October 2008 Garden Tips

• Many people start to trim down perennials this time of year, but some perennials are evergreen and should not be trimmed, including bergenia, pachysandra, and heuchera.

• Cut back peonies and hostas to reduce risk of fungal leaf disease in next year’s garden. You can leave hosta flower stems standing for winter interest; birds love them.

• Fall is an excellent time for taking soil samples in your lawn and garden. Soil tests will measure the pH of the soil, organic matter content, and levels of some of the major elements required for plant growth, such as phosphorus and potassium. This test will help you determine what fertilizers need to be used next spring.

• Plant garlic in October and cover it with mulch for the winter. By midsummer next year, you will be harvesting a whole bulb of the “stinking rose” for every clove you put in the ground.

• Carefully blow or rake tree and shrub leaves off perennial gardens. Large leaves get wet, mat down, and provide poor insulation for your plants.

• You can use shredded leaves as a mulch or amendment for new plantings. Work the shredded leaves into the top 12 inches of soil in empty gardens. These will break down over winter and improve the soil for future plantings. As a mulch, spread leaves over soil surface. Do not use leaves to cover plants for winter protection.

• Fall cleanup is the best way to reduce and even eliminate some future pest and disease problems. Rake and bury or destroy diseased leaves. Prune out and destroy diseased branches; disinfecting tools between each cut is important.

• It is best to remove any diseased or insect-infested plant material from your garden. It may harbor over-wintering stages of disease or insect pests, which will begin to reproduce again next spring and add to next years’ pest problem. If pests were out of control this summer, a dormant oil spray may be used to kill any insects or eggs left behind. Ask your local garden center for recommendations.

• Be sure to have your irrigation system winterized to prevent cracking and leaks.

• Fall is a time to pick up your spring-blooming bulbs. You may prepare them to bloom for your indoor pots also. All you need to force bulbs indoors is a place that stays cool but above freezing—32ºF to 50ºF. Pot daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and other bulbs that need a cold treatment and water them well. For the best show, don’t mix different types of bulbs in one pot unless you’re sure they bloom at about the same time. Then place the pots in cool storage for about 12 to 16 weeks. Check on them periodically and water when the soil is dry. At the end of the cool treatment, move them into a 50- to 65-degree location for two weeks for growth to begin, then bring pots into brighter light and warmer temperatures, keeping them well watered. Once in flower, keep the pots away from heat and direct sun to prolong the blooms.

• Clean and oil your garden tools for proper winter storage.

• You can create balance and harmony in the garden by using lights to enhance the garden’s dark areas during the shorter days of fall and winter.

• As you are planning next year’s additions to your landscape, remember that trees and large shrubs provide privacy and protection at the back of the garden. They can also create a “frame” for an area to accent.

• When deciding on new trees or shrubs to plant around your home, remember to select varieties that will fit the location when they are at their mature height. This will greatly reduce pruning and other future maintenance.

• To prevent sunscald and frost cracking this winter on young, thin-barked trees such as maples, wrap the trunks with tree wrap. This will reflect the warming rays of the sun so the tree bark doesn’t heat up on winter days, only to be suddenly cooled when the sun sets and the temperature plummets. Warming and thawing makes the water inside the tree trunk expand and contract, causing the trunk of the tree to crack.

• Don’t forget to feed the birds in your garden with seed or suet. Hang a suet feeder in shade; cooler temperatures are great for the suet feeders all winter.

• Plan to fill planter boxes or pots with winter greenery when they are empty of summer annuals. They can enhance your fall and winter landscape.

• Keep watering until the ground freezes. Evergreens and new plantings need special attention. Water them thoroughly before ground freezes. This helps minimize winter damage.

• Put up your Christmas lights before it gets bitter cold and snowy.
 

Resources

All Seasons Garden Center
1-800-745-7777

The Garden Store at Minnesota Green Landscaping
952-496-3105

Klein Landscaping and Nursery
320-255-1832

Jean’s - The Right Plant Place
218-346-4051

Villa Landscapes
Burnsville • 952-894-1553
Maple Grove • 763-425-9277
Oakdale • 651-773-7440

Wagner Greenhouses, Inc.
612-922-6901