Greetings!
November is here and we are going to focus this issue on a couple of tips for preparing for fall. I have uploaded a couple of new videos to our Youtube Channel to show how to prep Roses for winter and keeping lavender in shape. On our Facebook Page I added an new Step by step photo album on Preparing the roots for Planting. As I have time I will be posting more videos/albums on winter care throughout the month as I clean up my own yard! Otherwise I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Our November Hours are Monday thru Saturday 9 to 4. We will be closed for Thanksgiving, November 24th.
|
What to do for November in Gardening
November is a great time to mulch plants, cut back perennials and do a quick clean up in the yard before the cold weather and holiday season spring up. This year we are getting a decent fall show in November due to the late season so its kinda fun. Below are tips to mulching and cleaning up perennials and ornamental grasses. Otherwise, don't forget: to drain your hoses and disconnect them from the faucets, blow out the sprinkler system and put those foam blocks in your crawl space vents to keep the house warmer!
|
Mulching For Winter
 Mulching is an old technique that needs to come back into practice. We were spoiled by mild winters for a while, we didn't have to do it. Now we are in a trend of winters that strike fast, early or late and damage plants that are not quite dormant enough to whether the storms or severe cold snaps (quickly dropping into the low teens or colder). Our white Thanksgiving last year is a great example were it was a frigid negative 7 at the nursery! This Arctic blast hit roses that were in bloom and it killed a lot of them out. Except for those who mulched the crown (the union of root and branches). The mulched roses still were taken down to about six inches tall but did not die out or revert to their root stock. In my yard I lost a lot of roses in the winter of 09-10 so I mulched my roses for 10-11 winter and only had to do some hard pruning. No yanking out reverted or dead roses in my yard this year. So I thought I would share my process with you.
My yard is located in the blow sand bluffs of North Pasco. Its alkaline, not that nutrient rich of soil but it is easy digging. So I fertilize regularly, water deeply, and my plants are in pretty good shape. I don't care for rock mulches, so most of my front yard is the shredded bark that packs well from Beaver Bark. It is actually holding up well in my windy spot and would be great for an insulating mulch. However last year, dad had reminded me a customer who mulched his roses with compost and they were excellent plants year after year. Last winter I decided to pull the bark away and mulch 3 to 4 inches thick around the rose's bud unions with compost (Garden and Bloome Farmyard Blend) to give a slow feed over winter. It worked great. Though winter killed them to about 6 inches tall they emerged with dark green and leaves and went to town growing and flowering. Needless to say I am doing that again. This year I will be working with the Garden & Bloome Harvest Supreme and their Rose Planting Mix to see which one does better. Both have higher nutrient values than the Farmyard Blend, that is why I am playing with them to get as many nutrients I can to those plants. In general any compost will work great for mulching; store bought or home turned. We just carry the Garden and Bloome line, I am happy with that product line and I don't have a compost pile at home.
A 1.5 cuft bag of compost will cover about 6 plants mulch 3 inches thick and a 1 square foot area. A 2 cuft bag will do 8. Not only will roses benefit from a good mulch for winter protection (cold or dryness) but so will the following plants: Mimosa, Figs, Blackberries (including Marion or Boysenberries), Rosemary, Crape Myrtle, and Pampass Grass. Acid loving plants like Hellebore, Blueberries, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas would be better with the Garden and Bloome Acid Planting Mix or a compost blended with Sulfur or Cottonseed Meal to insulate cold temperatures, keep the moisture but help acidify the soil to help those plant absorb nutrients better.
Not sure how to mulch? I filmed the Preparing Roses for Winter Video to help out.
|
To Cut Back or Not to Cut Back...
 This time of year a lot of garden experts talk about cutting back the perennials and ornamental grasses, however we forget to explain which ones do you cut back, how far do you cut back and when to do it. This article helps out. First off we cut back perennials when they begin to die back or turn that yellow/brown color in Late October or Early November (depending when the frosts hit).
For perennials and grasses that are deciduous, where they die back for winter, we cut them back to the ground. Evergreen or woodier stemmed perennials and grasses we just even them up and clean our the dead foliage. Some woodier perennials like Lavender can be cut back by about two thirds their size to get them back into shape while others like the Tree Peony are not to be touched otherwise you cut off the next years flowers.
 The best way to trim down perennials and grasses is a pair of good hedge shears, for smaller plants you can use a pair of scissors. Then either get rid of the trimmings by either composting them or sending them to the dump. Remember if the plant had some fungal or disease issues during the growing season, do not compost those leaves. It spreads the spores and keeps them around to infect next years foliage.
Here are lists of what to cut back or leave alone
Perennials and Ornamental Grasses to be Cut down for Winter
Perennials and Ornamental Grasses to be just trimmed or Left alone
|
