Plant Gardens 101

Part of successfully growing hostas is arranging for them to have a period of rest and regeneration at the end of each growing season. Wintering-over hostas isn’t a difficult process, but it is an important one.

Hostas get their cue to enter a dormant state in the fall, but it’s the change in the length of daylight rather than change in temperature that gives them the signal. Whether your area is warm or cool, your hostas will start to die back in the autumn. This is crucial for the plants, which cannot do without a dormant period.

Gradually cut back on watering and stop fertilizing all together when the plant starts to die back in the fall. It’s a good idea to trim away dead leaves, which lessens the possibility of bacterial problems. (more…)

Old Man Winters’ arrival doesn’t mean that the Winter garden can be neglected. Keeping the garden on an even footing against the ravages that winter can bring is an ongoing. Neglecting proper garden closing chores and winter maintenance tasks is only a recipe for a headache in the spring. Follow a few of these winter garden tips and a bountiful spring will be waiting in a few months time.

Setting the winter garden table An interesting to look at and healthy winter garden depends upon taking steps in the late fall or early winter. Clean up the garden. Make sure that any garden trash is picked up before the snow flies. If this “trash” is left behind it presents an opportunity for bacteria to find its way into any cuts in the plant or onto the plants roots. Bacteria growth, and possible disease, on the plant is the biggest danger to a winter garden.

Watch out for color when trimming If you have had your garden for at least one winter season you know what has color during winter and what does not. Trim this color judiciously looking for maverick branches, but be sure to keep the overall form of the shrub so that winter color can shine in a uniform way. If you are not sure, leave it alone and get a feel for what has winter color for next winter. If a shrub has a winter bud on it, leave it be as this is where the flower will come from next spring. (more…)

Some people believe that when the weather starts getting colder and the leaves start to fall, it is time to put away the gardening tools and wait until next spring to work on their garden again. Wrong. Winter is an important time to maintain your garden’s health and assure yourself a good crop for next year. You may think that might take to long to prepare your garden, but the truth is that it takes less than one day to prepare your garden for the upcoming winter.

When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in you garden next year, and which ones should go. (more…)

Your outdoor plants have worked hard for you all summer, making your yard a place you’re proud to call home. Properly winterizing your lawn and garden is an important step toward healthy soil, lush grass, and happy plants next year. Remember to take care of your outdoor accessories, including your lawn equipment, gardening tools, and all of your lawn and garden decor. A little time spent this autumn will make your gardening and landscaping efforts easier and more enjoyable next spring!

Let’s start with the easy jobs – First remember to store all of your lawn and garden decor including fragile planters, gazing balls, and your deck furniture. Unglazed terra cotta planters left filled with soil outside will often break in the freezing temperatures so it is best to clean them and place them in a storage area where they are protected from the elements.

Autumn is the time to find your birdfeeders and to start stocking your winter feeding pantry. Soon your many feathered friends will be flocking to your feeders for that nutritious morsel. Remember to keep your feeders full through the winter as the birds need reliable food sources through the winter months.

Now that you’ve done the easy tasks, let’s move on to the more mundane winterizing chores. Start by simply cleaning up the vegetable garden. After the first hard frost, remove the year’s annual plants and the dead vegetation. You can add this material to your compost pile, but make sure you’re not adding material from diseased or pest-infested plants. You’ll want to pull perennial weeds before you mulch your garden down for the winter.

The best part of fall landscape chores is planting the spring-blooming bulbs. Crocus, tulips, and daffodils are a beautiful addition to the early spring landscape.

In the yard there’s the major job of raking leaves. These are great either in the compost pile or as direct mulch on the garden. Perennial flowers may be smothered by a heavy layer of mulch, however. Also, wait to prune your trees until later in the winter.

After the ground freezes you can mulch your perennial flowers and newly planted trees. Certain shrubs will need to be wrapped in burlap to protect them from wind damage, sun scald, and other winter injury.

Moving on to the mechanical tasks of winterizing your lawn and garden – While you might try to procrastinate on these jobs until spring, you’ll be well rewarded for the maintenance you perform this fall. Drain the gas from your lawnmower and string trimmer. Actually it’s best to let your mowers and trimmers simply run out of fuel. If you don’t want to ‘waste’ that little bit of fuel, add a gas conditioner before the long winter. Be sure to follow directions. Also, take the same care with your gardening equipment such as your rotary tiller.

Clean all of your landscaping equipment before you store it away for the long, cold winter. Wash with soap and water, clean the air filter, and change the oil. You’ll find that first lawn mowing job in the spring a little bit easier if you take time to sharpen the blades now. You can protect that freshly sharpened blade by applying a little spray oil to the blades. You can also apply light spray oil to other moving parts such as cables and the throttle controls.

Lastly, drain all of the water from the garden hoses and turn off the taps. Be sure to store your insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in a safe storage area that will not freeze. Make sure these materials are kept away from children and pets!

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About Manu Kumar
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As the winter months progress I tend to feel less connected to the wonderful outdoor spaces that reach out to me like an old friend during the spring and summer months. Trapped inside all day as the cold wind blows, I yearn for the feel of fresh dirt in my hands and find myself counting the days until I once again have the pleasure of planting new flowers in my garden and tending to the perennials and bulbs that start peeking out in the spring.

Other gardeners have told me that they’ve been able to find enjoyment tending indoor plants during the winter months. I’ll admit that I do keep African Violets and Orchids indoors year-round, but growing indoors is a lot more challenging! Indoor plants, like all plants require the correct amount of light and proper watering and finding this balance indoors has been tricky for me. (more…)

When the leaves have turned color and are beginning to fall off the trees it is time to prepare your garden for winter.

Winterizing your garden is an important step to ensuring a healthy garden next year.

Start winterizing your garden by removing the dead plant remnants from this year’s garden. Dig up all of the plants, including their root systems and either remove them from the garden or pile them on top of the garden.

Ideally it is best to remove them and to put them in a compost pile. Leaving old crop debris in the garden creates a haven for rodents and insects. Also, if the plants are diseased it is important to remove them from the garden to help prevent next year’s garden from becoming diseased as well.

If you decide to leave the plant remnants in the garden leave them on top of it to dry out and till them into the soil in late fall or early spring. (more…)

Have you shrubs or perennials that are borderline hardy? Anew Hampshire gardener placed large rocks to the northwest of his tender heathers on a south-facing bank. In summer, the rocks add a pleasing design element to the garden.

In winter, they absorb the sun’s heat in the day and retain some of that heat at night. They also protect the plants from chill northwest winds.

Put bales of hay around tender plants to protect them in winter.

Strawberry plants need winter protection. Save weeding headaches next season by using weed-free winter mulch, such as pine needles. You can give the plants a dusting of mulch after the first few light frosts, but wait until the temperature drops to 20° F before applying it to a depth of three or four inches. (more…)

Throughout the spring and summer, we are treated to the melodious songs and chattering conversations of a variety of birds in our trees and shrubs. As summer turns to autumn, then autumn to winter, the songs die down and the conversations are less frequent. Is there a way to keep the birds around during the winter too? You bet! Every region is blessed with a variety of non-migratory birds. With just the right tasty treats, you can draw these non-migratory birds to your yard. Food, water and protection are the three things you need to provide for your feathered friends.

When you consider feeders, have mercy on the little birds who will visit your yard. Be sure to supply tube feeders for them, designed in such a way to keep out larger birds. Thistle feeders are a favorite of finches. Thistle ocks Shepherd hooks make great thistle feeders and come in various sizes. Green feeders with weighted trap doors will keep out squirrels and crows. (more…)

The brilliant autumn colors have exploded and now the leaves are falling. Pumpkins dressed with frost in the early morning tell you winter is around the corner and preparations should be made. Keeping some annuals and summer bulbs in colorful shape through the winter is possible, relatively easy and saves buying all new plants come spring. Coleus, dahlias, gladiolus, crocosmias, acidanthera, geraniums are all among the plants you can continue to grow or keep safe indoors. It is your choice. You could just leave all of them to die with the deep freeze and start with new plants next year. But the longer the potted plants are left to grow, the larger the plant, and the better the show for next spring when you will place them outdoors again. If you have any of the plants mentioned above and would like to keep them safe and sound through the winter, here are some guidelines to do just that. Some can share your living quarters and others have to be set aside in a cool, dry location. ? After the gladiolus, crocosmias, and acidanthera have finished flowering or when frost kills their leaves, carefully dig the corms of these plants and spread them out in a dry, well-ventilated area at room temperature for about two to three weeks. Remove and throw away the old corms, and in paper bags in a 35° to 40° location, store the new corms collected. (more…)

Those of you who live in Zone 9 planting areas will be happy to know that the high summer temperatures come with an unseen benefit – a long planting season. While most gardeners are tilling up their gardens before the first frost hits in October, most people in Zone 9 will be able to start a winter vegetable garden mid-month and have a harvest a few months later.

Winter Vegetable Garden Preparation
Winter vegetables require a little bit of forethought and extra attention. If you’ve never planted vegetables before it’s probably a good idea to start an easier spring/summer garden. Winter gardening is considered by some to be very advanced, but in the Zone 9 area it’s actually pretty easy because there is no snowfall and the winter temperatures are relatively mild.

The most important thing to do is to keep your plants safe from the cold weather. You can use a cold frame to protect your plants. It’s constructed out of a PVC pipe frame with greenhouse plastic spread over the top. The cold frame can be set out when you know there is going to be a frost overnight. (more…)