Small world. I have a friend in Keswick. She lives on Canal St.

Al

Don't know of any books or websites that talk much beyond a page or two about winterizing. There really isn't much to cover.

Annuals are ripped up as soon as the cool weather causes them to decline. These can all be tossed into a pile (omit those with diseases) to become compost for the next year.

Perennials can be trimmed back after the first frost if they are done for the year and the foliage tossed into the compost pile. Shrubs and perennials which don't die back in the winter can be pruned anytime after they are done blooming.

All trees, shrubs and perennials should be mulched with several inches of shredded leaves, grass or other material (I like leaves and grass as I just run them over with my lawn mower (using the bag attachment) and instant mulch. The purpose of the mulch is to insulate the ground against rapid temperature swings that occur with the freeze/thaw cycle. Usually you wait until the ground has frozen and then apply the mulch so it stays frozen and doesn't thaw until spring when you rake the mulch back. If you already have mulch around your plants then just top it up in the fall and don't worry about it.

Lawns should be fertilized for the last time once it stops growing, but is still green. At this point the fertilizer will not cause a growth spurt, but the grass will store the food in it's roots. This helps it overwinter and come back strong in the spring.

Garden areas should be cleared of dead plant debris as this material is an overwintering site for many pests and diseases.

So, in short, rip up annuals, trim back perennials (as needed), remove dead plant matter, apply mulch and take a break.

Or.....wait until spring and do all the above......
But it's a daunting task when you really want to be looking for bulbs popping up.
In general, perennials and shrubs should not go into winter lacking water....evergreens particularly continue to transpire a bit all winter. Don't fertilize plants in the fall before your plants go dormant. I leave some tall perennials for winter interest and to provide bird cover....and seeds. Don't divide anything later than 6 weeks before expected hard freeze......and plant twice as many tulips and daffodils as you think you should.
Linda C

I would tend to leave cutting back/tidying up of perennials in your zone until spring. In addition to providing the winter interest Linda referred to, it also helps to catch leaves and snow that help to moderate soil temperatures & slow evaporative water loss.

Al

Be sure to remove and throw away (not compost) any peony folage/stems, especially if you had black spots on the leaves, bot. disease. Pick up any diseased leaves from your roses too-and mound them up with soil to protect them from the drying winter winds. I also mulch over my lavendar who suffers from the winter winds also.

Thank you all for your responses...I guess I've been doing things right all along.

Cheers,
Karen in Keswick :o)

p.s. to Al, if your friend's initials are P.S. then I know her too...a lady with a most amazing perennial garden :o)

That was a good list of things to do username. Very thorough indeed! I tend to agree with Linda that I would leave some of the perennial flowers for, not only winter interest, but for the birds also. Finches and other birds like the middle cones on things like Echinacea Purpurea and other flowers. Besides, I personally think they look really cool with snow on them. The seedheads on clematis look awesome also. I can't wait to plant all my spring bulbs.
Happy Gardening
Clemmybug

I wouldn't prune any shrubs before winter. It could induce new growth in fall which would be too weak to survive winter. Also, some shrubs have already set their flower buds for spring (forsythia, lilac) and you'd be cutting them off.

It's not necessary to mulch everything for winter. I think that's overdoing it. Most established plants that are hardy up there will winter over just fine. You might want to protect newly planted perennials for one winter, but beware of rodents which love to winter in mulch and will make a meal of your plants.

I need to know if I should trim back my astors after the first frost. Thank you.

when applying mulch now in the fall how thorough do I have to be with weeding? It is a new garden from a corner of a hay field and has lots of grass with long tubular roots and I can pull them out forever.Also there are lots of dandylions and sometimes I don't get the complete root will the little stub live to erupt again or willthe 3 inch thick mulch get it?

Hi - I am really new at this. Had some beauitful dahlia plants this summer. Can I take the bulbs out of the ground and save them for next season? If so, how do I store them? Many Thanks!!! Garden Dummy