A Few Fall Reminders for the Home Gardener
October is a busy month for gardeners. Fall clean-up alone can be a daunting task. It usually includes raking leaves, removing plants from the vegetable garden, and pulling out annuals done in by frost.
When it comes to perennials, I sometimes get asked whether it’s better to cut back certain perennials now or in the spring. Well, that depends. Traditionally, the practice has been to cut back most perennials every fall. However, more gardeners are deciding to leave their pruning until spring for several good reasons:
- Left standing, perennials can add color and form to a winter garden. Ornamental grasses, for example, are plants that gardeners frequently leave untrimmed since, in addition to color and form, they can provide movement to a static winter scene.
- Keeping old growth on perennials for the winter can help some perennials overwinter better by providing insulation for the crown. This is especially important for those plants that are only marginally hardy for our area.
- Leaving seed heads on flowers and ornamental grasses offer food for birds
- As 30% of Wisconsin native bee species nest in hollow stems or wood, leaving stems up for the winter can provide nesting/overwintering habitat (not only for bees but butterflies as well).
On the other hand, you do want to cut back perennials in the fall if the plant had disease issues. Removing infected plant material in the fall can help prevent problems in the spring.
“Leave the leaves” When raking the lawn this fall, remember to leave some leaves behind and intact rather than shredding them with the mower or disposing of them. In cold climates, many butterflies and moths use leaf litter for winter protection of eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, cocoons or adults.
If you have any new plantings in your garden, you’ll want to give them a protective layer of mulch to help them through their first winter. It is a little too early to apply winter mulch now. It is recommended to wait until the ground is frozen. Winter mulch helps keep the soil uniformly cold to prevent the repeated freezing and thawing of soil that can damage plant roots. Remove the mulch in spring when the plants begin to grow (remember do not mulch directly over the crown but around the root zone). Also, whole leaves make good winter mulch!
Now is also the time to plant hardy bulbs and dig up tender bulbs to overwinter. If you plan to bring any plants indoors, be sure to check them first for unwanted guests.
Clean and sharpen garden tools and get lawn mowers tuned up to avoid the springtime rush. Remember to detach garden hoses from outdoor faucets when temperatures fall below freezing.
If you are really ambitious this fall, you might consider organizing your garden shed or space, so everything’s all set to go in the spring.
Lastly, keep watering plants as needed until the ground freezes.
After all your hard work this fall, sit back and take a breather. Then come the dead of winter, you’ll be ready to start leafing through those seed catalogs and start planning for next season…
