Late Summer Garden Prep: Steps to Ensure a Vibrant Spring

August is an ideal time to start preparing your garden for next spring. A few simple steps now can improve soil health, strengthen plants before winter, and make spring planting easier.

1. Clean Up and Clear Out

• Remove dead plants to help cut down on pests and diseases that can spend the winter.
• Take out annuals and vegetables that have finished growing.
• Put nutritious plant matter into your compost heap.

2. Soil Preparation

• Test your soil so you know the pH level and nutrient content and can make appropriate adjustments.
• Spread lime in the fall to give plants a head start when they emerge next spring (soil in the Hudson Valley is generally acidic and lime acts as a neutralizer).
• Add compost or well-rotted manure for essential nutrients. The organic matter helps improve soil structure, encourages healthy root growth, and increases the soil's ability to retain water.

3. Mulch Garden Beds

• Mulch helps conserve moisture, reduces erosion, and protects the soil during the winter.
• Use organic mulch, such as shredded leaves, straw, or wood chips, at a thickness of 2 to 3 inches.

4. Prune and Divide Overgrown Perennials

• Remove dead or damaged branches from shrubs, trees, and perennials.
• Avoid heavy pruning, since it can lead to new growth that might not survive the cold weather.
• Divide perennials that are crowded, such as daylilies and hostas.
• Allow the new divisions to establish their roots before the first frost for healthier plants in the following season.

5. Evaluate Your Garden

• Look at areas that had no color, no height, or no seasonal interest this year.
• Make a note of the things that went well in your garden and the things that didn't.
• Plan further additions and redesign planting beds for next spring based on those observations.

6. Move to Fall Gardening

• Start your seasonal cleanup as summer ends.
• Plant fall vegetables and flowers to extend your harvest and add seasonal color. Decorative vegetables and other seasonal plants can also be incorporated into outdoor displays for added fall color and interest.

7. Plant Trees and Shrubs

• Fall is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs. The cool air and warm soil are generally ideal conditions to ensure growth and will give them time to develop and strengthen their root systems and store nutrients for spring growth.
• In the Hudson Valley, Rockland County, and Bergen County, plants suitable for planting in the fall include Callicarpa, Itea 'Henry's Garnet,' panicle and oakleaf hydrangeas, viburnums, holly, red maple, sugar maple, sweetgum, Japanese maple, and dogwood.

8. Plan for Next Year

• Decide what you want to plant, where it will go, and what needs to be purchased.
• To get the best results from your garden in terms of health and productivity, practice crop rotation and companion planting.

Gardeners who take a few simple steps in August can improve the health of their soil, strengthen their current plants, and be well prepared for a beautiful and productive spring garden.

Down to Earth Living Garden Center encourages customers to bring in photos of their garden or backyard, as well as images that inspire them, and speak with Down to Earth experts for personalized guidance on how to bring their visions to life. The team assists with selecting plants, shrubs, containers, and statuary to achieve the desired look. The expanded indoor plant showroom is open for the summer season, and free repotting is available with any plant or pot purchase.

Down to Earth Living, now in its 56th year, is a Garden Center serving Rockland, Bergen, and Orange counties and the Hudson Valley, offering 12.5 acres filled with perennials, flowers, shrubs, and trees, with new plants arriving weekly. The 10,000-square-foot showroom features a selection of contemporary, classic, traditional, and transitional teak, aluminum, and all-weather dining and deep-seated furniture. Located at 1040 Route 45 in Pomona, N.Y. For more information, call 845-354-8500 or visit www.dteliving.com.

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