Tomorrow is the
Autumnal Equinox. On this day the number of daylight hours approximately equals the number of nighttime hours. The exact moment of the equinox is 5:04 AM. What does this mean to the Arboretum? The beginning of Fall signals Master Gardener Volunteers to begin preparing the Arboretum for the coming winter months. Some of the chores they will be tackling include cutting back dead foliage on perennials, weeding, and raking leaves. This garden waste will go into our compost bins. Read this brief summary on
COMPOSTING or refer to this site
BUILDING YOUR COMPOST PILE for more details.
They also will be reviewing what plants have performed well or might need replacing. They won't be doing any major pruning on trees and shrubs as this is best done when plants are dormant. However, any broken or dead branches may be removed. This may be a major chore right now as damage from Hurricane Irene lingers.
Home gardeners can add these tasks to their fall to-do-list:
