fall clean-up

Autumn in the North is the time to take care of your garden beds for winter. Fall clean-up can be managed with one out of three possible maintenance strategies,each one is good or bad in some way.

The “tidy clean-up” removes essentially all dead plant matter from the garden-with the exception of woody perrenials and flowering shrubs. This is the most tidy and neat looking technique. Reminiscent of your living room after the maid service leaves. Diseased foliage left behind with this technique will probably contaminate next years perrennials.This is going to help with your pest control. There are less pro’s with this strategy because you have pretty much removed all of the excellent compost and mulch that leaving dead material provids for next year. You have also removed the winter protection and that plant matter provides for roots. Which means that you will have to add expensive fertilizers and amendments to your garden to make up for this. Expensive in labor and costly in fewer nutrients this approach is perhaps the least recommended.

The “high/low maintenance” technique for fall clean-up is a balance between the sterilizing your beds and the do nothing approach. High/low maintenance technique is by no means a no maintenance approach. Think of low maintenance as meaning less work in the spring, but still a good work out in the garden this weekend and probably next week end too. In this approach one would remove dead annual plants,sprinkling the seeds as you go and putting away your outdoor garden decor if need be. These should germinate if you don’t use preen in your garden. Go ahead and cut back your perennial plants, leaving one third of the plant, but don’t cut back woody plants and flowering shrubs. If you cut these back now they may not do so well next growing season. The birds in your garden will appreciate it if you leave some seed heads behind. If you cut down your grass leave about one foot to provide winter protection. Rake out the beds and remove all of the cuttings and most of the leaves that have come down from the trees. Blow remaining debris from beds onto your grass and chop with lawn mower. Those autumn leaves are like free fertilizer when they are mulched into the lawn. Oak leaves mulched into the grass are supposed to prevent future weeds in your lawn. Encourage you lawn care people to mulch leaves as much as they are able to. Now is the time to bury tree roses and grafted roses. You may want to put some wilt spray on your rhododendrons in December as well as build some burlap houses for them. Try to prevent the burlap from touching the leaves as this can contribute to drying them out. If you want better results from your rhododendrons, hydrangeas and roses next year then this is the time to make an effort to protect them.

the “no maintenance” technique to fall clean-up is the final and perhaps least labor intensive approach. Mother nature will tuck in all your plants with out any work from you-that is the big advantage of this technique. The con’s of doing nothing now are that your neighbors will hate you for your messy yard and you will have a lot to do in the spring at a time when lots of plants are starting to peek through the debris. Perrennials and early bulbs are delicate in the spring and can be easily destroyed as one tramples through spring clean up. Also one should remember that soil in early spring is very friable and can be compressed as you step in the beds. Remember that weeds left in your beds will grow through out the winter months if you do not pull them [out] in the autumn.

What ever your clean-up approach be sure to put away your outdoor garden decor for the winter as you don’t want it to get ruined. Also remember to clean out your cool bird feeders and stock up on bird seed before the snow falls so you can sit back and watch the animals in your garden while it sleeps.

Every gardener has their own individual way of taking care of their fall garden maintenance before winter descends. The approaches outlined in this article are meant to help you decide what fall maintenance technique is ideal for you. Most importantly have fun in your garden!