Fertilize annuals

Fertilize salvia and chrysanthemums with liquid plant food. They will reward you with lots of blooms later this fall.

See Fertilizing Annuals.

Deadhead perennials

Examine your flower beds for tired out perennials like Shasta daisy, black-eyed Susan and purple coneflower. You can cut off dead flowers and brown foliage to neaten the plants for fall.

See Deadheading

Save excess basil

Preserve excess basil leaves by pureeing in a blender with a little water. Freeze the slush in an ice tray and use the cubes in your wintertime spaghetti sauce.

See Growing Basil

Trim hibiscus

Lightly trim back the tropical hibiscus you kept outdoors for the summer. Make plans for where you’ll place it indoors in bright light.

See Tropical Hibiscus – Bringing Indoors

Divide daylily, iris and monkey grass

Divide daylily, iris and monkey grass while you still have several weeks of warm weather to encourage root growth.

See Dividing Siberian Iris

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Spray broadleaf weeds

Spot spray the broadleaf weeds in your lawn with a herbicide labeled for their control.

See Mimosa Weed Control

Try a muscadine

You can’t live in the South without trying a muscadine: Pop it in your mouth, suck the pulp out of the skin, enjoy the juice, then spit out the skin and seeds. What a delicious mess!

See Growing Muscadines

Plant peony

It’s a great time to plant peony roots. A good, old-time favorite is ‘Festiva Maxima’. For real excitement, plant a tree peony and get huge blooms next May.

See Growing Peony in the South

Prep for fescue planting

Before planting fescue seed, wipe out weeds with a fast-acting but short-lived weed killer. Use glyphosate (Roundup, etc) now; you can seed in seven days.

See Planting Fescue in an Existing Lawn

Fertilize bermuda

Bermuda lawns sometimes, but not always, benefit from a “winterizer” fertilizer application. Do it now when growth has slowed but before frost turns the grass brown.

See Fertilizing Bermuda Lawns

Apply pre-emergent

Did chickweed and annual bluegrass run rampant in your lawn last spring? Now’s the time to put out a pre-emergent weed preventer on lawns you’ll not overseed this fall.

See Timing Pre-emergent Application

Buy bulbs on sale

Spring-flowering bulbs are on sale now. You can buy them – but don’t put them in the ground until soil temperatures are in the 60’s or cooler in early October.

See When to Plant Spring-flowering Bulbs

Plant cool season veggies

Time to plant cool season vegetable seedlings. Broccoli, collards and cabbage plants should be available at garden centers.

See Vegetable Planting Schedule

Avoid saddleback caterpillars

Watch out for saddleback caterpillars feeding on the leaves of trees and weeds. Their poisonous bristles can leave a nasty welt on your skin.

See Saddleback Caterpillars

Check patio plants

Examine patio plants for insects if you intend to bring them indoors. Treat with insecticide if necessary.

See Insects on Patio Plants

Fertilize fescue

Time for the first application of fertilizer on fescue grass. This cool season turf needs fertilizer in September, November, February and April.

See Fertilizing Fescue

Plant shrubs and trees

Cooler weather means it’s time to plant shrubs and trees. Make sure to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball.

See Planting Shrubs

Propagate hydrangeas

Propagate limber-limbed hydrangea, grape and forsythia plants by placing a thin branch on the ground and partially covering it with soil and a brick.

See Soil Layering

Plant fescue

Planting a new fescue lawn? Use 6 pounds of seed per 1000 square feet.

See Planting a New Fescue Lawn

Replace mulch under roses

Replace all of the mulch under roses, red tip photinia and crabapples. You’ll prevent diseases on next year’s leaves.

See Reusing Mulch