Special from the Chicago Botanic Garden

For gardeners, Fall is the time of year for planning, preparing and delayed gratification. This month, there is much to be done in the garden -- and most of it involves ensuring the health and beauty of your garden for next spring.

Fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as:

• daffodils
• tulips
• grape hyacinths
• crocus

Why?

Planting in fall allows bulbs to develop strong roots before the ground freezes.

How to Select Bulbs

Choose bulbs that are:

• firm
• heavy
• smooth-skinned

Then, plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot, massing or clumping them for best effect. If your soil is heavy with clay, incorporate some organic material such as peat moss or compost to improve drainage, or try planting in raised beds. Water and mulch the area generously after planting.

Those Pesky Animals

Rabbits, squirrels and other small animals have been known to dig up bulbs in the spring for food. If animals have disturbed bulbs in past years, take steps to protect bulbs now.

After planting, place a layer of chicken wire in the ground above the bulbs and then replace the soil over both. The bulb's shoot can grow through the mesh, but an animal cannot dig through from above.

Here are some more garden activities that will help keep you busy in October:

• Is it time to core aerate your lawn? A core aerator inserts hollow tines into the ground, and removes plugs of soil, which then become top dressing on your lawn. This process reduces soil compaction and thatch, improves surface drainage, and should be done every two to three years.
• This is the best month to transplant or divide perennials. Think about donating your perennial divisions to a local community gardening program, or give them to gardening friends and neighbors.
• You can plant most deciduous trees this time of year, as plants begin to enter their dormant period. Wait at least a year before fertilizing a new tree. You can fertilize established trees in late fall, applying fertilizer evenly to the entire soil area of the tree's spread.
• Continue watering trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns, even if the weather is mild. Plants that are well watered will survive freezing temperatures more reliably than dry plants.

Jennifer Knights is a graduate of the University of Iowa English program, and a writer, editor and researcher with the Chicago Botanic Garden.