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As I drove to work this morning, I had trouble
keeping my eyes from wandering to the bright-yellow ash leaves and
brilliant-red sugar maple leaves, and, as temperatures cool, leaf-color
changes will become even more dramatic. This weekend, get out and enjoy the beauty of fall
— but, before setting out on your trip, take some time to learn about
fall colors and tips for taking a walk in the woods. “The Miracle of Fall”
(www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/fallcolor) is a University of Illinois Extension Web
page bearing links to live foliage cameras that give you an idea of changes
in various sites around the country. The page also provides information on fall festivals and
other events, plus suggestions for the best places to find fall color in
the Illinois-Indiana-Michigan-Wisconsin region. Another U of I Extension Web site, “A Walk in
the Woods” (www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/woods), lets visitors enjoy a trip
to the woods. Although the site is designed for children, adults will enjoy
the information as well. If you plan to take an all-day trip, visit the
“Illinois Mile after Magnificent Mile” Web site
(enjoyillinois.com/falloweenroadtrips), which offers great information on
what it has dubbed “Fantastic Fall-o-ween Road Trips.”
Some of us may be content staying at home this
weekend and preparing our gardens for the coming winter. Because we have
not experienced the first killing frost of the fall, there has been little
to do in the garden, but with night temperatures edging closer to the high
thirties, we may soon be saying goodbye to our summer annuals. Here’s a short checklist for fall cleanup in
the garden: · Remove annuals from the garden. · Start a compost pile with leaves and annuals
removed from the garden. · Plant spring-blooming bulbs. (Garlic may
still be planted.) · Inspect houseplants for pests before
bringing them indoors. · Empty, clean, and store decorative
containers.
· Drain and store garden hoses before the
temperature drops below freezing. · Wait until the ground freezes before
mulching plants. · Mow turfgrass until growth stops. · Till the vegetable garden so that it is
ready for a spring crop. · Cut back perennials that are known to
reseed, such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, northern sea oats, and
blackberry lily. · Remove plant debris from diseased or
insect-infested perennials. · Leave ornamental grasses in the garden for
winter interest. · After the first frost, dig up tender bulbs
such as dahlias, caladiums, cannas, and gladiolas. Cure them in a warm room
and then store them at approximately 55 degrees. · Continue to deep-water needled and broadleaf
evergreens. · Plant a tree.
A “must-do” this weekend is a visit to the
Old Capitol Farmers’ Market, which is held on Adams Street between
Third and Fifth streets. Oct. 27 is the last Saturday for this year’s
market, which closes on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Hours are 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Vendors
will be offering winter squash, pumpkins, apples, spinach, and much more.
Jennifer Fishburn is a horticulture educator with the
University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit. Contact her at
fishburn@uiuc.edu.
This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2007.
