What you should do in the fall to put your perennials to bed.
Here are few things that will help you care for your perennials in the winter.
- Cut back old growth. Leave about 2" left just so you can remember where you plants are in the spring.
- Remove any solid leaf debris or other waste from the garden. This is especially important if you have had any insect or disease problems in your garden this year.
- Mix in a little compost or manure into the soil around your perennials. This will help conserve moisture and help feed them in the spring.
- Add mulch to your perennial beds. Before the snow flies, there should be no bare patches of ground. Use commercial mulch, or finely chopped leaves which have been at least partially composted.
- Spread a little blood meal around the garden. Just a little blood meal acts a fertilizer but also helps keep rodents out of the garden.
- Drop a few fall bulbs like tulips, daffodils, or other around later-season perennials for some extra spring colour.
- Place a stake in the ground where tender perennials live. Then, after frost has set it, add additional leaves, used Christmas Boughs, domes, or more mulch to protect the tender plants. Adding an extra heap of fluffy snow also insulates tender perennials.