I have been trying to get my yard ready for fall my it have been raining here and cool for September lik 58. I hope that October is going to be better. We have had about 10 inches of rain this whole summer from July thru September. I hope october is nice with the fall leaves and my hardy mums in my yard which I planted in August.

Hi,
I agree, cool damp drizzly weather does not inspire me to do yard clean up, much.
Although- sometimes I like raking leaves when they're damp because then they go in the compost wetted and I feel like they'll get started on decomposing.
Rain makes weeds easier to pull, but too wet means my gloves get wet and hands get muddy and that gets tiresome. I'm picky

I did a bit of weeding yesterday, and just cutting the dead flower stalks off the various hostas. I have one more row of those to do today. I really have minimal work for the perennials. I do want to put some compost over the perennials this fall, I usually leave up the dead flowers and foliage for the insects and critters. But I do cut the hostas along one fence to the ground because they're in a place where they catch every leave that blows through the yard.

The bulk of my fall work comes when it's time to take down all the planters. That usually takes 4 weeks because only so much fits into the yard waste bins, and I put 5 of them out weekly. And of course I wait until the last minute to start, I just can't bring myself to take any down while they're still blooming... I wait until the frost gets them.

And I was surprised to see mushrooms in the grass after I cut it yesterday. Yes, we've been getting a decent amount of rain lately.

The weather is more tolerable this week but the rain revived the mosquitoes

Good luck, everyone! It sounds like there are challenges all over.

I have things I need to do to prep to bring all of my potted plants in but although it hasn't rained since around the first of August, there are so many mosquitoes, I don't even care about the plants right now. I went out earlier even though it was almost 90 with long sleeves, long pants, socks, and a hat but mosquitoes were biting my hands so much I only lasted about 3.5 minutes before I came back in in extreme frustration. Looks like it will be one of those years when it's hot until suddenly there's a few days of solid rain, preventing outdoor activities, immediately followed by frost and I'll be bringing wet, drippy plants inside without getting to rinse off the sand and remove the fallen tree leaves from the nooks & crannies.

As we only have perennials, there's little to do in the way of preparation for the cold months. Vegetables come from Waitrose.
Here in the bottom of the garden the only difference will be that the two acer palmatums the little acer in the bottom bed, the sambucas and the wisteria on the side fence will lose their leaves.
The several azaleas, rhodos and the bamboo along the back fence will not look any different.






At the top of the garden, once the wisteria leaves have gone and the roses have lost theirs, there will be little to do.






I'll swop the four hebes in these troughs.



For these heathers in front of the summerhouse, which will give us a bit of colour in the spring.



Leaf collection from this and the other four wisterias will be a big job. But as soon as they "turn," I'll help them along by pruning them off. They get their main prune between Christmas and New Year.



As will those from this acer and a couple of viburnums in the small front garden.

The several azaleas and two rhodos, will keep their leaves.



Once the leaves on the acer have gone, I'll give it its annual prune where I take around six inches to a foot off it all round, as we don't like it getting any taller or wider than this.

wow, Doghouse. You've really designed a very nice garden and your fall cleanup sounds manageable.

sallyg said: wow, Doghouse. You've really designed a very nice garden and your fall clean up sounds manageable.

Thanks for the kind words.
It's very much a spring garden.