The last few weeks of summer are upon us. Here are some things to tend to.

Keeping up with your to-do list will allow you to enjoy the garden until frosty weather.

Seasonal chores: September is often a dry month. Water as needed.

Keep weeding and deadheading.

Generally, no more fertilizer should be applied to plants.

Enrich garden beds with compost or peat moss. Compost fallen leaves and grass clippings as well as kitchen scraps.

Houseplant maintenance: Clean up plants and pots and prepare to bring them back indoors before night temperatures fall below 55 degrees.

Check for insects prior to bringing plants back in.

Bulbs: Plant irises in early September. Add organic matter and fertilizer to the soil prior to planting. Remove dead leaves and trim fans to about four inches.

Plant near the surface (top of rhizomes just visible), about 12 to 18 inches apart.

Water often for a few weeks.

Begin planting spring-flowering bulbs when the weather cools. Discard any bulbs that are rotting or infested.

As a general rule, plant bulbs at a depth of two-and-a-half times the bulb’s width.

Dig up tender bulbs (summer flowering, e.g., gladioli, dahlias, tuberous begonias) and store them in a dark, well-ventilated area.

This should be done before the temperature drops below 50 degrees or no later than when a slight frost is observed on the leaves.

Vegetables: Keep herbs producing new foliage by removing flowers and seedpods from basil, mint, parsley, sage and thyme.

Preserve herbs by freezing or drying them.

Seed cold-hardy vegetables now, including peas, lettuce, green onion sets, radishes and spinach.

Harvest garlic and onions when the tops have dried up.

Pull up the whole plant (top and all), let it dry, and then braid garlic or onions together for winter storage. Onions with thick necks do not store well and should be used first.

Lawn care: Mow the lawn until growth ceases for the year.

Unless you have a newly planted lawn, it will need less water in the fall.

Fertilizer in mid- to late-September to give it an early start next spring.

Sow new lawns (seed or sod). Reseed bare spots.

Perennials and annuals: Cut back short-lived perennials by mid-September.

Plant perennials, as many do best if planted in the fall.

Divide and plant daylilies, iris, peonies, and phlox. Eliminate weak or diseased plants.

This is a good time to rearrange plants in beds and to plant container-grown perennials and shrubs. Keep them well watered until winter to promote good root development.

Plant ferns in early fall for best results. Plant in moist, shady areas. Add several inches of leaf mold or peat to the soil prior to planting.

Rose care: Prune only diseased or damaged canes. Other pruning should be done in the spring. Fall pruning increases the chance of winter drying and damage.

Order roses for fall planting.

Tree and shrub maintenance: Prior to leaves dropping, prune dead wood.

When night temperatures are in the 40s and days are no longer warm, transplant trees and shrubs. Do not add fertilizer to the planting hole. It will stimulate late growth that could be damaged in winter.

If you are moving plants, be certain that they are well watered for at least several weeks prior to moving. Drought stressed plants do not transplant well.

Move evergreens if they need to be moved. Be sure to have a large enough rootball to sustain the plant.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Diane Dorn, Lehigh County Extension Office Staff, and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613