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Read the full class descriptions on the Saving Water Partnership website. All classes are free. Note that some require advance registration.
Wildlife-Friendly Gardening: For Beauty and Sustainability
Taught by Emily Bishton, Green Light Gardening
Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m. – noon.
NE Seattle (Bryant neighborhood) directions will be sent upon registration.
Pre-registration is required. Attendees must reside in the Saving Water Partnership service area.
Register via the Garden Hotline by calling (206) 633-0224 or emailing help@gardenhotline.org. Please provide your address, email and phone number to receive the class location and confirmation.
Fall into Lazy Gardening
Taught by Marianne Binetti, radio show host & garden author.
Saturday, September 12, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Molbak’s at 13625 NE 175th St, Woodinville (425) 483-5000.
Shrink Your Lawn, Grow Your Garden
Taught by Greg Rabourn of KUOW’s Greendays Gardening Panel and KCTV’s Yard Talk.
Saturday, September 19, 10 – 11 a.m.
Swansons Nursery at 9701 15th Ave NW, Seattle (206) 782-2543.
Jazz Up Your Garden with a Fall Makeover
Taught by Don Marshall, head of Environmental Horticulture at Lake Washington Technical College and author
Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sky Nursery at 18528 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline (206) 546-4851
Lessons Learned from a Master Designer
Taught by Stacie Crooks, Crooks Garden Design.
Saturday, October 10, 10 – 11:30 a.m. OR 1 – 2:30 p.m.
Shoreline, directions will be sent upon registration.
Pre-registration is required. Attendees must reside in the Saving Water Partnership service area. Register via the Garden Hotline by calling (206) 633-0224 or emailing help@gardenhotline.org. Please provide your address, email and phone number to receive the class location and confirmation.
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Between winter’s freeze and summer’s fry, gardens have endured a hard year. Fall will bring back the rain, and with it, cooler temperatures. Plants' natural cycle will shift to root growth. All of this means that it’s an ideal time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials.
Planting in the fall means you'll need less water next summer, which is why Saving Water Partnership joins forces with nurseries every autumn. Together, we promote the "fall is for planting" message and encourage gardeners to choose plants that will thrive in our wet winters and dry summers. Learn more about finding the best plants for your garden by reading our updated, short summary of “Choosing Plants: Right Plant. Right Place”.
While we tend to think about lawns differently than our plants, fall is also the ideal time to help a tired lawn recuperate. Even if you let your lawn go dormant every summer, read Ladd Smith’s advice about helping your lawn come back thick and green.
Whether you’re planting, mulching or seeding a new lawn, enjoy the new season’s rich colors. We’ll write to you again next spring.
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Create a More Resilient Garden This Fall
This summer was great for tomatoes and peppers, but some of your other plants might have struggled to survive the especially hot, dry days. Use September and October to create a beautiful, year-round garden that is easier to maintain and will survive the temperature extremes we witnessed this year.
Work with nature when you plant in the fall
During the fall and winter months, trees, shrubs and perennials spend their energy developing roots instead of leaves and flowers. If you plant this fall instead of waiting until next spring, your plants will develop more extensive roots and will need less supplemental water and fertilizer next summer. You will still need to water fall-planted trees, shrubs and perennials next year, but they’ll need much less.
Move or replace plants that didn’t do well this year
Now is the time to survey your garden for plants that are overly stressed. Did they frizzle in the summer sun? Do they languish in the winter when your clay soil doesn’t drain? This is a good time to move them to a more suitable spot or replace them with plants that match your garden’s conditions. See our Right Plant, Right Place (pdf) handout and check with nursery staff for plant ideas.
Create year-round interest in your garden
As you “edit” your garden this fall, add autumn and winter interest by incorporating plants with fall color, bright berries, or winter fragrance. Evergreen plants also provide structure in the winter when other plants are dormant. Attend our Savvy Gardener classes for inspiration.
Save on new plants this fall
Most nurseries have plant sales starting in September, making fall an even better time to plant! Plant selection has greatly improved in recent years as nurseries bring in new plants for fall sales. You’ll find signs, factsheets and expert advice at Molbak’s, Sky and Swansons nurseries. These nurseries are partnering with the Saving Water Partnership to help customers choose the “right plant” for the “right place” in their gardens.
Mulch now to protect and feed your plants
Once you are done with fall planting projects, cover the soil with two to three inches of fall leaves, wood chips or compost. This layer of mulch will help prevent soil erosion from winter rains and will protect plants’ roots from frost. In the summer, the mulch will keep the soil cooler and moister so you won’t need to water as often, saving you money and time.
Mulching tips:
- Weed before you mulch.
- Wood chip mulches are especially good at blocking weed seeds. Many local arborists and tree services will deliver them for free.
- Bagged compost is on sale at many nurseries in the fall.
- Keep mulch one inch away from the trunks of trees or stems of plants, where it can trap moisture and promote disease.
- Use our mulch calculator to figure out how much compost or woodchips you need.
Learn More
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An Interview with Ladd Smith: Fall is the Time for Lawn Renovation
Ladd Smith is co-founder of In Harmony – Sustainable Landscapes, an EnviroStar company and one of the fastest-growing landscape companies in our area. Ladd was interviewed by David McDonald of Seattle Public Utilities.
Why is fall the time for renovating?
After this summer’s tough conditions (hot and dry), lawns will need extra help to recover. Drought-stressed lawns and summer wear can result in thin areas, compacted soil, and weeds moving into those thin areas. By renovating now, you can build healthier soil to help your lawn develop stronger roots in time for next year’s dry weather. Plus, fall rains mean that you won’t need to use your hose to keep new grass seeds moist.
What is the best time in fall to do this?
Follow the renovation steps below from September 15 to October 15 (while the soil is warm enough for seeds to germinate). If your lawn still has thin or weedy areas next spring, repeat the renovation steps between April 1 and May 15, but wait until late May to fertilize.
So what steps should we take?
To help your lawn get growing again, water slowly but deeply to re-moisten the soil (dry soil may repel water until it is re-wetted). Then fertilize with an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers cost a little more, but they feed the soil life and promote root growth. They also don’t wash off into streams as easily as quick-release chemical fertilizers, helping to protect salmon and other fish.
On thin, damaged lawns follow these three renovation steps:
- Aerate with a power aerator. Make several passes to pull plugs that let air and water into the soil. Leave the plugs – they’ll break down in the first couple mowings. You can rent an aerator, but you may want to hire a landscaper to aerate for you. If you can’t aerate, at least rake to expose the soil, so seed will make contact.
- Overseed after aerating or raking. Ask your local nursery for locally adapted rye-fescue blends. Scatter three to five pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet, making two passes for better coverage. Buy extra seed and scatter more next spring.
- Topdress with compost. Spread a ¼-inch layer of fine compost over the new seed, then rake it in to fill the aeration holes. Building your soil with compost is critical if you want your lawn to be healthier next year.
What about weed control?
The best control is to grow a healthy, dense lawn that crowds out weeds, using the steps above. Dandelions and other weeds with tap roots are easy to pull when the soil is moist in early fall and spring (before they go to seed!). Use one of the long-handled pincer-type weed pullers. If you decide you need chemical control of a weed infestation, use a spot-application of the right product – it’s best to hire a landscape expert. Don’t use "weed-and-feed!" You’re broadcasting herbicide all over your yard (and into our streams) just to kill a few weeds. Clover is another lawn plant that’s hard to eradicate, but it actually makes lawns healthier and more drought resistant.
And moss?
Moss was here first – it’s a native! We can help grass compete with moss by improving drainage, trimming trees to let more sun in, fertilizing with organic fertilizers, and by adding lime to replace the calcium and magnesium that get leached out by rain. Apply 25 to 50 pounds of dolomite lime every three to four years, in late November or December.
Any final thoughts for our readers?
I like to see my customers learn from a hard year like this. After this past summer, it’s probably very clear where the lawn grows well and where it doesn’t. Lawns are great for play or picnics, but many of us have too much grass, or try to grow it in shady, sloped, or poorly drained areas where it will never do well. Other plants may do better in those locations. The steps we take this fall will make next year’s lawn healthier and easier to maintain.
Learn More
- Learn more on the Saving Water Partnership website about how to manage your lawn naturally.
- Publications: see the Savvy Finds Publications to the right.
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We welcome your suggestions. Please share them by emailing Liz Fikejs, Seattle Public Utilities.
How to subscribe or remove name: To add or remove your name from our subscription list, please click here.
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Fall is for planting the right plant in the right place.
Look for our signs and factsheets at Molbak’s, Sky and Swanson’s nurseries. Ask nursery staff for plants that will succeed in your garden’s conditions. Don’t miss sale prices that start in September.
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Mulch Now
Spread two to three inches of fall leaves, compost or arborist chips on your garden beds to feed your soil, protect your plants and soak up winter rains.
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Mower for shredding leaves. Not your traditional use of a mower, but if you have large leaves, mowers are great for cutting them up. Keep the mower bag on ‘til it’s full of leaves. Then take it off to spread the leaves on your beds.
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Updated - Right Plant, Right Place factsheet.
Learn how to make smart plant choices that will save water and lead to a thriving garden. View factsheet >
Natural Lawn Care Guide. Use six steps for a healthier lawn, plus find out about better fertilizers, which type of grass seed to choose and what to do about poor soil and crane flies. View guide >
Composting Yard and Food Waste at Home.
Interested in making gold from those fall leaves and food waste? Get an overview of the best systems, compost recipes and troubleshooting tips. View guide >
Ann Lovejoy’s Organic Garden Design School by Ann Lovejoy. Rodale Press.
Learn about using organic design principles, creating seasonal color, making beautiful dirt, dealing with pests and diseases and much more. Includes work book, many photos and instructive illustrations.
Northwest by Peter Punzi. DK Books. Successful plants and gardening techniques for our area. Plants listed by growing conditions, foliage and flower types and other features. Includes more than 2,500 full-color photos and 3,000 plant listings.
Home Landscaping Northwest Region by Roger Holmes and Don Marshall. This book shows designs for different garden scenarios such as "beautifying a blank wall", "a no-mow slope" and a "gateway garden." Authors also show how to do complementary garden projects such as making pathways, pruning and controlling weeds. Note that Don Marshall is also teaching a Savvy Gardener class on September 26.
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