It’s time to put your garden to bed, again. Luckily the cooler temperatures haven’t been too chilly. Below are the to do’s to finish before the snow arrives:
- Clean up spent annuals and vegetables immediately after frost to prevent insects overwintering under the debris
- Dig up dahlia and gladiolus tubers and save in a warm dry place for winter – best to box the dahlias in boxes of sawdust and hang the glads in mesh bags
- Try some late season greens under row covers for frost protection: kale, chard, lettuce, tatsoi and the like
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Cut down perennials in stages as the leaves are frosted, turn brown or wither
- Enjoy the hardy blooms of late asters, chrysanthemums and aconitums
- Fertilize tree peonies after leaf drop but do not cut them down
- Plant bulbs in masses or among perennials
- Finish transplanting and dividing work by November 1
- Water twice weekly and mulch all recent plantings
- Keep newly seeded lawns free of leaf build up to allow air and light to reach the young seedlings, using a blower on low speed
- Dormant seed lawns in mid November under a blanket of straw for early spring germination
- Leave a layer of leaves on beds for free winter protection of perennials
- Drain hoses and store for winter once temperatures settle into the low 30s
- Test and amend soil to promote healthy growth and full flowering next season
- Dormant pruning of trees and shrubs such as Japanese maples, crab apples, birches, viburnums, forsythia etc. can begin on November 1 after leaf drop
