Mornings at our house, while filled with the excitement of the coming day, can also be a bit busy. There are chores such as laundry and dishes that need to be done and Annie, our beloved dog, also needs to be let out and fed. Completing all of this before heading to work can be a challenge. In an attempt to make mornings a bit easier, I start preparing the evening before. I set out everything needed for breakfast, pick out my clothes and make sure my schedule for the next day is written out. This preparation allows me a few extra minutes to drink my tea and ease into the day by playing a crossword puzzle. When occasionally I am too tired prepare everything, I regret it the next day.
Late fall gives us the brilliant opportunity to prepare for what will inevitably be a busy spring in our gardens. A bit of time spent now will not only result in a more beautiful yard, but also give you more time to enjoy the warm weather as spring approaches. This column details what can and should be done now to make sure that your lawn and plants are healthy and strong next year.
When caring for your lawn, consider an application of fertilizer. When applied in late October to early November, the fertilizer promotes root growth and will cause your lawn to green up a bit earlier next spring. Herbicides that control broadleaf weeds may also be applied in the fall. Core-aeration, when done correctly, helps reduce thatch and compaction. Make sure to remove the leaves on the lawn, especially those leaves that fall in November. A thick layer of leaves can damage the lawn.
Most perennial flowers can be cutback in the fall. Evaluating the foliage of perennial flowers after a hard frost helps to determine if they should be cut back. If the foliage still looks good, consider leaving it alone. If the foliage has naturally started to die back, then most plants can be cut back to about 3-5” above the ground. Typically, the foliage on coralbells and perennial geraniums still looks good in fall, so you may not want to cut those back. The foliage on daylilies and hostas looks rough in late fall. Those would be examples of plants that can be cut back. Leaving some plant material in place and removing it in early spring does help provide food and protection to native pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds.
Butterfly bush, lavender, hibiscus, and some roses are considered marginally hardy plants. This means that if the temperature gets too cold during the winter, these plants may not survive. Proactively protecting plants that are considered marginally hardy is recommended. Place a protective layer of mulch near the base of these plants late in the fall and make sure to remove it in early spring.
Applying mulch to your planting beds in the fall has several benefits. It helps to retain moisture in the soil through the long winter. It also moderates the soil temperature and provides a blanket of insulation to the plant’s roots. Mulch applied near perennial flowers is typically about 1” deep and around shrubs and trees it is 2” deep.
Transpiration is the process in which water evaporates from the leaves of plants. Evergreen shrubs and trees continue to lose water through their broadleaves or needles throughout the winter. This causes evergreen to be susceptible to winter burn. It is very important to continue to water all evergreens, as needed, until the ground is frozen. In our area that means that you should continue to check the ground near your evergreen shrubs and trees until about Thanksgiving. If the ground is dry, then water the plants deeply and thoroughly. In addition to watering your evergreens, you may want to apply an anti-desiccant spray to the needles. This spray adds a waxy layer that helps to slow down the water loss out of broadleaves or needles. Wilt-Pruf and Wilt Stop are two examples of anti-desiccant sprays.
Removing weeds while always an important gardening task, takes on more relevance in the fall. Cool season weeds such as chickweed and deadnettle germinate in the fall. Removing them now will prevent them from overwintering in your yard. Perennial weeds such as thistles and Creeping Charlie are starting to move their nutrients into their root system. Proactively trying to reduce or eliminate them from your landscape before they come back even stronger next year is the best way to approach these tough weeds.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
