As hard as it is to accept, another gardening season has come to an end (sniff). It was anything but an "average" summer with the long cold spring that didn't let up until late June. Perhaps Mother Nature took pity on us as we enjoyed a gorgeous warm fall. The autumn colors were at their best this year.

I hope you have all your gardening chores done so you'll be ready to sit by the fire and relax soon. Just to be sure, here are a few reminders:

• Water those trees one final time

• Drain all the hoses

• Blow out the sprinkler lines

• Drain any water features

• Wash and store the hummingbird feeders

• Clean and add seed to the bird feeders

• Spread compost on the garden and beds

• Get those last few bulbs planted

• Cover the outdoor furniture

• Bring in the last of the garden veggies

It's too soon to add a deep layer of mulch around your perennials. Wait until the ground freezes. That's usually about the end of November. Pine needles work very well for this purpose. Nice to know they have a use, as they certainly seem to shed and make a mess most of the time.

If you have grafted rose bushes, be sure to bring in soil to hill around them before adding the mulch. We've all seen what happens when that graft is killed by the cold ... all the new growth next spring will come from below the graft. It will be long and spindly and produce only small dark red flowers. A little extra work this fall will bring those plants through the winter in good shape. Don't do any pruning on them this fall, that can wait until about the first of March.

Any tender or tropical plant you want to save needs to be in the house or garage by now. Even then there is no guarantee they'll live, but they certainly have a better chance indoors than they do out in the cold.

I left my holiday cactus plants outside until frost was predicted. They need those cold, (but not freezing) nights in order to set their flower buds. These can be seen as tiny pink dots at the end of each branch. Once inside, keep them in the coolest window you have and they should go ahead and bloom for you.

I have several favorite plants to grow indoors. These help to keep my gardening instincts soothed until next spring. They're also a welcome sight when the snow has covered the ground, sometimes for many months (too many).

Some of the more interesting foliage plants to try are: Persian shield, African mask, Rex begonias, purple passion and some of the fancier coleus.

For flowers, try Gerbera daisies, goldfish plant, lipstick vine and episcia (Chocolate Soldier). The old standby, African violet comes in countless colors and patterns. Try the miniature and trailing types. Some types of orchids do well in the house too. Impatiens can be potted up and brought indoors to bloom in a sunny window.

And so, it's time to say good-bye. This will be the last column for the year. I find it hard to believe I've been doing this for four years already. Just goes to prove what they say about how time flies when you're having fun!

One more thing about the hummingbirds. I hope you had more in your yard this summer than I did. Here they showed up a couple of weeks later than normal and left far earlier than usual. The butterflies weren't exactly numerous either. But when it came to wasps, they seemed to be having a convention!

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.