The temperatures are cooling down and leaves are turning, so why not spend a little time outside cleaning up your garden and landscape. Autumn is the perfect time to clean up and prepare your garden and landscape for next year. Whether you have a small garden or a piece of landscaped property the size of the Ford House's, every home can benefit from a thorough autumn cleanup.

To keep your garden and landscape looking its best in the spring, follow these tips during your autumn cleanup routine:

• Mulch leaves into your lawn. This returns nutrients to the soil and saves money on lawn bags.
• Some of the mulched leaves may be used as organic matter around the base of plants in order to provide insulation for their roots throughout the winter.
• Remove any dead or dying flowers throughout fall to make final cleanup easier.
• Use a fall fertilizer to feed your lawn. Apply in mid to late November. Roots are actively absorbing fertilizer and water until the ground freezes. This application replaces an early spring application and will result in earlier greening of turf without the flush of growth.
• After the leaves have fallen off the plants and before winter sets in, give your plants a deep watering.  This keeps the root system growing through the winter.
• Pull any annuals and remove any fruits or vegetables to avoid rotting over the winter. If you can, add this valuable organic matter to your compost pile.
• Remember to clean your gutters often and once after all leaves have dropped.

Following these tips will prepare your landscape for the winter and allow it to flourish in the spring. Autumn is a great time to plant spring blooming bulbs. They will be ready to bloom when the warm weather returns. Some of the best bulbs to plant in the fall are: Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinth and Crocus. Any of these flowers will bloom in spring and add a burst of color to your garden.