Assessing your garden this fall

Fall Is the Best Time to See What Your Landscape Is Missing. Fall has a way of revealing your landscape in a whole new light. As summer growth begins to slow and leaves start to fall, the structure of your yard becomes easier to see. Areas that felt lush in June may suddenly look a little bare, while other spots may show overcrowding, uneven growth or plants that simply are not thriving.

That makes fall an excellent time to walk through your landscape, take a closer look and start

thinking about what could make it even better next year.

Look for Empty Spaces and Bare Spots

During the height of summer, foliage can hide gaps in garden beds. Once plants begin to fade

back in fall, those empty areas become much more noticeable. Take a walk around your property and look at your landscape from different angles. Check the view from the street, driveway, patio and even from inside your home. You may discover an area that could benefit from a flowering shrub, evergreen, ornamental grass or perennial. Finding those gaps now gives you time to make thoughtful choices instead of waiting untilspring and trying to figure everything out at once.

Pay Attention to Your Landscape & Structure

Flowers get plenty of attention, but a beautiful landscape needs more than blooms. Trees, shrubs

and evergreens help create the structure that keeps a yard interesting throughout the seasons.

Fall is a good time to ask yourself a few questions. Does your landscape have enough height?

Are there plants that provide year-round interest? Do your garden beds have defined shapes and

layers? Is there something interesting to look at after summer flowers disappear? If the answer is no, adding plants with strong form, colorful foliage, interesting bark or evergreen foliage can help create a landscape that looks more complete throughout the year.

Notice What Did Not Perform Well

Not every plant ends up in the perfect location. A perennial may struggle because it receives too

much shade. A shrub may have outgrown its space. Another plant may simply never have

performed the way you hoped. Fall gives you an opportunity to evaluate what worked and what did not. Consider how much sunlight different areas received throughout the growing season, whether

plants had enough room to mature and which areas were especially dry or wet. Understanding

the conditions in your yard can help you make better plant choices going forward.

Think Beyond Spring and Summer Color

A landscape can be beautiful well beyond the traditional growing season. Fall color, ornamental grasses, berries, seed heads, evergreens and plants with interesting bark can extend visual interest into late fall and winter. When you evaluate your landscape now, look for places where seasonal interest disappears too quickly. Adding plants that shine later in the year can give your yard a more balanced, four-season appearance.

Take a Look at Overgrown Areas

Sometimes the problem is not what is missing. It is what has gotten too big. Shrubs planted years ago may now block windows, crowd walkways or overwhelm nearby plants. Perennials may have spread beyond their intended space. Trees may also be changing the amount of sunlight reaching areas that were once much brighter. Identifying these changes can help you decide whether plants need pruning, dividing, transplanting or replacing.

Plan Now for Next Years Landscape

One of the best things about evaluating your landscape in fall is that you still remember how it

looked throughout spring and summer. Make notes or take photos of areas you want to improve. Think about where you would like more privacy, color, shade, texture or seasonal interest. Even a few small changes can make a big difference when next years growing season arrives.

If you are not sure which plants would work best, stop by to see us at Scenic Roots Garden Center in East Sandwich. Our team can help you explore plant choices suited to your space, growing conditions and landscape goals. Sometimes the best way to plan next year’s garden is simply to look at this year’s landscape with fresh eyes.