“[T]hat old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”

― Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

The grass in the back field was almost waist high, and now there was goldenrod, that late-summer gossip which comes to tattle on autumn every year. But there was no autumn in the air today; the sun was still all August, although calendar August was almost two weeks gone.”

― Stephen King, Pet Sematary

“Let’s strive to be better in September!”

― Charmaine J. Forde

“Let's all be nice to September.”

― Nitya Prakash

“Autumn is the place to be - once you fell for everything yet know that there is something worth dying for.”

― Laura Chouette

“September’s Baccalaureate

A combination is

Of Crickets — Crows — and Retrospects

And a dissembling Breeze

That hints without assuming —

An Innuendo sear

That makes the Heart put up its Fun

And turn Philosopher.”

― Emily ​Dickinson

“September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours, but in their lengthening evenings a prophetic breath of autumn.”

― Rowland E. Robinson

“There comes a day each September when you wake up and know the summer is over and fall has arrived. The slant of the sun looks different and something is in the air--a coolness, a hint of frosty mornings to follow. I woke early on the morning of September 24 and reached for a warmer petticoat.”

― Ann Rinaldi, Time Enough for Drums

“New adventures, new memories. New knowledge, every fall. But seeing you again, was the best of them all.”

― B.K. Sweeting

​ 1.Plant Annual Flowers

In frost-free regions, September is an ideal time to add annual flowers, such as begonia, ageratum, zinnia, and celosia, to your garden. They thrive in the mild autumn temperatures and bloom through the early winter. Make sure to water them every day or so for the first week or two to help get them established. Also, mulching them helps maintain consistent soil moisture. Look for transplants with bright green leaves and thick stems. Avoid tall, leggy specimens.

2. Add Color with Mums and Pansies in Your September Garden

3. Improve Your Soil

Fall is a great time to improve the soil in your September garden. After you remove dead and dying vegetables and flowers, spread a 2- to 3-inch-deep layer of rotted manure or compost over the surface of the soil. Spade or rototill it into the top several inches of soil and rake smooth. 

4. Plant Spring-Flowering Bulbs

Enjoy a bounty of bloom in your garden next year by planting spring-flowering bulbs now. Tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, and other early-bird bloomers.

5. Clean Up Vegetable Gardens

The best way to prevent insects and diseases from affecting your vegetable garden next year is to clean it up this fall. Always remove rotting fruit, diseased foliage, or dead vines as soon as they appear. This is especially true with crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, melons, and squash. 

6. Bring in House Plants. 

If  you haven’t done so already, bring vacationing houseplants indoors before frost. Give each plant a cleansing spray from the garden hose, then inspect them closely for insects.

Trial Garden Tip: To prevent unexpected soil pests from moving indoors, sink each pot in a bucket of water for a few hours before bringing the plant indoors. This process drowns or uncovers any slugs, snails, worms, or beetles hiding below the surface of the soil.

7. Enhance your Landscape

September is an ideal time to add shrubs and trees to your landscape. Hydrangeas, roses, and other flowering shrubs and trees flourish during the cool, moist fall weather. Just be sure to do a little research before you add any plants to your landscape: Look for varieties that are hardy in your climate and won’t grow too large for the space you have. And always remember that even the smallest sapling will eventually grow into a tree that could swallow your home if planted too close.

8. Improve Your Lawn

Give your lawn some attention this month. Most cool-season lawns benefit from dethatching, aeration, and fertilization. You can also seed or sod new lawns at this time or fix bare spots in older lawns. It’s also the season to control perennial weeds such as clover and dandelion.