Garden Spot by Larry Sotnick Autumn: new dimension and interest in the garden Try as we may, there’s no escaping it. Once in our car, the panorama is never-ending. Inside our homes, if our gaze should cast outward, it will to some degree surround us. And if we should be out walking, the kaleidoscope of color, on and falling to the ground, endlessly abounds. From mid-October to early December, the colors of fall are everywhere, presenting a brilliant backdrop to the canvas of our gardens. Shorter days and cooler temperatures signal internal plant mechanisms to stop producing chlorophyll. As the plants’ systems shut down for a winter’s hibernation, the resulting bursts of oranges, deep reds, browns, yellows, and other interesting combinations are certainly a showstopper. Yet, as the seasons change and temperatures drop, there is an inclination to abandon the garden. The excitement of summer foliage and flowering specimens is over. We take pause, sigh, and our thoughts turn to next year’s escapades in the soil. But wait just a minute. If we focus on what we really have this time of year, we may realize there is an abundance of shapes, colors and textures to enjoy in the garden and still plenty of beneficial work to do. As if working in tandem, the beauty of richly colored evergreens, mingling with fall’s color burst, makes a wonderful mixture in the garden. A blue spruce or gold cypress seems even more alive with its newly surrounding blanket of color. What about many of the small deciduous shrubs in our landscape? Now bare to the stems, they expose a wonderful sculptural framework, adding new dimension and appeal. Even perennials, which are winding down from summer, expose a marvelous image of stalks and flowerbeds. Mixing with ornamental grasses, beginning to turn from green to brown, this seems to say, "leave me be for a little while longer — don’t cut me down yet." At a time when traditionally we separate ourselves from the outdoors and our gardens, there is, strangely, an abundance to behold. Yet there is a tendency to put away our rakes and shovels and wheelbarrows and head indoors. Well, come back out. Mid-day temperatures and a comfortable sweatshirt and hat are all you need. Look around your yard. All the things you normally do most of the growing season you can do now to maintain the beautiful picture that is evolving. While feeding your plants this time of year is not necessary, there are many important jobs to do, such as: • Improving the soil with amendments such as peat moss, compost, or even sand if you are in a clay soil area. • Weeding to keep the garden neat looking and dissuade competition for light, water, and air among permanent plants. • Pruning dead or diseased branches, and reshaping plants that seem to have gotten out of bounds. • Mulching to give your plants a 2- to 3-inch insulating blanket for the winter. • Examining plants for pest or disease damage. • Watering, if you have periods of more than 1 week without rain. It is crucial that plants go into the December-February ground freeze period hydrated so as to avoid winter burn or even dying. • Repairing poor areas in your lawn by raking, adding topsoil, seed and fertilizer. • And, oh yes, leaf cleanups. That is plural because as you well know it is easier to clean up three or four times than to wait for everything to come down. The weight of all that accumulated leaf fall can be taxing, and plants don’t want to be smothered. So do the cleanup often. It will go more quickly and be less taxing on you and your plants. The enthusiasm we have in the spring when plants and seeds first begin to grow is delightful. Summer’s bounty can take our breath away. But the shorter, cooler days of fall need not signal the end of our affair in the garden. If color, texture, shape and interest brings life to the garden, the fall needn’t play second fiddle to any season; just remember to keep your rake close by.