Time for fall's last chores: transplants, spring bulbs, birds

“Oh, winds and skies and clouds of June, and flowers of June together — You cannot rival for one hour October’s bright blue weather!”

I don’t know the author, but that poetic excerpt has been my credo for decades — though I am a spring-born person, I have always loved autumn the best and I enjoy being in the outdoors doing fall chores more than raking spring’s soggy leaves and repairing winters’ damages.

Fall’s here and it’s chore-time in the landscape. Most of my chores involve chopping, cutting and pulling out Snowberry — the bane of my existence here. It covers the better part of my ¾ of an acre and I can no longer make my way through its entangling stalks to wander the back of my property. Pal Jill Trick came by with some kindling wood for me the other day, and set-to with the big clippers to try and recoup the Iris “bed.” When she came to the old Cottonwood stump and saw the amazing above-pictured fungus — sometimes called “Artist’s fungus” — she spent the next half-hour clearing the snowberry and a few dried Bracken ferns to put the fabulous growth on display.

Clearing is one of fall’s favored chores — but don’t include pruning in your work. Though you may cut away deadwood, crossed branches — and (importantly) dead rose and raspberry canes and suckers on fruit trees , don’t do any heavy pruning. This makes the shrubs want to put out new stems, buds, and leaves, when they need to begin dormancy. Too, cutting into live wood now could leave the wounds open to bugs and diseases; leave the real pruning till spring, when the pruners sharp cutters will encourage a spurt of growth when it’s wanted and needed.

Deadhead roses if you wish, or if they have large hips, simply pull away dying petals and leave the bright hips for winter color and welcome bird forage. Pull away dead or diseased leaves, and rake well under them and all your shrubs, replacing with fresh clean mulch if you wish. If green leaves remain on iris or other perennials, don’t cut them off; bulb, rhizome, and/or corm plants’ root systems draw sustenance from the greenery above. Wait till the leaves lie dead and yellowed completely (even into winter) before carefully pulling them away, and it doesn’t hurt to leave that chore till spring, (as I do).

Bulb planting and transplanting can take place as long as the soil is workable. In this late season, however, do NOT add fertilizer — good compost added to the planting soil will do — this is where your compost pile comes to the fore. It will nourish them, keep them warm, but will not give them the boost into ill-fated late growth that fertilizer activates. Do, however, water well when planting. (You may add a dash of bulb food when planting bulbs if you wish since they have no exterior leaves to feed them).

Don’t make the common mistake of slowing down on your watering! This is something plants need right into dormancy! Many fruiting plants — from plums (which need a nice frost to come to fruition) to peppers and tomatoes — need that water to successfully mature.

There are still late harvest items on the docket if you’ve planted winter squash and pumpkins, for instance, and when your garlic tops begin to yellow and die down they may be ready to dig. Make sure by digging down under just one and have a look. You should see plump bulbs encased in a papery covering. If they’re not ready, re-cover and leave for a couple of weeks. Otherwise, pull the bulbs, brush them off and store in a cool, dry location.

Another chore you may want to undertake is renewing the organic compost in your emptied vegetable gardens. You can also apply manure — leave it all as a topping or dig in to incorporate with the soil. You may dig it in the spring if you wish, combining mixing and planting into one chore.

Finally, prepare your birdfeeders! The resident Chickdee and Nuthatch population is already being enhanced at my house with the flocks coming down from high Schweitzer. Stock up on sunflower seeds (black oil are enjoyed by all birds, even finches, who generally prefer niger seeds). Bring in your hummingbird feeders — if you haven’t already — wash and store them for next April. Make sure your birdbath or winter water supply is viable, and welcome the winter visitors. Yesterday I saw “my” precious Brown Creeper couple and thrilled to four gorgeous Flickers checking out the bark of my rugged old Cottonwood out front. Meanwhile, the Robins are gathering in groups, preparing to flock and make their annual migration to warmer climes.

The Rocky Mountain Maples are just beginning to turn color, as are the Red and Yellow Osier dogwoods. I love it! Welcome, October!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.