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| #3 - More Denny's Tips | ||||||||||||||||
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Putting Perennials to Bed for Winter
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Taken from the B.Y.G.L. (Buckeye Yard and Garden Online) Newsletter
Contributing Authors: Pam Bennett, Joe Boggs, Cindy Meyer, Jim Chatfield, Erik Draper, Dave Dyke, Gary Gao, David Goerig, Tim Malinich, Becky McCann, Bridget Meiring, Amy Stone and Curtis Young |
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| Unfortunately, it's time to begin preparing the perennial garden for its long winter nap! Begin by cutting back any foliage that has little to no winter interest as soon as it is killed by a hard freeze. Some people like to cut things back in early October but the longer one waits, the more sugars are stored in the root system for the next season. In addition, if the plants are cut back too early, they may send up new growth, expending stored sugars unnecessarily. Plants that have a nice winter interest such as ornamental grasses, sedum, coneflower (seed for birds as well) or others can be left alone until they start to look bad (i.e. crushed by ice or snow). | ||||||||||||||||
| If there are tender perennials that need protected with mulch, wait until the ground freezes before mulching. It's also a good idea to mulch any new plants that were put in this fall as they don't have a sturdy root system and will be more susceptible to heaving. Remove any winter annuals weeds now and get ahead of the game. Things happen so fast in the spring when plants start to grow that it becomes impossible to keep up with this chore. The final task is to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Then head indoors to a warm cozy fire and wait for the seed catalogues to arrive! For more information, see: •OSU Extension FactSheet on General Maintenance of Herbaceous Ornamentals |
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