Don't forget to clean up your gardening tools for winter.

Last-minute chores are a drag, but you will be glad you did these.

Weed. Weed. Weed. If you don’t, the weed growth will take over throughout the fall and winter. Dig out rather than pull out to bring up a good root mass.

Shut down and winterize water features. Leaving a water fountain running or full of water will ruin both the fountain and its mechanical parts. Empty, clean, lift pump to allow to drain, dry and store.

Clean dirty clay pots for winter storage. Fill a wheelbarrow with warm, sudsy water and let pots soak there or an hour or so. Scrub pots and rinse with the hose. Let dry on grass. Dump the dirty bathwater, scrub the wheelbarrow, rinse and air dry. Before storing, rub wooden handles with oil or paste wax.

Drain hoses and automatic systems. To prevent startup problems in the spring, drain gas and oil from all power equipment after their last use.

Rake leaves. Add to a compost pile or save to use as mulch.

Clean your pruners. Wash the blade with soapy water to remove any sap or dirt on the blade. Wipe dry and use a wire brush or steel wool to remove any rust. Use a mill file or a diamond file to sharpen the beveled edge. Sharpening tools are available at hardware stores. Wipe clean blades with linseed oil or WD-40 to help prevent rust. Check and clean shovels. Wipe any tools with wooden handles with linseed oil or a finishing wax paste.

Continue to feed birds with seed and suet. Provide water if possible. Leave perennials that have developed seed heads for birds.

Leave your ornamental grasses up in winter. This provides winter interest in your landscape and shelter for birds.

Check shrubs for broken or dead branches. Prune out. Remove branches that are crossing over another branch.

After the first hard freeze: Spread compost, straw or mulch over beds that contain bulbs, perennials and strawberries.

Store soil. I keep a large covered plastic trash bin for storing potting soil from summer containers. The following spring I use this soil for the bottom layer of containers and fresh potting soil for the top layer.

Pot up a few containers of bulbs to force for indoor bloom in December and January. You will need dark, cool storage until bulb breaks through soil and shows growth, usually between 12 to 15 weeks. Move into light, where the temperature should be 68 degrees.

Take time to enjoy the beautiful fall colors. And pray for a good snow covering this year.