10/13/2026
🍂 Fall is Here – Time to Prep Your Native Garden! 🌾🌻
With summer behind us, the bright blooms of Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii) and Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) are giving way to the golden glow of Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and the vibrant purple of New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).
This is the perfect time to prepare your garden for winter — and set yourself up for next year’s beautiful blooms! 🌱 Here are a few tips from the City’s Office of Sustainability:
🌿 Save the Stems
Leave flower stalks standing through the winter! They provide food and shelter for birds, and some native bees hibernate inside the hollow stems. In spring, trim them 8–24 inches above the ground to create nesting sites for next season’s pollinators.
🌱 Plant Now for Next Year
Late September through November is the ideal time to plant native perennials and grasses. Fall planting allows seeds to undergo natural cold stratification, encouraging healthy germination in spring.
🍁 Leave the Leaves
Skip the full rake-up! A thin layer of leaves helps shelter salamanders, moths, and even butterflies through winter.
🌳 Prune Smart
If you’re planning to prune shrubs or trees, wait until after November 15 (through March 15) to remove dead, crossed, or crowded branches. Check out these pruning tips from the Arbor Day Foundation:
🔗 Tree Pruning Tips: https://www.arborday.org/tree-care-maintenance/pruning
📝 Reflect & Plan Ahead
Take advantage of the slower gardening season to assess what worked, identify gaps, and sketch out ideas for next year’s plantings.
💚 Let’s all do our part to make sure Columbia’s gardens stay beautiful, pollinator-friendly, and full of life all year round!
