Preparing For Winter In Your Garden

As the cold creeps in, it’s time for a garden check up. Here are some tips on what to cut back, leaving your exterior spaces lively, well into fall.

Get your Perennials in order:

Cutting Back:
When you see perennials starting to yellow or die out, it’s time to cut them back. Cut them to three inches above the ground, so you can still see their location when planting bulbs in the coming weeks. Use the cut flowers to dress a dining or hall table. They will typically last seven to ten days once cut. Just trim the stems and change the water every 2 to 3 days.

Divide and Conquer:
If your perennials aren’t flowering like they used to, consider dividing them. This technique should be done every three to four years for all perennials. Dig up the plant, split it in half, and replant it in two locations. When doing this, beware of crowding your flower beds if they lack ample space they will flower less. Proper division will ensure that they blossom more fully next season.

What to Keep:
Some perennials, such as dahlias, peonies, and coneflowers last well into fall, so hold off on clipping until you absolutely have to. Plus, they may even look better in autumn. Peonies will develop beautiful burgundy leaves, and coneflowers have a stunning shape that remains once the petals have dropped.

Tall grasses can look lovely even dried out. Consider keeping them all
winter and cutting them back in the earlier spring so they can
flourish again.

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