I’m going to bring in a water plant called Umbrella palm, Cyperus
alternifolius. I bought it in a 4-inch
pot, which I placed in my little decorative pond on top of a 10-inch pot to
raise it up to the top of the water level. I filled that pot to weigh it down.
It made perfect conditions for the Umbrella palm, I guess.
When I went to pull the now 6 feet tall palm out of the
water it took all my strength and several heaves. It had filled the larger pot with roots and
then covered the sides of the pot with roots. I have it in a large bucket so I
can keep the bottom in water, but I haven’t moved it in yet. I’m going to need
help moving it. I told my husband we
could put a little pond inside, but so far, he is against that -lol.
It’s amazing how much a plant can grow outside in just a few
months. My lemon tree is a foot higher and 2 feet wider. The variegated ginger
is probably 3 feet wider- it is huge. And everything else grew too. It then becomes a matter of where to put them
when you bring them inside. I have plenty of space – well enough space- for the
“shelf” size plants, it’s the “floor” size plants that are the problem. My
husband wants to be able to see the TV for some reason.
In the outside garden things are starting to look a bit
tattered and old. I’m itching to cut some of it down, but I’m forcing myself to
wait just a bit longer, until after the first frost. Last year we had a frost
in late September and a good freeze by October 16. It doesn’t look like frost this year for at
least another week, but things can change quickly this time of year.
So, what’s
the right time to clean up the garden, fall or spring?
There is always a
debate among gardeners whether to clean up the garden in the fall or spring. Frankly
it boils down to being a personal decision for the flower beds anyway, but
there are some things to consider before making the decision.
Flower bed cleanup in fall can be done if you like a neat look going into winter. Many gardeners do fall clean up. But leaving the cleanup- or at least most of it until spring does have some advantages. Birds and beneficial insects can use the seeds and plant parts left behind over winter. Seed heads, stalks and stems, and grass clumps can provide winter interest in a bland environment.
Time for clean up?
But the most
compelling reason to leave cleanup until spring is that it is the way nature
does it. The dying foliage protects the crowns and roots of plants and traps
snow, which also protects plant parts. The decomposing foliage returns
nutrients to the soil. One plant
to certainly leave alone until spring is the chrysanthemum. Removing stems in fall often removes buds
for next year’s foliage at their base. You can carefully cut dead stems back to
about 6 inches but don’t remove stems to the ground.
But if you do like a
neat, orderly look or dread spring cleanup, don’t let others guilt trip you
about insects and small animals needing debris to winter in. Just take the
stems and leaves to a compost pile and they can overwinter there. Or make a few
piles in the back of the garden that will be easy to move in spring.
It’s best to wait
until a hard freeze has killed the herbaceous plants before cleaning in the
fall. Until then the leaves are still making energy for the plant, even if they
look ratty. These are the plants that die to the ground and come back from the
base in spring. Of course, dead, crunchy stems and leaves can be removed at any
time.
If you remove all
the dead stems and foliage of certain plants you may want to mark the spot,
especially for things like hardy hibiscus, which come up quite late in the
spring, so you don’t damage the plants planting bulbs or spring flowers.
Do not trim tree
peonies and Itoh peonies in fall. Other peonies can be pruned to the ground
after a hard freeze. Some plants like coneflowers and daisies begin growing new
foliage at the base of old stems in fall. You can cut off the old stems but
leave the new growth alone.
Don’t do too much
pruning of woody plants and roses in the fall. Winter kill starts at the tip of
a branch/cane and works down. The dead areas can protect areas further down the
branch. If you cut branches back to 6
inches in fall, they may die back to 3 inches or less or die completely. If you leave them longer, they will probably
die back a few inches, leaving many more buds below the dead area.
Pruning in the fall
may remove flower buds from spring blooming woody plants. As a general rule,
don’t prune woody plants in the fall that bloom in spring. Most of these
already have buds formed for next year. Plants like hydrangeas and clematis have many
bloom times and different species require different pruning times. That’s why
it’s important to remember what species you plant.
Fall blooming
clematis such as Sweet Autumn clematis should be pruned later in winter, when
they are completely dormant. But in zones 6 and lower I suggest leaving the
pruning of most clematis until spring, winter damage will probably prune them
for you. You can trim off dead areas in spring.
Hydrangea paniculate
cultivars (cone shaped
flowers) can be pruned in fall to a fat bud about 3 feet above ground. But it’s
probably better to wait until late winter to do this. The mophead types- round
balls- should not be pruned in fall or you won’t have many blooms next year. You can clip off dead flower heads of any
hydrangeas in fall, but many people like to leave them for winter interest.
If you want to
collect seeds of various plants get it done soon. Some seeds of various flowers
can be sown in fall for spring germination. To read more about seed storage and
fall sowing you can go to this page; http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/seeds-germination.html
Before a freeze you
need to dig up summer bulbs such as glads, dahlias, canna, and so on if you
want them for next year. Pick a stretch of sunny days so that after you dig
them you can let them cure in the sun for a day or two. Make sure they won’t
freeze outside at night; you may have to bring them in at night.
Shake off the soil after it dries but don’t wash the bulbs/tubers. After a day or two of curing you can cut off any foliage and pack the bulbs/tubers in slightly dampened wood shavings and store them in a cool, (above freezing) dry, dark spot.
Fall asters
Vegetable
gardens
You can leave the flower beds until spring, but vegetable
gardens should be cleaned up after a hard freeze has stopped production or when
you decide it’s time to quit for the year. This helps prevent the build-up of
disease and insects. It’s especially important in years like this one, when
diseases were prevalent.
But before you do the cleanup, take the time to jot down
where each crop was planted, so you know where to rotate crops in the
spring. You could take a picture to help
jog your memory also. You may also want
to make notes about what vegetable varieties you liked or that were very
productive so you can look for those varieties in the spring. You think you
will remember these things, but time has a way of fooling us all.
Remove all plant matter, including discarded fruits and
compost it far from the garden. Disease organisms may survive on old stems,
leaves and fruit so make sure all debris is cleaned from the garden.
Some of you may have been ambitious and planted a fall crop
of lettuce or kale. These crops may
continue to grow for a while even after a frost or freeze so don’t worry about
pulling them out. If you use a low
tunnel covered with spun row cover or plastic over these greens they may grow
well into December. Carrots, turnips,
and some other root crops may lose their leaves but remain edible stored underground
well into winter.
If you are leaving carrots or other root crops in the ground to be harvested later mark them with a tall stake and cover with bales of straw before the ground freezes. These areas must be cleaned completely in the early spring.
Pick up and store trellis and cages. Remove any plastic
mulch. A cover crop of rye can be planted or cover the ground with a thick
layer of leaves or other organic mulch after the ground freezes. This is an
excellent time to add fresh manure to vegetable gardens.
If disease was a problem this year do not till the soil this
fall. Fungal spores and other disease
organisms will be more likely to be killed by freezing weather if they are on
the surface of the soil and not tilled under.
Tilling also buries weed seeds and protects them. However, if you are going to expand the
garden next year you can till and rake the proposed new areas.
If you keep chickens you can let them in the garden in the
fall after you have harvested any edibles and they will gladly till and
fertilize your soil for you. You can let
them in before you remove the old tomatoes and big cucumbers left over from
summer. They’ll eat those up and you’ll
have less cleaning up to do. Don’t let
them in however if you planted fall greens like kale, not only could the greens
be contaminated with E. coli or salmonella, they will be eaten.
It may be a bit sad to see the garden blackened after a hard
frost or freeze. That means it’s time to
plant bulbs for spring blooms though. And remember there’s always next year-
and that garden will be the best one yet.
-Rainbow Rowell-
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted.
To contact author - kimwillis151@gmail.com
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