The days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to change, nature's subtle reminder to start prepping for the colder months. As we prep ourselves and our homes for the winter months ahead, our landscaping should be no exception.
If you're prepping your perennials, some you may want to start now, others can wait.
"Now if I had this hosta in my flower bed at home, it would be driving my wife and I crazy. We would go out and take these leaves that are spent or burnt and leave the ones that are still contributing on the plant. Something like a Stella de Oro, you would wait until this turns totally brown, let it die down to the ground and then you can go out even in December with a pair of clippers and clip it off and it would be ready for next year," says Tim parks, Owner of Park's Garden Center.
Other perennials won't need any maintenance through the winter, and some don't require any work until the spring season.
"These perennials are actually evergreen, so you don't want to cut these back at all. These leaves will stay semi-green over the winter months and then they'll shoot new growth from down below in the crowns in the spring. This is called butterfly bush,it's a summer bloomer but sometimes this time of year it can get really ratty looking on top. I would be okay with taking the spent blooms off, but if you look there's nice buds in here for spring and if you were take this bush down like you would a rose bush you would lose some of that branching if we had a mild winter," adds Parks.
If you are wanting to plant a perennial this Fall, there's still time to do so, Parks suggests paying attention to you soil type to determine what kind of perennial might thrive in your yard.
"We would tell you if you want tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, all those are fall installed. As for soil type, the better quality of soil the better your perennials are going to do no matter what. In my world, preparation is king, if you spend 75 percent of the time prepping the bed, 25 percent of the time your physically planting the plant," adds Parks.