Just getting back into this blog thing. Now that it's Fall, well late Fall really, there are some really important tips for perennial gardeners. When I teach classes in Spring, I'm always saying "well actually these are things that should be done in the Fall", so here it is:
1) Always cut down your perennials and remove all debris, including leaves and stems. If you had roses with black spot, or phlox with powdery mildew, or any sort of disease or insect problem, the diseases in particular will carry-over in the soil, and start up again next season.
2) Remove all tree leaves from the garden.........I know.......you feel like it insulates the perennials from the cold. Truth is, they don't need the leaves for protection. The snow cover insulates, and keeps the soil at 32 degrees. Even if there's no snow, they are better off without the leaves, because they can create disease and insect problems for the plants. If you have Maple trees with the black spotting on their leaves, you for sure want to remove them completely from the garden and the yard because this disease carries over.
3) Be sure that your garden is well watered and moist before it finally freezes. This usually doesn't happen in Rochester until late December, but I've seen winters that have had dry spells and the soil was cracked in the garden. This is one of the biggest causes of plant failures in winter.....freezing when they are DRY!
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