Garden Centre

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Mulching autumn beds

There are several tasks that should be done in November, no matter how little we like the idea.

Where you have empty flowerbeds, you need to mulch them for winter, because even the best and flattest of beds can experience soil erosion in the wind and become compacted under the pressure of rainwater and snow. Mulching prevents both these things happening and also adds organic matter to the soil.

It’s also time to terminate the adventurous weeds that have germinated as a result of autumn rains because getting them out with a hoe right now is fifty times easier than trying to hand weed them out in spring when the are out-competing the plants you want to preserve.

Cut back your peonies all the way to the ground (even if they are having a last flush of flowers) – especially if you live in a frosty area and then mulch their crowns so frost can't get in and kill the plant. It's also good to prune late summer and autumn-flowering shrubs like Buddleia and hydrangea now, because if you don’t get round to them you’re going to have to wait until late February to cut them back. Roses should be taken back to around two feet so that winter winds can’t whip their stems and cause damage.

And my least favourite November task: pulling up the snapdragons and nasturtiums that have begun to die back, because it’s the final admission that winter is really here!

Labels: autumn mulching, autumn shrubs, hydrangeas, peony, roses

The All Seasons Gardener at 8:53 AM

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