Overseed Bermuda Grass
If you choose to overseed, finish up by mid-month before cooler temperatures inhibit germination.
Visit Nurseries for Colorful Fall Plants
We don't have New England's diverse fall color, but Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is a great tree for autumn color in the low desert. Foliage colors can vary, so buy plants when the leaves have turned so you'll know exactly what you're getting.
Continue Planting Cool-Season Veggies
Sow seeds for beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collard and mustard greens, kale, leaf lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, and turnips. You can also set out transplants for cole crops. Be sure your garden space receives at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun daily.
Force Paper Whites for Holiday Displays
Buy the biggest bulbs you can find, which are more likely to send up multiple shoots. Fill container an inch or two from the rim with small rocks, aquarium pebbles, marbles, polished sea glass, or similar materials. Snug bulbs into the rock, and fill in around them with more rock up to their "shoulders" or where the bulb starts to narrow at the top. This provides support to hold them steady when the shoots and flowers grow.
Add Colorful Perennials
Add low-water-use color to your landscape with these bright, desert-adapted perennials: angelita daisy, blackfoot daisy, chocolate flower, desert marigold, gaura, Mt. Lemmon marigold, and coreopsis.