Posted on August 8th, 2014 in Landscaping | 1 Comment »
Kim Holden, Landscape Specialist
- Cut back spent perennials 2-4” from the crown.
- Clean out weeds and annuals.
- Many annuals, perennials and ornamental grasses with seed heads provide a good food source for birds. Leave those over the winter and cut back in the spring.
- Rake up leaves around roses, peonies, fruit trees and other plants susceptible to powdery mildew and other pests and diseases that over winter on debris – Bag and discard, do NOT compost or use as mulch.
- Mulch your beds with shredded leaves after the ground freezes to protect your perennials from frost heaving.
- Plant spring bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinth.
- Dig up tender bulbs such as dahlia, canna, gladiolus and elephant ear and store for the winter in a cool dry place around 50 degrees. An unheated basement, crawlspace or garage usually works well.
- Clean up your vegetable garden by removing weeds and debris.
- Divide spring blooming perennials.
- Water your trees, shrubs and perennials thoroughly before the ground freezes to avoid future damage.
- Clean your tools and apply a light layer of oil to prevent rusting over the winter.
Hi there, Great tips by the way and thank you.
I did have a question though. I’m hoping you can answer it for me since you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about gardening.
How do you kill grass and weeds without damaging plants?
Is there a safe herbacide to use? Or should I just try to pull them?
If you had some insight I would greatly appreciate it.