Fall is coming. The temperatures we have been experiencing the last couple of weeks would indicate that fall is already here, however, I wouldn’t be too quick to assume this is the case. The weather is likely to change at any time.  I’m not an official forecaster, so I can’t predict the weather, but I’ve been around long enough to know that even the professionals can be surprised sometimes. With the weather changing, it’s time to think about making some changes in the landscape.

Trees and shrubs have NOT gone fully dormant at this time, so do NOT prune them now. Pruning now may encourage the plants to put on new growth that will very likely get damaged by a frost when it actually arrives.

That being said, if you see any dead or damaged limbs in your trees and shrubs, you can, and should remove those. It’s not in any forecast that I’ve seen, but a strong thunderstorm or a hurricane can break those dead or damaged limbs off and send them flying. Removing them before they become projectiles that can cause damage is an excellent idea.

Annuals produce pretty flowers for us to enjoy. Most of them bloom for a very long time. Summer annuals may bloom right up until frost, which is good for providing color up until then, but what happens after they are killed by the frost? Winter annuals like pansies and violas, among others, are available in garden centers now these flowers will bloom through the winter and provide color until it’s time to replace them with summer annuals in the spring. Rather than putting winter annuals in a flowerbed, consider making a flowerpot filled with these colorful cool season plants and placing them in a mostly sunny location where they can provide color throughout the cooler months.