Where the Hearth Is: Warming Up Your Back Yard

Cooler fall temperatures make your yard a delightful haven—if you have a delightful yard.

If you have a lawn but not a sprinkler system, chances are it’s looking a little peaked right now, which makes it a haven for chinch bugs and weeds. Charles Greene of says that’s why applying pre-emergence in the fall is so important: “It kills the weeds and feeds the roots of the grass, so it comes back greener in the spring.”

September is also a good time to overseed or start new grass, adds Mark McGouirk of Lost Mountain Landscaping. “Make sure you use a starter for new seed.”

Personally, I’ve had luck using Miracle Grow or Hyoponex plant soil with seed starter in it, which lots of folks use to start plants indoors. The baby grass seems to like it, too.

All the pros say water well when it comes to new growth, whether it’s lawns, plants, trees or shrubs.

Angella Ochtree of Angel Land Design says she has noticed builders tend to be ignorant of the need for water control in their projects when it comes to landscaping. 

“The grading isn’t always done correctly,” she explains, “and that can cause big problems for your yard and your neighbors’ yards. You can’t have too much water pooling on your property.”

Once you’ve tended to the drainage issues, it might be a good time to think about the areas that don’t get enough water for greenery. 

You could either install a sprinkler or drip irrigation system, or put in a “hardscape,” which could be something like a fire pit, outdoor fireplace, or even a patio for an outdoor seating area.

Pavers, mortar, brick and concrete don’t need water. Add a couple of planters with bulb flowers and drab turns fab.

Greene says fall is a good time to dig in your bulbs, whether in planters or in your yard. “They take well and give you better color in the spring if you plant them after the first rain, when the soil is moist,” he advises.

If you’re looking for color and don’t want to wait until spring, Ochtree suggests ground coverings such as Creeping Jenny. “Pansies work well, too.”

Greene says camellias also do well in the fall and early winter. “You can also plant flowering cabbages for some color,” he amends.

Ochtree also likes Encore Azaleas for an added punch. “They bloom two or three times a year, so you get a lot out of them.”

While you may be tempted to cut back the overgrowth of crepe myrtle and shrubbery in the yard, McGouirk says don’t. 

“Light pruning for the shrubs,” he recommends, “and save the heavy crepe myrtle pruning for winter. You can cut roses almost down to the ground, and they’ll come back, though. But the myrtle will send up shoots again, and that makes the trees vulnerable to frost and disease.”

McGouirk says there are lots of good shrub stock in nurseries now waiting to be planted, but, he advises, hold off on planting the trees until winter. “Trees aren’t really good until they get the first frost.” 

“I’ve heard that the orange growers in Florida even spray their trees with water in the winter, so a coat of ice will protect them,” Ochtree laughs. “Can you imagine? But it seems to work.” 

Not that any of them suggest you should go out and get an orange tree. Or a bougainvillea, which is another popular Florida plant. 

“You can put one in a planter,” Ochtree says, “but be ready to develop some muscles hauling it into the house every time a frost threatens to hit.”

Workout by planter. Now there’s an idea.