As the autumn equinox settles us in for winter this is a lovely time for caretaking and connecting with your garden. Here are a few tasks you can do now that will help put your garden to rest and be ready for next spring:

• Fall is the perfect time to clean up and replenish your garden with fresh compost.
• Deadheading or cutting the dead blooms off perennials so their energy is sent to the roots for winter will help perennial systems gain strength for the spring. 
• This is also a great time for transplanting. You can observe and interact with your garden and see if certain plants might be happier in a new location next year with more air flow, space or sunshine. 
• As for soil building, this is the time to add organic matter. Try composted leaves with a nice fresh mulch layer on top to tuck it all in for winter. This protects your soil for the cold winter and allows life to thrive under the soil in preparation for spring. 
• Fall is also a great time for bulb planting⏤they’ll rest all winter long in their new home and come up first thing in the spring. 
• Another great thing is all the leaves! You can strategically use your yard’s shedding of leaves to build your entire landscape’s health overtime!