The sunny, dry summer is now behind us and with fall weather setting in, a local lawn and garden expert wants to offer a few yard care tips for this time of year.

Duayne Friesen says by now you should have spread your last lawn fertilizer application for the year. The growing season is over and by adding fertilizer now, you are encouraging growth, which gives your lawn a mixed message. Friesen says applying fall fertilizer was once done in Manitoba but he says it is no longer relevant.

"Our lawn fertilizers do not contain phosphorous," he says. "Which is really what you are trying to get into the soil for the plants to build up the roots."

According to Friesen, this is a great time of year for planting. He says the ground is warm, roots are active and there isn't much watering required.

"I'd be surprised if you wouldn't have one hundred percent success in any of your planting at this time of year," says Friesen.

Having said that, he says it is still a little early for transplanting. He notes it is still warm which can cause stress to your plants and suggests waiting for cooler weather.

When it comes to trimming down perennials before winter, Friesen says there are two schools of thought. He cautions against doing this too early, noting the plant must be dormant. Friesen says some gardeners like to do it in fall already. By trimming perennials in fall, Friesen says you are not allowing those plants to trap snow in winter. Especially in open areas, locking in that snow can help add moisture in spring. But, if you leave the perennials uncut through winter, Friesen says you run the risk of giving unwanted pests and insects a place to hide in winter.

Meanwhile, Friesen says the dry summer definitely left its mark on trees this year. He notes you probably noticed trees turning colour earlier than normal and says some trees took on unique colour schemes.

"I saw one plant that had a really orange look to it, it wasn't dry it was orange and it was normally yellow," he says. "It kind of looked nice but it was dropping its leaves probably three weeks earlier than it should have."

Friesen says there are pest concerns every year and this year aphids were a real problem.

"I seem to think that when we have dry years like this we don't have these hard driving rains that can in a sense wash the plants off," he says. "They can knock a lot of insects off the plants, onto the ground and even injure them."