The special treatment: what each plant needs in the upcoming season

Like all moms, I know most of my children’s likes and dislikes very well. Their food preferences though are something that I could never remember. Having three children in three years and three months, many nights I considered it an accomplishment if I simply put something that resembled dinner on the table, much less designed a menu that accommodated their requests. If my daughter felt the need to pick each and every diced tomato out of a casserole, as the saying goes, ‘that’s on her.’ Neither of us was offended and over time they all grew up into healthy adults.  

Sometimes, having a yard full of plants that all have different care requirements can be frustrating and confusing. Which one likes which fertilizer? Does this hydrangea need to be cut back in the fall or the spring? What should I do to protect my plants this winter? How can we best help our plants to grow strong and healthy? This column addresses fall gardening activities that can and I would argue should be done over the next four weeks.

Watering – Our area continues to experience drought conditions. According to the United States Drought Monitor we are in a D1 Moderate Drought. Unfortunately, we have been experiencing a drought in this area for several months. Perennial flowers, shrubs and trees will benefit from supplemental watering during this time. Deep, thorough and most importantly efficient watering during this time is best. 

Pruning – Knowing when the plant flowers can be very helpful to determining when to prune a shrub or tree. Spring-blooming plants should be pruned within a month or so of their flowering.  This is to avoid cutting off flower buds that have been set for next year’s display of flowers. Common example of plants that shouldn’t be prune in the fall would be lilacs, forsythia, viburnum and weigela. Summer-blooming shrubs can be pruned in the fall or early spring. Evergreen shrubs are generally pruned in the spring or summer. Dormant pruning is a practice that is most often applied to trees. This involves pruning selected branches in the early winter. Of course, dead branches can be pruned off a shrub or tree at anytime of the year.

Cutting Back Perennial Flowers – After we have had several hard frosts, you may want to cut back some of your perennial flowers.  If the foliage looks awful, considering cutting it back to about 2-3” above the ground. You may also be able to simply rake it up. Daylilies and hostas are examples of plants that are usually cutback in the fall. If the foliage still looks good after a few frosts, then I would recommend not cutting the foliage back.  Perennial flowers can provide winter interest for us to enjoy but also food and shelter for birds and other wildlife.  Coralbells, perennial geraniums and many groundcovers are usually not cut back in the fall. 

Fertilizing-Perennial flowers shrubs and trees can be fertilized in the fall as they start to go dormant. Fertilizing at this time will help develop a stronger root system. The plants will store the nutrients in the root system until the spring. Make sure to read the label on the fertilizer container carefully to avoid over fertilizing. 

Protecting Evergreen and Broadleaf Evergreen Shrubs and Trees – Transpiration is the process of water movement from the roots of the plants throughout the trunk/branches/stems and out through the leaves of the plant. Evergreen and broadleaf evergreen shrubs continue to go through transpiration throughout the winter which makes them more susceptible to drying out. It is important that all plants but especially evergreens have enough moisture near their root systems before the ground freezes. One way to minimize the water loss is to apply an anti-desiccant spray to the needles. Wilt Pruf is the brand name of anti-desiccant spray that is often used.

Spreading Mulch – Dormant season mulching is becoming more and more common due to several benefits. Spreading mulch when the leaves are off of the plants or when the perennial flowers are at their smallest is logistically much easier then when then plants are at their fullest. Mulch also helps to moderate the soil temperatures and therefore is an excellent way to help insulate the root systems throughout the winter. No matter what time you spread mulch, take care not to add too much to your planting beds. Perennial flowers benefit from about 1” of mulch and trees and shrubs about 2-3” of mulch. 

Hydrangeas – Caring for hydrangeas in the fall can be especially tricky because gardeners are never quite sure if they should cut their hydrangea back to several inches above the ground. When in doubt, don’t cut back your hydrangea. Some hydrangeas bloom on old wood. Cutting them back in the fall decreases the amount of flowers that they may have the following summer. Next spring, if there are any branches that are completely or partially dead, then those selected branches may be cut off. 

Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc., and a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column. 

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