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Enjoy the vivid colors of heuchera through
winter--wait until spring to prune back! |
With Thanksgiving drawing close, we’re in
the homestretch of another year—and as you finish up the last of your gardening
tasks for the season, here are a few tips to ensure a good end to this year and
start to the next.
First, it’s time to label your plants. As perennials grow in
popularity and variety, more of the plants in our gardens simply disappear over
winter, leaving us trying to remember what we planted where. Right now, before you prune back your perennials for winter, mark the location and variety
of each with plant labels. Doing so will make dividing or
moving your plants in early spring to make way for others.
Secondly, it’s time for that much-loved autumn pastime: yard
cleanup. After you’ve labeled your perennials, you can cut back any that have
already died down for the year. With the frosts we had recently many plants have gone dormant for the season; many
more will follow soon.
Pruning back perennials isn’t a difficult task—many can be
cut right back to the ground—but some varieties lend themselves to beautiful
winter color and should be left alone until spring. My favorite plant that fits
this rule is heuchera, or coral bells. With their brightly-colored leaves
through spring and summer, heuchera are beautiful enough, but many varieties
take on even more vivid shades in the winter months, so don’t touch them until
spring and enjoy the show!
As for other plants around your yard—while it’s generally
safe to prune in the fall and winter, I typically wait until early spring to
trim the shrubs in my yard. Even the hardiest plants can suffer some winter
damage in the event we have a harsh season ahead, so rather than create wounds
on the plants in my yard before winter, wait until after the worst chance of a
deep freeze is past to prune. Doing so will also allow you to prune off any
branches or foliage that shows signs of winter damage.
The one major exception I make for pruning this time of year
is roses. Because rose canes (branches) can get brittle in cold weather—thus
making them susceptible to damage in windy or snowy conditions—it’s a great
idea to prune them back halfway sometime in November. In February you can more
selectively prune to shape your plants for the coming year, but for winter, the
job is entirely utilitarian, so chop away.
After you’ve finished raking your lawn for the season, take
note of what you still may need to do to keep your grass healthy through
winter. If moss has begun to take hold once again, apply a dose of ferrous
sulfate to kill it and keep it from choking out your grass over winter. If you
haven’t yet applied your fall fertilizer, it’s still safe to do so—in fact,
with the warm temperatures we had for much of October, the timing is perfect to
apply it anytime this month.
Finally, if you haven’t yet planted bulbs for next spring,
it’s not too late to do so. As mentioned above, October was particularly warm
this year, so our soils have finally cooled down in the last few weeks, providing
ideal conditions to plant. Daffodils in particular offer carefree,
deer-resistant color for years to come, so visit a local nursery and browse
what bulbs might be right for your yard.
Autumn’s short days and wet weather are a great excuse to
stay inside, but as we near the end of another year, now is the time to finish
strong.
