My 5 Must-Do Autumn Garden Tasks - Don't Overcomplicate Things

Discover the top 5 essential autumn garden tasks to prepare for Winter! Simplify your gardening routine and prepare your garden for winter with these easy-to-follow tips.

In this video, I'm sharing the 5 tasks I do to put my garden to bed for the Winter. I try not to overcomplicate things. The most important task for me is to gather all the goodies I plan to use for DIY projects that will get me through the Winter months.

Quick Links
0:00 Introduction
1:17 Storing the Fountain for Winter
1:49 Properly Storing Ceramic and Terracotta Pots
2:23 Take Stem Cuttings to Over Winter and Plant All Seedlings
4:40 Put away the vertical garden wool felt pockets
5:07 Finding Treasure in the Garden for Winter Projects
7:14 Book Recommendation - Great Autumn Projects
8:09 Drying Japanese Anemones in Silica Sand
8:57 Final Thoughts of Prepping for Winter

Here's the links I mention in the video:
Blick Art Supplies Cyanotype paper

Foraged Art Book written by Peter Cole and Leslie Jonath

Silica Sand that I use

Thanks for watching.

#gardening #zone6a #gardentour

[marybrown]

Your videos are exceptional. Your narrative and editing show respect for the viewer and reflect how much thought you put into the videos . Your creativity is blossoming . Cheers!

[kimmicannon]

Love that scripture. Thank you for sharing.

[kathyjenkins]

I have winter depression. Welcome to Michigan!😂

[Ktealove]

I love your videos! Thanking for sharing. It makes me feel less alone in my grief that winter (which feels like eternity) is coming

[jeanannpowers]

I just adore your videos and your sweet spirit. I already have some "winter blues" and I'm missing my early daylight hours in the garden. I'm combating that by getting geared up for a big bulb planting. My future spring self will be so blessed by it. Thank you for sharing the ecclesiastical verse ❤

[thequarrygardener]

What a great idea, I’ve never tried drying and preserving flowers with silica before but I’m going to give it a go but it will be next year for me. We’ve already suffered hard frosts (so early) followed by floods so nothing much left standing in the garden 🙁. My winter prep is mainly hedge cutting, planting bulbs and perennials but more excitingly I’m always planning what I want to achieve during the milder days of winter. I’m never happier than when I’m in the garden so the more projects the better even if the list is now endless.

[shimmyhinnah]

A very beautiful way of expressing that which is in our hearts at the ending of the summer Sue! Ecclesiastes 3 For everything there is a season..verse 2, “A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted” Douey-Rheims Bible.

[wildakaiser]

Loved this video, thank you. As much as I love my gardens throughout spring and summer, for me there is something peaceful about readying the garden for winter. I think the garden needs a rest as much as I do this time of year. The darker months for me are a nesting time to paint, craft and plan next years gardens.

[laurahale]

What a beautiful video of gratitude. We appreciate you sharing the helpful reminders in addition to all the "feels" of the season. Thank you.

[MrsB_]

We just moved to this new home last fall. From 3/4 acres of finished gardens (as much as it can be) to 2 acres of starting all over from nothing. So, I'm sad that the season is winding down. We planted some anchor trees & shrubs and prepared some borders & beds so far in this first year. Not a whole lot to clean up yet. Will spend the winter planning for next season. Thank you for sharing your garden with us. 😊

[pamfromwashington]

Expecting our first frost in a few days here. No more putting off the inevitable, today I put away the final things for winter. Of course I've waited until the very last minute. In preparation for the long gray season here in the Pacific Northwest, I've booked a January cruise in the Caribbean to look forward to. Another self care thing is to buy bright colors to wear over the gray months ahead. Color matters to my emotional state. Your garden videos are a joy to watch! Happy season to you and yours.

[TheOrganizedHomemaker]

I need to simplify my garden so that my end of season list is only 5 things. I love your garden Sue as you know and love to see what new projects you are working on. I just put my fountain away today and also begun cleaning up the summer garden.

[maureenmckenna]

I am still planting and transplanting here in Williamsburg, VA. We are blessed and cursed with temperate weather throughout most of the year, so that when you look at the garden you can usually find something to do, all the time. I am only putting in violas the first week of November, and I could wait. Winterizing is really being done when the sprinkler system is drained and turned off, late November if possible. With only rain available, putting anything new in is always questionable. But, cleaning up is always there, and even weeding. I have put down cardboard, and mulch over it, throughout the winter. As I said, a blessing and a curse.

[kathyleach]

Loved this video! I also struggle in winter but have discovered thrifting and crafting helps. I'm almost done with fall cleanup and also enjoy setting up little views in the garden I can enjoy from the house. Eg. Put cut evergreen boughs and dry hydrangeas in pots around garden. They look great throughout the winter

[gardensenglishandtrivia]

I haven't even started thinking about "putting the garden to bed". When I realise that a real winter is coming, I will have to take care of the roses which grow in the ground and in pots very fast. The first thing is to decide which of those growing in pots stay with me and which ones are going to be gifts to friends and passers-by :-) I still have countless tulips to plant. Goodness me, you're so creative and artistic! Thank you for the motivation!

[MartinHouseFlowers]

❤this video! I just put compost around my 15 new roses to overwinter, planted my bulbs and planted 4 new hydrangeas this past week. To try and get through the winter blahs, I start planning my new beds for spring - adding a cut flower garden from seeds, adding 2 more veggie garden beds and reading garden books 😊. I will definitely try drying flowers with silica gel. I used to hang them upside down and just dry my hydrangeas in a vase. Your letters and words using plants are so creative, I will have to do this! Thank you for all the inspiration! 👩🏻‍🌾😊

[sleepinglioness]

I discovered a great hack for raking leaves. Buy some of the plumbing/pipe insulting tubes (that you put on your pipes) and put it on the handle of your rake. Fix it on for the full length of your rake to give it balance. It is amazingly easier to rake and it protects your hands and arms from the stress and blisters!
Wish I had thought of this years ago!!!! I'm doing this now for all my garden tools with long handles and I'll be trying it on my snow at the thought!

[JoAnnBlondin]

Hi Sue. Great list and appreciate the saving flowers for winter projects. Putting the garden to bed brings peace but also a sense of sadness. I store my pots in the shed but happy to hear turning them upside down and covering with plastic works too. And surprised at how easy the fountain was to put away.

[allthingsiro]

These were great ideas. I always get the winter blues because I miss the garden, but there are ways to stay busy.

[MurphysGarden]

Loved this video, especially the crafting ideas. I’ve got some silica and you’ve inspired me to dry some Japanese anemone, they looked beautiful. I have days when I get the blues especially when it rains constantly but if it’s dry then I find winter quite exciting as it’s during dormancy that we have more time to do some big structural changes and put big ideas into practice. Getting outside, no matter what the weather always makes me feel happier and optimistic, what great therapy gardening is!
Thank you
Jenny