The preparations you make in the fall for the long winter ahead are some of the most important hours that you can spend in the garden. Protect sensitive plants. The picture here shows the protection that I have given a zone 5 hydrangea that we have in our shade garden. We have had this plant here for three seasons now and I suround it with this shelter and have filled it with leaves for extra cover. Don’t be afraid to try plants that are hardy in zone 5. I have a zone 6 perennial which has come back for the second season as well. I add extra mulch over the entire root system and pull it back in the spring!
The bark on young trees – especially fruit trees, crabapple, and maple trees are tasty to the mice, voles and rabbits. In addition to the feast for these little critters, young bark is subject to frost cracking from the winter sun warming the trunk and then with a severe drop in temperatures, frost cracking can occur. For those living in areas with deer – the buck rubs to young trees can be devasting to these young plants. Here at the nursery we use white plastic curly-cue wraps. Heavy paper tree wrap can also be used. The guideline we usually give folks is to put the wraps on by Halloween and remove them at Easter time. It is very important that you remove it during the growing season so the bark can breathe – so moisture doesn’t gather behind the wrap and potentially cause rot to set in and also keeps insects away from the trunk.
The most frequently asked question that we have in the fall is “How do I protect my Endless Summer Hydrangea”. This picture from last season – shows Heidi covering the plant with approximately 10-12 inches of shredded bark mulch after the ground has frozen and we have cut the plant back to about 8-10 inches tall. We “bury” it with the mulch and then around the end of April or early May (depending on the spring) we pull the mulch back – use it either on this bed or another – and the plant just takes off for the growing season!
I used this picture last summer in a post about keeping plants watering during the July drought. Well – guess what? We now have a fall drought. As most of you have probably already heard from listening to the news is that we have had one of the driest Octobers on record! This week of mild weather is the perfect time to water all of your landscape plants but most importantly, any new plants from this season, one more time.
Deciduous plants (leafy) use almost no water once they shut down for the season but evergreens will continue to use moisture through the winter. It is definitely necessary to get out and give any of your evergreens an extra hearty drink of water before you put the hose away for the final time. As the picture depicts – even it if is raining – or has rained – give them an extra dose of water. In the spring you have probably seen evergreens that look brown and you think they may have even died but most of the time it is winter burn. (Like sunburn in the summer – only happening in the winter!) You can help prevent this with extra watering in November.
Now for a few other fall tips -
- Mulch around the planting surface of any recently planted trees and shrubs and also any first year perennials. This tucks them in tight for winter, keeps the winter winds from burrowing down onto the root ball through cracks in the soil surface and for perennials, will protect them from the frost/thaw cycles and potential frost heaving. Shredded bark mulch stays put much better than leaves. Leaves tend to blow away too easily.
- Rake away any plant debris from cut back perennials and dispose of to minimize soil diseases and insects.
- Rake your lawn for better air circulation and lawn-disease control.
- Mow your lawn – tall, matted grass encourages snow mold.
- Now until late March is the time to prune alot of trees. Oaks, honeylocusts, crabapples, pears, mountain ash, elm and fruit trees are best pruned during the dormant season.
