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This is a great time to plant tulip bulbs (above) and many other bulbs of spring-flowering plants. You can't have too many crocuses, hyacinths and daffodils.

Neeli Reamer is The Roanoke Times' gardening columnist. Her column appears twice monthly in Extra.

Neeli Reamer

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About Neeli

Neeli Reamer is a Master Gardener who has a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication and a master's degree in counseling, where she focused heavily on horticultural therapy techniques.

She believes gardening isn't about being perfect, it's about having fun.

I always get a little sad when summer flowers fade and cold days are just around the corner. But there is plenty of beauty to be found, and more than enough to do, in the fall garden.

Performing a few small tasks now will yield big results in your landscape next spring.

I recently helped my Great-Aunt Betsy Anthony put her mountain garden to bed, and I'll winterize my yard soon.

Here is a checklist of things that Aunt Betsy and I both hope to complete before the ground freezes:

n Plant new trees, shrubs, bulbs and garden plants.

Fall is an ideal time for planting trees and shrubs. Watch for end-of-season sales at your local garden center.

Plant spring bulbs such as crocuses, hyacinths and tulips in rich, well-drained soil while it is still easy to dig. And you can never have enough daffodils!

My favorite cool-season annuals are pansies because they add bright color to the winter landscape. Perennials are also perfect for planting in fall.

Try to mark the locations of new bulbs and perennials so you will remember where they are. I put small stakes around plants that emerge late so I won't accidentally step on them or pull them up in spring.

It is important to water your new fall plantings regularly, especially if the weather is dry.

After watering, drain your garden hose and store it in a place where it won't freeze. This is something I usually forget, and I've lost several hoses to holes caused by ice.

n Divide and cut back perennials.

If your perennials are overcrowded, you may want to divide them. It is the best way to get free plants. Perennials such as astilbes and daylilies are candidates for fall division.

Here's how to do it: On a cool, cloudy day, dig and lift the perennial plant. Shake off some of the soil around its crown. Use your hands, a small shovel, or even a knife, to separate the plant into smaller separate clumps. Make sure each clump has a mass of healthy-looking roots. Replant the clumps as soon as possible and water them well.

I shared a few prized plant divisions with Aunt Betsy this season.

Most perennials can be cut back to a few inches above the ground after they finish blooming and turn brown in fall. Be particularly careful to remove all diseased plant material from your garden.

Many gardeners like to leave perennials such as ornamental grasses and Sedum "Autumn Joy" intact for winter interest.

n Compost.

Enrich your garden soil with compost every autumn. The more cleanup you do in fall, the bigger your compost pile will grow.

After the first freeze, pull out your blackened summer annuals and throw them on the pile. Be sure that you only add healthy garden clippings to your compost. For example, don't add phlox, squash or zinnias that are infected with mildew. Also, don't compost peony foliage because it may carry botrytis blight.

One of the biggest fall chores is raking leaves. Heavy leaf pack can smother your grass. However, fallen leaves are wonderful for making compost. This year, keep your leaves off the curb and start your own compost pile.

I have a simple, low-tech compost heap, but Aunt Betsy owns a small, commercial compost tumbler.

n Save seeds.

I collect seeds from heirloom, or open-pollinated, plants such as cleomes, beans and zinnias. Hybrid plants may produce seedlings that are inferior.

You can allow seedpods or flower heads to dry naturally on plants. Pick the dried pods or flowers and place them upside down in a paper bag until they drop their seeds. Store seeds in a labeled envelope or container in a cool, dry spot.

Aunt Betsy tries her luck with wildflower seeds and is often successful.

The least-complicated method of all is to let seeds drop to the ground. The plants reseed themselves.

n Take cuttings from some annuals and houseplants.

Snip a stem about 4 inches long that has at least four leaves. Strip the lower two leaves and put the cutting in water to root. Or, apply a rooting hormone, such as Rootone, to the bottom and insert the cutting in a potting mix.

Aunt Betsy loves to root a lot of coleus, an annual with multicolored variegated leaves.

Most houseplants -- begonias, impatiens, geraniums, sweet potato vines, aucuba shrubs and a plant I like, purple heart -- are easily rooted.

Aunt Betsy gave me a few words of wisdom. "Be fearless in your gardening," she said.

She is willing to take risks and experiment with new plants, propagation techniques and garden projects, even if they fail.

"If it doesn't work, try something else next year."

Tip of the week

Tom Teates of Riner shares his expert advice on mulching trees correctly.

He writes: "Donuts can be killers if you don't leave a generous hole in the middle!"

Often, he continued, shrubs and trees are surrounded by "donuts" of mulch piled high around the bases of the plants.

This practice presumably keeps mowers, string trimmers, etc., from damaging the surfaces of the plants. It also can keep weeds or grass from growing too close to the plants and it looks nice, he said.

The problem is that this mulch piling can damage tree bark "by disease and insects if the mulch is placed in direct contact with the tree." In addition, he said, covering the tree's root collar with soil or mulch can hinder healthy growth of the tree.

"So the bottom line is: Don't pile mulch donuts around plants unless you leave an open space (perhaps six to 10 inches) between the edge of the mulch and the tree's trunk."

Do you have any garden tips? Please e-mail me.

Neeli Reamer's column runs every other Saturday in Extra.