Summer, a popular season for many southern Albertans, is officially over.
The autumn equinox fell on Wednesday, and many trees in the city have already turned yellow for the occasion.
For more information on caring for your garden in the fall , and more tips from Environment Lethbridge when the weather gets colder, click here.
Will the hot, dry summer affect autumn?
Kyle Fougere, Environment and Climate Change Meteorologist Canada, said the Lethbridge area was very dry and hot from June to August.
"In a typical summer we would see 162 millimeters of rainfall in the Lethbridge area," he said. "This year we fell below the 100 mark with just 62 millimeters, which is the seventh driest summer of all time.
"It was the fourth warmest summer on record because we let this high-pressure ridge fly over the province."
These trends continued through the first half of September, but Fougere said there was good news for humidity.
"We saw this trend continue above normal, we didn't see these extreme temperatures like (we saw) in June and July," he added.
"As for rain, we would expect it to be more normal at this time of year."
Lawn and garden maintenance for autumn.
The Green Haven Garden Center, located on the outskirts, merges into the autumn and winter months.
Karen Barby, co-owner and manager, encourages people to change course in the maintenance of their lawn and garden, including less watering and fertilizing, while trees and other plants are pruned if necessary.
"If you still have your underground sprinklers, turn them off to 50 percent," he said. "You don't want to water like you did in summer. "
He adds that now is the time to plant onions.
"A lot of people look for tulips in the spring, but the tulips should be planted in September, October," he said. "You need winter."
When it comes to fertilizing, Barby said encouraging growth at this time of year is not a good thing, but using a fall fertilizer on your lawn can help strengthen the roots.
The city's three landfill sites are open until November 14th and receive items such as twigs, grass, leaves, clippings, clean pumpkins and windfalls.
Take care of birds, insects, and your electricity bills
"One of the most important things is to keep all that garden waste out of the landfill," said Kathleen Sheppard.
Sheppard, the CEO of Environment Lethbridge, said it was a mistake to believe that you need to remove all the debris from the yard.
"(We encourage) people to leave some of this stuff for the winter, it's a great habitat for some of the little insects and things we'd like to promote in our garden year-round, and it also provides nutrients (for Your lawn). .
"You don't have to collect all the leaves, you can leave some behind. "
Sheppard said protecting local birds from disease is also an important consideration.
"A lot of people have bird feeders and a lot of people take them apart in the summer because the birds can find their own food," Sheppard explained.
"When you put them back together, wash and clean them well before putting them back on, and try to do so all winter."
He also suggests taking measures to protect homes before the weather turns bad.
"Now is a good time to think about things like sealing drafts on windows and doors," he said. "The same goes for things like changing the filters in your oven to prepare this energy efficient stuff for cold weather. "
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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