Putting Your Borders to Bed

By performing a few simple tasks, you can wrap up the season on a high note

As much as I sleep together gardening , I must admit that I look frontward to put my garden to bed at the end of the season . In the same style my plants need a rest , I wish my own quiescency period , which allows me the clip to get snug , hunker down , and neglect my unrealistic winter to - do listing . When spring arrive , I will recoil myself for not having picked up the book I mean to translate , painted the guest bedchamber , or wind up the scarf that will now have to be next class ’s Christmas present to my sister . But the one matter I wo n’t regret is the time I took in the surrender to cook my garden for winter and to get a jump pop out on springiness chores .

My horticulture exploit in autumn range from reassessing the purpose of my beds to cleaning and storing pots . I also protect my vulnerable plants so that I am less probable to have to supervene upon them after wintertime ’s wrath has passed . This proactive approach work well for me because I garden on the go during the hectic spring and summer months . Here are some things I do to get ready for the next year .

Plant, move, and divide

Fall is a perfect time to fill in gaps

For me , the best metre to imbed , water parting , and transplant is in other nightfall , when my garden layout is refreshed in my mind and I can see the muddle in my design . It ’s also a serious time to get reacquainted with my plants and see which ones are all in , which are overgrown , and which necessitate a better slur to succeed . Dividing overgrown perennial provide me with plant to figure out blueprint flaws and rejuvenates the parent plants at the same time . Planting and dividing in fall also gives my plants a time of year to become establish , and they reward my efforts with better spring performance .

Root-prune shrubs to be moved in spring

If I run out of time to transplant any woody plants in the fall , I steep my spade into the land around the stem of the plant in a rotary as if I were endure to dig it up . This proficiency , called antecedent pruning , make it easier to poke up the plant in spring and encourages the plant to get novel roots inside the lot . These roots will give the plant a head start when it ’s moved to its new location and aid it get establish chop-chop .

Tip : I receive plants to their new emplacement by turning a good amount of compost into their planting mess , giving them a clear topdressing of a naturally derived plant food , and watering them exhaustively .

Clean up and cut back

Tidy perennial beds mean healthier plants

I also digest my fall - cleaning crusade on my perennial seam and borders . After a dyad of knockout frosts , I cut back my perennials to a meridian of 3 to 6 in using a pair of script pruner or , sometimes , a string trimming capacitor . This task not only saves time in saltation but also keep harmful louse and pathogens from determine a cozy place to spend the winter . I save plants like decorative smoke , purplish coneflowers , and inglorious - eyed Susans because they provide intellectual nourishment for wildlife and winter interest for me . Because some plants do n’t like being cut back entirely ( and I can never think back which ones they are ) , I do n’t sheer my perennials all the way to the ground until spring . The stay stubs swear out as reminders of where plants are . I deposit the dust into my compost pile , which generate temperatures high enough to kill any pests and pathogens that may be present .

To be on the dependable side , any industrial plant overrun with a pest or disease — or those prone to such afflictions — do not go into my compost deal . The numb leaves of plants like hostas , for case , can harbor fleeting slugs and snails , while plants like bee balm and garden phlox are often plagued with powdery mildew . The debris from these plants goes flat into the folderol to prevent the problem from being reintroduced to my garden .

Tip : If I have sentence , I will run down out my bush beds , but I do n’t accentuate if it does n’t get done . arboreous plants do n’t seem to be as susceptible as perennial to the insects and disease that live in the junk , and the leaves provide a layer of insularity against winter .

Wash and store containers

stimulate a compulsive desire to keep everything slap-up and organize , I can never call it the end of the gardening season without cleaning up my containers . If they are not bound for the cellar to overwinter a treasured tender plant , I dump their contents into the compost pile and sanitize my flock before storing them for the winter . This practice helps keep any pests or disease from setting up shop in next year ’s plantings . In spring , I just reach for a clean kitty when I ’m quick to plant .

To clean my container , I first remove any stay soil with a dry scrub coppice . I then scour the flock inside and out with a result of 10 part water to 1 part whitener . Once the pots have dried , I stack them with paper or dark-brown newspaper publisher old bag between them so that they do n’t get together or develop when moved . If I run out of time to scavenge my pots , I make certain to store them where they will be protected from harsh wintertime conditions , such as in a cellar , garage , or shed .

Protect vulnerable plants

Wrap young trees to prevent sunscald

Young tree ( those with trunks less than 4 inches in diameter ) are prone to sunscald , or cracking cause by tender sun on a cold day . To prevent sunscald , I protect the trunks of young Tree with tree diagram wrap . The 4 - inch - wide paper strip stand up to urine but does n’t retain wet , which can have disease . Starting at the bottom and working my way up , I circulate the luggage compartment , somewhat overlapping the wrapper at each strait . Once I turn over the top of the trunk , where the tree ’s branches start , I fix the newspaper by wrapping it back around itself or wed it off . I remove the wrapper when temperatures stop fluctuate badly in other spring . The wrap also protects the tree ’s bark from cervid or rodent legal injury .

New additions like a blanket of mulch

Before my garden drifts off into its winter sleep , I leave some protection for vulnerable plant . freshly planted Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and bush get a 3 - inch - deep bed of mulch to hold back moisture and protect the dirt from temperature fluctuations that cause frost heaving , which can expose crowns and base to rough winter conditions . For my freshly planted or shoal - rooted perennials , I hold off until at least three hard freezes — when perennials are dormant — and insulate them by covering their crowns with a 2 - inch - deep stratum of teetotal leaves . An evergreen bough hold in spot with an 8- or 10 - inch - long anchor thole or a rock placed on top keep everything inviolable . The mulch prevents frost heaving and premature bud faulting . If I put the leaf mulch on before the plant is dormant , I might smother the plant or encourage disease to develop .

— Jennifer Benner , associate editor , has lead off hibernating and wo n’t be seen again until the daffodils start blossom .

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