Autumn has finally rolled around and as much as we might enjoy the scenery and vibe of this cozy season, some landscaping and gardening work needs to be done in order to keep our outdoor space looking vibrant and attractive. Read on for six tips on how to make your garden remain bright and lively during the fall season.
Spruce up your garden with gorgeous autumnal plants
The fastest and easiest way to make your garden look more lively is to add a couple of autumnal plants. Perfect for adding pops of color to your outdoor space, incorporating fall-blooming flowers into your exterior design will brighten up your garden and make it look warm and inviting. Plants such as violas, pansies, and bulbs will enhance your natural setting while coneflowers will thrive in gardens that are exposed to lots of natural light.
However, it would be best to consult with your local garden center to see when it is the best time to plant according to your geographical location. It’s best to stick with late bloomersthat usually flourish in your zone.
Design a cozy and inviting setting in your garden patio
Many gardens are accompanied by patios – they are the perfect extensions of the home and often act as outdoor dining rooms. Autumnal al fresco dining experience can be easily enhanced with the help of cozy, comfortable outdoor furnishings and a variety of textiles and decor. Design a warm and welcoming setting using functional furniture made from durable materials to ensure they last you longer, and add a couple of throw pillows, an area rug, and a cozy blanket to create an at-home appeal in your garden patio.
As for the color palette, take a cue from nature and incorporate warmer tones such as Merlot red, chestnut brown, creamy yellow, and burnt orange into your color story, but don’t shy away from Pantone-approved crabapple, Tyrian purple, fruit dove, and bluestone either. When the sun goes down, make sure there are cozy lighting fixtures that will help create a pleasant ambiance in your outdoor lounge.
Choose durable, budget-friendly materials for your garden pathways
Another way to give your home’s exterior a fresh, new look would be to install pathways that will merge with the rest of your landscape design while also further enhancing it. Decorative concrete is one of the most popular budget-friendly materials you can use for your garden pathways as it ensures optimal performance and a rather quick installation. This durable material comes in a variety of design patterns, colors, and textures so you can easily customize it until it perfectly fits into your exterior design. By implementing concrete into your outdoor space, you don’t have to worry about replacing it for a long time, which makes it a permanent solution for a classic, timeless outdoor appeal.
Take some time to give your lawn some TLC
While they might be easier to maintain during spring and summer as it’s the time when they are brighter and look healthier overall, lawns do require some additional TLC when the temperatures plummet during autumn. Other than being kept free of fallen leaves, your lawn will also need to be fertilized, and autumn is the right time to do it.
Composts are natural and organic fertilizers, so gather the food scraps, garden debris, and fallen leaves and put them to work. You should also consider aerating your lawn since the perforation will allow for the air, as well as nutrients and water, to penetrate into the soil and reach grass roots, resulting in a lively, vital lawn.
Prune your trees, shrubs, and hedges to keep them healthy and beautiful
Pruning is an essential component of maintaining healthy and beautiful trees, shrubs, and hedges, and caring for them can bring a substantial return when it comes to your property’s value. Aside from that, well-maintained greenery helps increase your home’s curb appeal, not to mention how pruning promotes crop growth (if you have fruit trees). Improve the health of your trees, shrubs, and hedges by eliminating dead branches, removing the thickest ones first. This will allow for the revitalization of the plants and encourage growth, but it’ll also keep fungal and bacterial infections at bay.
Consider building a garden bed
Autumn is the perfect period for building new garden beds because when spring rolls around, you can skip the preparations and go straight to seed planting. Whether you’re looking for a way to introduce a new focal point to your garden or plan on growing vegetables, garden beds are a backyard feature you should consider implementing. Rely on quality soil to ensure proper nutrition for the plants’ growth, and keep in mind the space, the shade, and the amount of sunlight and water your plants will need when choosing the location for your garden bed.
We all want to keep our gardens from fading as long as possible. Even as harsh winter approaches, these six tips will help you maintain a gorgeous, lovely fall garden before the first snowfall.
By Mike Johnston