Gardens in Zones 6 & 7
My fall mantra: She who rakes last, rakes least!
1. By now, your houseplants should be inside.
2. Gently tie your climbing roses (I use old pantyhose), so that they do not whip around in the winter winds. Mulch all roses, also, as long as you don't have problems with mice & voles which hide in winter mulch and nibble on canes and roots.
3. Time to prune some perennials including:
~ Bearded Iris (after a killing frost to help avoid iris borers who enjoy snacking on the floppy iris leaves)
~Cat mint (you can't kill that stuff)
~Daylilies
~Hardy Bergonias (which are prone to crown rot)
~Japanese Anenomes (also called windflowers in our area)
~ Meadow Rue
~Penstemon
~ Peonies, (after the killing frost)
~Phlox paniculata (fungus magnet)
~Salvia
~Veronica
~Yarrow
TIP: If you don't know whether or not to prune something in the fall, error on the side of not pruning until spring.
In general, plants that bloom in the early spring do not get pruned in the fall.
4. Plant spring-flowering bulbs! You will get the most bang for your buck with bulbs that naturalize such as daffodils (try the scented kind).
Read the labels on bags of bulbs. There are many that are deer resistant; grow well in the shade; and tolerate poor soil & growing conditions.