Autumn Leaves on Autumn Breeze – HSG Newsletter
It's happening! Do you feel it in the breeze? The foggy mornings? The cool nights?
Fall is so close that we can practically taste it!
Important surveys are taking place on our office whiteboard: Apple Cider or Pumpkin Spice? Or Hot Cocoa, of course, a late addition but still a valid member of the hot beverage lineup.
Out in the field, we are knocking out major projects left and right and our crews are putting in major sweat equity to create some incredible transformations. Keep an eye on our social media for astounding Before-and-Afters!
Our Account Management team is crisscrossing the Twin Cities doing consultations for future projects heading into winter, yes, we're already starting to fill in our earliest installations for next season! If you have thoughts on additional projects you'd like help with, give us a shout!
Do You Remember: You Need to Water Until December!
The onset of fall means our landscapes are headed in the direction of dormancy but will be following the cues of nature rather than the calendar. Seasonal shifts can come early or late, they can coincide with significant dates (Hello, Halloween Blizzard of '91!), and they can take us by surprise. As plants, especially trees and shrubs, prepare for dormancy, they need to have enough water to stay healthy through the winter. Evergreen shrubs and trees are especially affected by dry conditions heading into winter dormancy. Check out our blog for tips on successful watering strategies for the late season!
What’s Growing On: Fall Décor and More!
Falling leaves pave a gorgeous carpet across the yard and garden. While we are working in your gardens, we will be utilizing leaf blowers and rakes to collect excess leaf debris. Please take a few minutes during these coming days to note where you have any fragile décor items, irrigation lines, or other tripping or breaking hazards that may be obscured by thick layers of leaves. We would recommend removing fragile décor items and storing them for winter before the major leaf fall occurs.
Wrapping Up for Winter: Winter Protection & Insulation
As the temperatures cool, it's time to look ahead to getting things wrapped up for winter, quite literally. Winter Protection and Insulation are services that protect the investments you've made in your landscape, be it newly installed perennials or larger shrubs and trees that are particularly attractive to critters. Check out our blog for more information on this important service that can protect your landscape going into another magnificent MN winter.
October Maintenance vs Fall Cleanup: What’s the Big Deal?
When considering the view out the window, it can feel like autumn is almost over and winter is almost here. But there are realistically several more weeks of garden season to enjoy. Notice how there are leaves dropping from some trees, while others are still solid green? Nothing in nature happens all at once.
October Maintenance visits are a precursor to Fall Cleanups, not an alternative. Our maintenance services all year long operate on a phased approach, and October is a perfect opportunity to get some initial debris cleanup done while also having ideal conditions for tasks like splitting & transplanting existing plants to refresh tired perennials and crowded garden spaces.
Once Fall Cleanup is well and truly on us, we can focus on getting things tidied up for winter while still maintaining important habitat for pollinators that overwinter here, as well as food for birds and other foragers that make winter in Minnesota full of life!
Fall Consults for Spring Projects
As the traditional growing season is winding down, there is a logical shift in perspective to keep looking to the future. The oncoming winter is a great opportunity to make plans for the future of your landscape! Taking a few minutes now to consider how your garden has functioned for you this year can pay dividends in the long run. If you have a need for design services, our account managers have space this fall to do site visits and start the process to get you on our list for next spring's earliest installs!
Plant of the Month: Purple Dome Asters
If you are tired of buying annual mums every fall only to have them bloom and fade in a week or less, consider native perennial aster as an alternative! Purple Dome Aster is a cultivar of native asters that creates a tidy mound of flowers similar to mums in the perennial garden. Asters are one of the latest sources of nectar in the garden, providing necessary forage for native pollinators that overwinter in leaf litter and shallow burrows underground.
Shrub of the Month: Clethra Summersweet
An underutilized flowering landscape shrub that performs well in part shade, Clethra Summersweet boasts lovely spires of fragrant blooms in late summer followed by gorgeous golden fall color. This medium-sized shrub has some site-specific needs, such as preferring acidic conditions and being a particularly tasty treat for foraging rabbits and deer. But a little bit of maintenance goes a long way in rewarding you with gorgeous masses of flowers that simply cannot be beaten.
The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer.
One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider.
We always appreciate your recommendations to local friends and family, as our small company relies on word-of-mouth for much of our business. Thank you for your continued support!
Wishing you sunny days and crisp breezes!
The Home Sown Gardens Team