The kids are back in classes, and there’s a quiet crispness to the morning air that’s hard to ignore. Autumn is here — or it’s just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start considering what you need to get done in your yard before the snow arrives. Like spring, fall can be a busy time in a gardener’s life. Here are a few autumn clean up tasks you won’t want to forget!

Fall Clean Up.

With all the leaves tumbling to the ground, one of your first chores will be evaluating how deep the fallen foliage is. A thin layer of leaves is good for your lawn. You can mulch the leaves with your lawn mower, and they’ll compost adding nutrients to your soil. However, if you have many trees and a thick layer of leaves, you’ll need to grab the rake. Excess leaves can go in your personal or city compost bin.

Speaking of compost, now is the perfect time to add extra nutrients to your vegetable garden or flower beds. Just remove any unnecessary plant detritus and till the soil with aged compost or your prefered fertilizer.

There’s Mulch to Do!

Calgary’s climate means our long winter is punctuated by chinooks. This welcome relief from winter unfortunately leads to a freeze-thaw cycle that damages your trees and shrubs. A layer of mulch helps to insulate the soil around your plants, preventing sharp changes in soil temperature and protecting your trees. Freshening your mulch in the fall also adds new texture and colour to your yard for the winter. Curb appeal often suffers in the cold months, and yards can look a little barren. A new layer of mulch can help.

Work with a Professional.

There are many yard chores that need to get done before winter arrives. Gutters need to be cleared, trees and shrubs pruned, beds tilled, and your lawn weeded, aerated, fertilized, and mowed. If you have fragile perennials or trees, they need to be wrapped. Your annuals need to be cut back, and the fallen leaves need to be mulched or composted. With so much on the to do list, we recommend working with a professional Calgary landscaper. Our expert team can take care of the chores while you spend the last warm days of September doing things that really matter — like a last bike ride or hike with your family.

Would you rather be doing anything other than yard work for the next month? Let the Calgary landscaping professionals at Five Star give you a hand. Call us today, so you can check off your entire fall clean-up list in a two minute phone call — (403) 203-4058.