Time to refresh the places where my visitors and I put our feet during the dark, rainy months ahead. I want to make sure we are comfortable and safe in the evening garden.

I pay special attention to making sure feet and furniture don’t punch through decaying decking boards and steps. Today’s pressure-treated wood, even when coated with water-repellent stains, doesn’t last like the environmentally questionable “good stuff” from yesteryear. No matter – I am gradually, a set of steps or a deck at a time, replacing old wood with flagstone, chipped slate, limestone, and other long-lasting materials.

When I replace boards, I follow an old trick to help them last longer: making sure the boards are placed with the right side facing the sun and rain. Look at the growth rings at the end of a board. If they rise and fall like a rainbow – what savvy lumber folks call “bark side up” – the boards repel water better. If the rings curve down and back up like a smile, the boards will absorb water, cup and splinter.

I always let new boards dry for a few days in the sun, then slather on wood preservative tinted with a little color stain. The color I use, suggested by my color-conscious landscape architect friend Rick Griffin, is a pale teal, more blue-gray than green. Rather than popping visually, it blends in and complements the natural foliage and flower colors in my garden.

Every fall, I pressure wash everything flat. Because my back garden is shaded and damp, algae and moss accumulate on the flagstone. A neighbor’s large hackberry tree drops what seems like gallons of sticky “honeydew” from aphids feeding on its leaves, which allows black sooty mold to form and darken even my bottle trees and other yard art.

Since I’m a cheapskate without much storage in my small tool shed, I rent a more powerful pressure washer for half a day. It’s in good condition, works better, and is cheaper than owning and storing a smaller one. To avoid peeling wood from my decks or damaging tender tree bark, I switch nozzles according to the job.

I also double-check that my night lighting is up to par. The inexpensive low-voltage system was easy to install myself: I attached outdoor wiring to the small programmable transformer by my porch, ran the wire where I wanted light and covered it with mulch, then clipped on attractive fixtures with efficient LED bulbs wherever needed.

I don’t have “runway lights” along my drive or walks. Instead, I use spotlights on interesting tree trunks and carefully place ornate fixtures to create shadows around steps. Important: Make sure lights don’t shine in anyone’s eyes, especially when visitors leave the bright indoor lights.

So that’s my fall routine. After raking and blowing fallen leaves into my compost pile, I pressure wash flagstone, boulders, garden furniture, large pots and yard art to help everything almost glow at night. Then I replace old boards, apply preservative and stain, and adjust my night lighting.

By the time I finish, I’m ready to enjoy cool, dark evenings by the fire pit without worrying about missteps or mishaps.

Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to [email protected].