Summer is busy for all of us as we do our best to make the most of the nice weather in Calgary while we have it. As such, sometimes yard and garden landscaping tasks take a back seat. If you’re one of the many homeowners who simply ran out of time this past summer to get some much-wanted projects done, there’s good news! We keep working, planting, landscaping and completing construction projects into the autumn.
What Can You Plant in Fall?
There are some distinct advantages to planting during the fall:
- Cooler conditions make working outdoors easier
- Crisp fall air helps plants take root
- The soil is still warm from a long, hot summer
- In spring, it takes time for the soil to thaw, and plants won’t start to grow right away
- Fall tends to have optimal precipitation levels for plant growth
- Nurseries and gardening stores often hold seasonal sales in the autumn
- Threats from pests and common plant diseases recede as the weather cools
If you’re looking for fall planting ideas, give these pretty, but hardy plants for Calgary weather a thought:
- Tulips
- Lilies
- Ferns
- Hostas
- Peonies
- Flowering shrubs such as lilacs, double-flowering plums, forsythia and spirea
- Flowering trees like the hawthorne, crab apple, mayday and mountain ash
- Perennial plants (peonies in particular should be planted and transplanted in fall)
You can also put down sod well into the fall.
As a general rule of thumb, you can keep on planting until about six weeks before you expect the first frost to appear. Though that can be tricky to predict in southern Alberta, the first frost in these parts usually shows up in October.
Autumn Is Perfect for Outdoor Construction
Concrete cures very well in fall weather, and the shorter days and lower temperatures make it a better time than summer to tackle an outdoor construction project.
Autumn is ideal for:
- Building retaining walls to add stability to sloped landscapes
- Putting together the perfect patio to increase your home’s value
- Installing a built-in sprinkler system
- Revamping your landscape to add shrubs and trees
Additional Autumn Lawn Care Tasks for Your Calgary Landscaping
Top dressing and fertilizing are two other important aspects of seasonal lawn care that you shouldn’t overlook. Top dressing is a technique that introduces a light dusting of fresh soil in the upper part of your lawn, while fertilizing delivers essential nutrients deep in the root structures, where they’re needed most.
Here in Calgary, summers are usually dry and hot, and over the course of the season, the cumulative effect of such weather conditions erodes your topsoil. Similarly, when it rains, the water runoff affects the nutrient levels in your soil, as drainage carries away trace amounts of soil with it. Top dressing helps undo this damage.
Fertilizing in fall helps your lawn store up the vital nutrients it needs to get through the winter, and come back next spring green, full and healthy. It’s especially important to “feed” your grass in the fall, because the arrival of cooler weather automatically triggers a response that tells your lawn it’s time to get ready for winter. During this state, your grass instinctively tries to recover as many nutrients as possible from the environment.
Spreading fertilizer adds those nutrients to your lawn’s ecosystem. However, as with top dressing, fertilization is best performed by a professional. There are specific techniques that must be used to generate the best possible results, and hiring a skilled and knowledgeable pro is the easiest way to enjoy them.
Book Your Fall Cleanup and Seasonal Services Now
Mirage Landscaping is a Calgary-based family-owned landscaping and property maintenance company, proudly serving both residential and commercial property owners. Whether you want a general fall clean-up or want to use the last weeks of warmer weather to take care of that construction project or landscape overhaul, we’re here to help. Our services are affordably priced, and you’ll be surprised how little it costs to enjoy the many benefits of professional service.
In addition, Mirage Landscaping provides reliable and cost-effective snow removal services. Winter will be here before you know it, and our snow management crews have all the skill and equipment you need to keep your property safe and free of snow and ice.
Get started today by requesting your free, no-obligation custom work quote. Our customer service team is also standing by to answer any questions you may have about our complete suite of landscaping services.
