Do it now Our weirdly warm fall has encouraged many of us to put off putting our gardens to bed, but it's do-or-die time now.

Rake your lawn if you haven't already. If you have a thin layer of leaves on your lawn, you can simply chop them up with your lawn mower. But if you have lots of leaves, rake, bag and save the leaves to use as mulch once the soil freezes. (If left on the grass, a thick layer of leaves can cause snow mold, which can damage grass.)

Some tomato lovers have left their plants in the ground in hopes that their green tomatoes would ripen. It's time to give it up. Pull spent vegetables and annuals and put them in the composter.

You can leave healthy perennials standing. That will help trap insulating snow and provide a bit of winter interest. If plants show signs of disease pull them now.

Water. Trees, shrubs, even grass and perennials could use a good soak. Most plants survive winter better if they go into the season with well-watered roots.

Empty your containers. Ceramic, terra cotta, concrete and clay containers can shatter if left outside during the winter. Empty them, clean them and stack them in the garage. For fall and winter arrangements, use wood, metal or stone containers.

CONNIE NELSON

Dog day at the arb Most days, Fido isn't welcome at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. But this Saturday, the arb is going to the dogs with a canine celebration.

Starting at 9 a.m., there will be a 5K Dog Walk on the arb grounds, then a Pet Expo on the terrace of the Oswald Visitor Center.

The fee for the event is $25 for each dog (plus two human companions) and includes registration for the walk, drawings for prizes and a doggy bag of treats.

For more information, call 952-443-1422 or visit www.arboretum.umn.edu/dogday.aspx.

CONNIE NELSON

Proven Beauty Proven Winners is known for annuals such as Supertunia and Diamond Frost euphorbia. and perennials such as Marie Louise Jensen clematis. The breeder/grower, whose plants are available at garden centers nationwide, also sponsors a free online gardening magazine, Proven Beauty, with ideas and inspiration for all the plants it produces.

The publication, which you can download, shares tips on how to dry grasses and flowers from your garden, how to make a Chinese lantern wreath and how to use dried hydrangea blooms in your home's decor. There are gardening tips, such as: Divide spring-flowering perennials in fall, fall-blooming perennials in spring and summer-blooming perennials in spring or fall.

In the autumn edition, you also get a sneak peek at Proven Winners' 2012 perennials, Going Bananas daylily, Wheee! Hosta, Banana Cream Shasta daisy and Maestro sedum. And, you can see how previous ColorChoice winners like Little Lime hydrangea, Little Henry sweetspire and Lil Miss Sunshine Bluebeard can still give you great fall color.

Subscribe to the quarterly magazine at www.provenwinners.com/provenbeauty, where you will also find "recipes" for four seasons of container plantings.

NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS

Set in stone Break out the Quikrete. "Concrete Garden Projects" (Timber Press, $19.95) will get your creative juices flowing.

The book, by Swedish designers Malin Nilsson and Camilla Arvidsson, guides readers on using ready-mix concrete to create garden accents. Projects include practical items such as plant containers and planting benches, as well as decorative pieces such as garden art and even a tick-tack-toe set. Subtitled "Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More," it includes lengthy descriptions and a photo of each finished project.

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL