Five ways to prepare your garden for spring this autumn

Autumn is an ideal time to prepare the garden for spring, garden educator Anne Fabricius says in an article by DR. The soil is still warm and rain provides moisture, giving plants good conditions to establish roots before winter.

Fabricius shares gardening tips with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. Here are her five suggestions for autumn garden work.

1. Divide perennials

Dig up perennials that have grown large, divide them into smaller sections and replant one section in the same spot. The others can be planted elsewhere or given to family and friends. Water the plants well after replanting to help them settle in.

2. Use leaves and branches in garden beds

Fill the bottom of garden beds with fallen leaves and branches. This saves soil and gets the beds ready for spring sowing. The leaves will break down, and you can add fresh soil on top in late autumn or spring.

3. Spread seeds from garden flowers

If you have left the flower heads on ornamental alliums, you can collect their seeds in autumn and scatter them where you would like more plants. Fabricius gives Allium christophii as an example.

4. Rearrange a garden bed

If a bed has not turned out as you hoped, autumn is a good time to dig up perennials and move them around. The warmth and moisture help plants establish in their new positions.

5. Weed the garden

Clear weeds, including dandelions, before winter. That will leave less work to do when spring comes and it is time to sow and plant.