While the peak of the summer has passed it's not winter yet! There is still plenty of fun to be had in the garden, on the patio, and around the fire. However, it's not too soon to start thinking about fall maintenance for your landscape. Plan ahead and take care of these chores in the fall to give your backyard a head start next spring.

Lawn

• Mid-late September is a great time to over-seed your lawn. Over-seeding an established lawn once or twice will yield little germination. However, continual fall over-seeding practices yield a healthier turf even with minimal germination.
• Core aerification of turf is one of the best ways to reduce thatch and compaction, and increase the health of the turf.
• Cut your turf short on your last mowing of the season to help reduce the chance of snow mold.

Garden

• Early fall is the best time to divide perennials that bloom in the spring and summer.
• Fall is the time to plant tulip bulbs. Get them in the ground in October and watch them grow in the spring!
• Prune perennials to remove faded flowers. This is called deadheading. If your perennials have become too tall and leggy, or flop open in the middle, try shearing them back to 6-12 inches above the ground.
• Remove plant debris. This will help decrease the overwintering of pests and diseases.
• To have something in your garden to look at in the winter, you can leave ornamental grasses, astilbe, sedum, allium, echinacea, bee balm, goldenrod, black eyed susan, hydrangea, and red twig dogwood.

Pool

• Cooler fall weather means less chemicals. In summer heat, pool water evaporates more quickly – so you need more chemicals. So, not only does cooler fall weather mean less swimming, it also means you can use less chemicals.
• Be sure to skim leaves and debris regularly. Sometimes, leaves left for too long can stain the pool bottom.
• Once it is too cold to swim, be sure to winterize your pool – this is best done by a professional to protect your investment.

S'mores

• Gather around the fire. Roast marshmallows. Smoosh between two graham crackers with chocolate.
• Trade the chocolate for a peanut butter cup if you're feeling wild!