Fall is only a few weeks away, thank goodness. I, for one, enjoy it much more when it's cooler outside. Some things to consider doing to prepare your yard for Fall:

1) Service the mower. Mowing starts to slow down now. Get a jump on maintenance by getting blades sharpened, change the oil, give it a good cleaning. In Florida, we hardly ever stop mowing completely, so keep it running!

2) Talk to your kids about raking! They all want to earn extra money, so fire them up about raking for cash. Those deciduous trees are already dropping their leaves, so stay on top of it and have some weekly raking sessions.

3) Cut back those old flowers! Dead head those faded bloom! Cut back the leggy annuals and give them a new burst of life before planting the new fall annuals. It saves you some money and uses what you already have. Consider adding some new annuals to the old ones to perk them all up.

4) Cooler weather means painting! It's the idea time to catch up on maintenance like fence painting, house painting, etc.

5) Change out your mats! Take a look at what you've got sitting on your front porch right now. How does it look? Ratty and disgusting? Or fresh and inviting? Spend a few dollars at Walmart and get a new porch mat and maybe a new plant to put by the front door. Take down anything that screams Spring or Summer and get rid of it.