well as mulch. Look for leaves that are a little stiff and do not break down easily. They usually last all winter. Also if the leaves tend to curl up a bit, they allow air to get into the soil. Some leaves, like red and sugar maple, tend to stay flat. They stack up and hold water, sometimes leading to a soil that is too wet in late fall and early spring.

Some people are afraid to use oak leaves and evergreen needles as mulch. They are concerned that they will make the soil too acid. This is really not a problem. These leaves will not cause any drastic change in soil acidity. Also, the soils in northern Illinois tend to be a bit too alkaline, so if any acidification does occur it will be a good thing.

Paperwhites are a type of narcissus that don't need any winter chilling. Take a shallow pan or bowl and fill it with pebbles, gravel or marbles. Fill the pan with water, so that the water line is to the top of the pebbles. Then simply place the paperwhite bulbs on top of the pebbles. Stand them close together, so they are almost touching. You may want to nestle the bulbs into the pebbles a bit so the bottom of the bulb makes contact with the water.

Within a couple of days you will see roots and then shoots forming. Flowers should be seen in about 4-5 weeks. While the bulbs are sprouting and growing, keep them in a cool room and keep the water level up to the bottom of the bulbs. Keep the bulbs in bright, but indirect light. When they are kept in low light, the foliage tends to get very tall and floppy.

Paperwhite bulbs are usually available in stores in November and December. Buy several and start a group each week to extend the time of blooming. Paperwhites are extremely fragrant and their scent can fill a room. The blooms are generally white or yellow. The white flowered type have a very strong, almost overwhelming scent. The yellow flowered types smell very sweet. Paperwhite bulbs should be discarded after bloom.

As November rolls around and we look forward to the beginning of the holiday season, we may start planning for a fresh-cut Christmas tree. A trip to the Christmas tree farm is often a tradition that follows directly after Thanksgiving.

To get the most out of your Christmas tree, consider waiting a couple of weeks longer to make that trip. Fresh cut trees can be hard to keep fresh and cutting the tree closer to Christmas will insure a fresher, safer tree when the big day arrives.

As Thanksgiving arrives, the holiday plants do too. Just a couple of note on buying and caring for them.

Buy early to get fresh plants that will flower longer.

Buy plants with more buds than open flowers for a longer flowering time.

Keep holiday plants in a cool room to keep flowers fresh longer.