Mother Nature certainly changed her mind quickly this past week! Less than two weeks ago it was t-shirt weather, and now it seems “late fall” has landed on our doorsteps almost overnight.
Though it’s not ideal weather, we can still continue with our garden winterizing. What are your thoughts on cutting back perennials? We always used to cut back most perennials, although this year we are a little more selective.
I have been reading about what should and shouldn’t get cut back, and I think every gardener has their own idea and their own plan for their garden. And it all seems to work, doesn’t it. But I did read some tips that I wanted to share with you, so let’s make a cup of hot tea and sit down together for a few minutes.
I read that irises should be cut back in the fall. We have always done this because it saves messy cleanup in the spring, but there is another reason. Those broad, flat leaves can become a haven for fungus if left unattended, so we should cut them back and throw them away. Daylilies should also be cut back. This is another plant that is messy to clean up in the spring if we didn’t cut it back in the fall, but guess what else? That messy tangle of last year’s leaves could prevent proper growth of the new leaves in the spring, almost choking them out. So that’s a very good reason to clean them up now!
We’ve chatted before about leaving anything that has seed heads. Seed heads not only provide winter interest through the snow, but they also give a food source to the birds. The only exception would be to cut down delphiniums, which have probably toppled over and broken by now anyway.
Probably for many gardeners, the feeling is to really clean up the yard before winter sets in, and how often do we see a very neat, leafless, stemless yard as winter is just around the corner.
It looks picture perfect, doesn’t it. This is certainly a way to save time with spring clean-up, but don’t be extra meticulous. Having some leaves between shrubs or perennials provides a hiding place for many beneficial insects to live over the winter. As we were cleaning our yard, there were so many ladybugs scrambling out of the plants as we were pulling them out. That alone is incentive to be sure to give them a place where they can relocate. Ladybugs are a gift in the garden.
Not only that, but some leaf cover protects the crowns of various perennials. It will mostly break down by spring and provide nutrients for the soil.
You have probably read that joke about God talking with St. Francis about aspects of gardening. Here’s part of their conversation. “St. Francis: You better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
God: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose? St. Francis: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch.” While every gardener loves, loves, loves mulch, nature kindly provides us with beautiful winter-cover mulch that will decompose over time. If we are too determined to clean up every last leaf between every shrub, we are taking away something very beneficial and that is naturally there in our gardens! No joke!
Visit the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society at www.yorktonhort.ca and see what’s coming up with the group. Have a great week!
