In many ways, fall is really the beginning of the gardening year. This is the time where you are preparing your garden for winter, which will result in a garden no worse for wear come spring. It's also the time of year that you'll be planting for the spring and is mainly associated with bulbs for flowers such as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and crocuses to name just a few. But bulbs are not limited to just a spring bloom. 

You can plant bulbs that will bloom in summer and the fall, depending on what you choose. Irises are one example. They typically start blooming in June/July. Fall is a good time to plant bulbs for a myriad of reasons. 

The first is that for spring blooms, it simply makes sense. 

Secondly, many of the plants already in your garden will be moving into their dormant stage. They're less likely to be stressed by any of the digging and activity required for bulb planting. 

Lastly, your winter clean up will have gotten a lot of branches and foliage out of your way. There's simply more space to kneel down and plant things. No matter when your bulbs bloom, fall is the time to plant them. 

When thinking about bulbs, you'll need to consider what surrounds your bulb plants. Once blooming is finished, leaves must be left on to decompose. Chopping off the leaves denies the bulb the nutrients it needs for next year's cycle. One idea is to install plants with some height as a solution. They'll camoflauge the decomposition. 

Fall is also the time of year when many garden centres offer reductions on stock. Good bets are rose bushes and clematis. You'll more than likely see them rebound come spring. The substantial savings are worth taking the chance on them making it through winter. 

Use a good transplanting formula to reduce plant stress and to help roots get settled. Plant your bargains by end of October at the latest.

[Introduction] [Fall]  [Winter] [Spring][Summer]
 

September - things to do

Trees and Shrubs  - buy new selections at sales prices and plant now, watering well 

Annuals  - pull out any faded or frost-killed varieties 
- plant flowering cabbage and kale for continuing colour 
- continue collecting seeds 

Perennials  - divide and move perennials 
- take advantage of sales to make new plantings 

Bulbs and Tubers  - plant spring flowering bulbs 
- dig up begonias, callas, gladiolas, cannas etc. for storage 

Roses  - clean up fallen, diseased foliage 
- leave some spent blooms to form hips 

Vegetables  - harvest carrots, potatoes, beets, squash 
- pick remaining tomatoes to ripen indoors 

Herbs  - pot up tender herbs such as rosemary to overwinter 
- harvest herbs for drying 

Lawns  - re-seed bare spots 
- fertilize 

Patio/Container Plants   - move into sheltered location to protect from frost 

• Any perennials that need separating, mid-September to mid-October is ideal timing. Be sure to use lots of bone meal for quick root recovery.
• Once your Glads & Dahlias finish blooming, dig them up and store them for Winter. Use bulb dust to prevent disease.
• Plant Fall Mums, Pansies, Ornamental Kale & Sedum now for great Fall colour. Fall is just another gardening season, it doesn’t mean the end of the gardening year!
• Apply Fall fertilizer to your lawn. Weed N Feed is one option you may require in your Fall application.
• Fall is the Time to Plant Geraniums

Fertilize Your Lawn This Fall

Applying lawn fertilizer in autumn really prepares turf for winter. Parkwood™ Fall Lawn Food 6-8-14 produces outstanding results. Less nitrogen when grass is growing slower at this time of the year is normal. But a higher concentration of phosphorus applied now strengthens roots to help the lawn overwinter. The last number in the formula, potassium, strengthens grass against wear and disease. One application this fall will assure you of a healthy, strong lawn next spring.

Tip: Divide Bleeding Hearts 

Now is a good time to divide spring-blooming perennials such as bleeding hearts. Dig up clumps and cut them into 4- to 6-inch diameter sections. Plant divisions the same depth they were in the original hole and water well. 

Keeping a Garden Journal

The longer you garden the more you learn from direct experience. Remembering all these lessons over the years is the hard part. A garden journal is a useful and informative way to record all kinds of information from climactic conditions, to insect problems, to failures and successes. For instance, when we have a cold, wet spring where there are a lot more insects and diseases in the summer? If so, when exactly did they start? In future, with similar early conditions, you can start treating certain plants before the symptoms appear and thereby minimize damage. Earwigs were quite bad in certain communities this past summer. Hostas were ravaged. Next year, based on when the leaves started to look like Swiss cheese, put down diatomaceous earth several weeks before and repeat as necessary. Container plantings are another item worth recording. What really worked (or not) in terms of colour, long blooming time, drought and heat tolerance, low maintenance? What fertilizer do you like best and how often did you apply? What container soil do your plants do best in? Do you need a new pair of hand pruners? If you have a perennial garden, were there any periods when nothing was blooming? Record that date and plant something next year to bridge the gap. Do some of your perennials need dividing next spring? List what they are and where they’re located if growing in more than one place. When the job is complete be sure to date it so you can refer back in several years time to determine if it’s time to divide again. Sometimes it’s just fun to write down your impressions of visiting other gardens as well as gardening dreams and goals. Especially when there’s a blizzard raging outdoors and fantasy is the only gardening available to us.

Compost Makes a Huge Difference! Whether you make your own, obtain it from your municipality, or buy Genesis Premium Organic, compost is the greatest single thing you can add to your soil if it isn’t perfect loam. It opens soil up and naturally improves aeration, water penetration, and drainage. Compost also acts as a gentle but continuous slow release fertilizer with trace elements such as zinc, copper, and manganese. Genesis compost is made from recycled Canadian forest products and ‘no smell’ fish and shellfish. Research has shown that composted tree bark has powerful disease suppressing capability, protecting plants from a broad range of soil borne diseases. If you didn’t work compost into your borders this spring, heap it on this fall. Add a generous layer to new beds, flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens. Use it to topdress the lawn. Genesis Premium Organic Compost contains no peat moss, vermiculite filler, artificial chemicals, or additives. It’s just pure black gold for your garden. But don’t take our word for it. Your plants will show you how much they love it. 

Overwintering Annual Geraniums

Take existing geraniums, cut them back by half, pot them up in fresh, light soil such as pro-mix, and water with Parkwood™ Transplanter diluted at the recommended rate. Place plants in or near a sunny window or under fluorescent lights. Water when the soil is dry to the touch and start fertilizing with Parkwood™ Flower Food 15-30-15 in March to encourage blooming by the time you take them outdoors. Or you can take cuttings from garden plants. Prune a 7-10 cm (3-4”) piece from a sturdy, non-flowering stem. Remove the lowest leaves so you can dip the stem into a rooting hormone like Wilson’s Roots or Plant Prod’s Stim-Root No. 1. Again, plant the cuttings in a light soil medium and place in high light. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Start fertilizing around March/April. Finally, many believe in simply unearthing geraniums from the garden or containers, shaking off all the soil, & hanging them upside down in a dark, cool 7-10° C (44-50° F) place for the winter. Plants are trimmed back in March or April, potted up, placed in a high light location, and fertilized every week or 2 with 20-20-20 or 15-30-15. Gardeners report success rates from 10-90%. It’s your choice.

If there isn’t much rain in September or October keep watering plants and grass.

Stop fertilizing vines, roses, perennials, shrubs, trees, and evergreens.

Daffodils are best planted in September in warm soil so they can put on some root structure.

Move or divide herbaceous peonies in September. Be sure to plant 3-5 dark  red eyes 2.5-5 cm (1-2”) below grade.

Plant Icicle pansies for a great show of colour into late fall. Enjoy the same pansies in early spring as soon as snow melts.

Bring houseplants back indoors before it gets too cool. Spray foliage several times with insecticidal soap.

Pruning in fall isn’t recommended because it promotes new growth that may not have time to harden off before winter.

Thicken and/or repair lawn by overseeding with Parkwood™ Supreme Grass Seed for sun/partial shade or Parkwood™ Forest Blend for shade. Cover seed with peat moss or Top Dresser. Keep moist.

Divide perennials and plant divisions or put stakes beside ones you intend to divide in spring.

Fall is still a good time to plant hardy nursery stock. As always, use Parkwood™ Transplanter to minimize transplant shock. 

Harvest tomatoes before frost. Green ones will ripen in a warm, sunny window.

Plant garlic cloves for harvesting next spring 5 cm (2”) deep and 10-15 cm (4-6”) apart. Water well. Mulch heavily if there’s risk of soil freezing before cloves have time to root.

Remove annuals and perennials from beds and containers as soon as they’re hit by frost. Don’t leave a potential site for insects and disease to overwinter.

For Christmas cactus to bloom during the holidays in December place it in a room that receives little or no artificial light in the evening. It needs to follow the same outdoor cycle of natural daylight and darkness hours.

 Decorate the front of your home for Thanksgiving and Halloween with corn stalks, pumpkins, decorative gourds, dried Indian corn, bales of straw, flowering kale and cabbage, fall asters, and chrysanthemums.

Cover your water garden with mesh so leaves don’t fall in.

17.   Rake leaves and compost or recycle as soon as they start to fall so they don’t kill grass.

18.  Lift tender bulbs like canna, dahlia, and gladioli and cut back all foliage. Dry completely before storing in peat moss or sand in a cool, dark place. Keep peat moss or sand just a bit damp all winter so bulbs don’t die.

Clean Up Fruit Trees 

When deciduous fruits such as apple, pear, and peach finish producing clean up the rotted fruits and leaves, mummified fruits on trees, and dropped fruits on the ground that can harbor diseases. This will insure less disease next season. 

Place ornamental grasses where they are backlit by the sun early or late in the day. 

Your garden that's now an explosion of color will slip into sepia tones in another two months, a time for using a different lens to view your landscape. There's beauty in the dormant season -- the horizontal branching of a dogwood tree, red berries on the crab apples -- if you've selected plants that have something to offer then. Although we have to lower our expectations a bit during our relatively long winters, we can still find pleasure in what we see outside our windows. 

Think Shapes 
Without the distraction of bright colors, shapes take on even more importance. Plants that might fade into the background during summer can be standouts in winter. A row of anything -- tall poplars, hemlocks, apples trees, willows -- catches your eye. They might form a hedge or backdrop for other plants during the growing season but they become a focal point when they stand alone. You can achieve the same effect with rows of perennials that have attractive seedpods in winter. Circles of plants also are pleasing. Surround a birdbath with black-eyed Susans or echinacea or other eye-catching perennials with seedpods, and the circles will show up best once the leaves fall. 

Ornamental Grasses Are a Must 
No plants capture my attention year-round more than tall ornamental grasses swaying in the wind or covered with a fresh dusting of snow. They enunciate the perimeter of a garden and the sides of a path. You can plant them to enhance natural contours, or combine grasses of different heights to create the illusion of contours. They are beautiful all through the winter until spring when I cut them to the ground before new growth begins. I'll never be without Karl Foerster grass (Calamagrostisx acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'). I thought it a bit too much of an upright sentry when I first planted it, but the mature plants are tall and full and graceful. Another favorite is silver feather miscanthus (Miscanthus sinensis 'Silberfeder') with its silvery plumes that shimmer in the sunlight. Grasses are especially lovely when backlit by the sun.

Bare Bones 
Trees with peeling or otherwise distinctive bark are just made for winter viewing. I crane my neck every time I drive by a certain enormous sycamore (Platanus), whose smooth, grayish brown bark has peeled off in large patches to reveal gorgeous, creamy white inner bark. Other trees with noteworthy bark are paperbark maple (Acer griseum), 'Heritage' river birch (Betula nigra 'Heritage'), Korean stewartia (Stewartia koreana), and American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). 

In addition to bark color and texture, some trees are simply beautiful in silhouette because of their network of branches. Horizontal branches are especially appealing because they catch the snow. Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) and sargent crab apple (Malus sargentii) are two of my favorites. Other dogwoods have distinctive bark color. Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea) shows off bright red twigs, and yellow-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea') has yellow bark. Plant these in a border row or in groupings for a more dramatic effect. 

It's the Berries 

Bird-watchers know to plant berried shrubs for birds to feed on in winter. I still haven't gotten over the thrill of seeing two pairs of bluebirds feasting on my winterberry shrubs (Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite') in January. Winterberries are in the holly family, so you need both a male plant and a female plant in order to get fruit. 'Jim Dandy' winterberry is a good male pollinator for several female varieties. 'Sparkleberry' is a heavy-fruiting knockout that's small enough to fit in most any garden bed. Chokeberries (Aronia arbutifolia and Aronia melanocarpa) have red or black fruit, most viburnums have showy fruit, and crab apples are spectacular for orange or red fruit that hangs on sometimes well into spring. (Be sure to select varieties resistant to apple scab disease.) 'Winter King' hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King') has both horizontal branches and red berries to give it a high winter ranking. Place some of these plants within view of your windows so you don't miss avian snack time. 

Pot Them Up 

You can enjoy colorful twigs and berries near your front door by gathering twigs from your yard (or from the garden center) and placing them in winter-proof containers, such as the insulated, faux-clay planters. Fill them with greens and decorative branches, and weave some tiny lights amidst the branches to welcome you home. 

Move Houseplants Indoors 
 

• Ready houseplants for winter by checking them for insects, trimming off dead foliage and stems, and repotting if necessary. Gradually move them into shadier conditions to get them used to less sunlight before bringing them inside when nights dip into the 40s. 

Plant Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials 
 

• As long as the soil temperature stays above 40 degrees, roots continue to grow, so there's plenty of time to plant. Take advantage of fall sales even if you don't have your new bed prepared yet. You can always bury the plants -- pots and all -- in the vegetable garden until spring when the new bed is ready. 

Switch to Fall Lawn Care Regimen 
 

• If you've been leaving the grass clippings on the lawn, now's the time to start collecting them to remove the source of weed seeds. Spread a corn-gluten-based product, which inhibits emergence of new weeds and gives the grass a dose of nitrogen at the same time. 

Pick Green Tomatoes 
 

• When the daytime temperatures no longer rise above 65 degrees F., it's time to pick the green tomatoes. Wrap them in newspaper and let them ripen indoors. 

Tip: Plant Groundcovers 
 
 
 

• Plant groundcovers such as vinca and heather in cool areas and gazanias and African daisies in warm areas on slight to medium slopes. Avoid steep slopes since winter rains may wash the plants away. 

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The bright red berries of highbush cranberry are but one reason to welcome the viburnum family to your garden. 

Showy Viburnums 

The viburnum leaf beetles may have kept me hopping in spring while they picnicked on my newly planted arrowwood viburnums, but that hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the members of this family, which includes the widely popular American cranberrybush. There's just so much to love about them. 

The word "cranberry" in the common name suggests the berries are edible, and in fact they have a long tradition of use as both an edible fruit and a medicinal tonic. The vitamin-rich berries of many varieties are also a favorite food of ruffed grouse and cedar waxwings, as well as deer, moose, chipmunks, and other wildlife. 

Versatile Viburnums 

"A garden without a viburnum is akin to life without music and art." So begins author Michael Dirr's description of viburnums in his 1100-page Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Not one to hesitate to express disappointment in a plant, Dirr raves about viburnums and promises to one day devote an entire tome to this single genus. 

Viburnums have long been used as ornamentals in home gardens, and with good reason. They provide showy spring flowers, colorful summer berries, and attractive fall foliage. Plus, they are extremely adaptable and relatively pest-free (it's all relative, after all), and many types will grow in all but the coldest regions of the Northeast. 

Native Species 

Several viburnum species are native to New England, so you know these are well adapted to the region's climate and soil conditions. As an added bonus, the fruits provide food for native wildlife. 

Highbush cranberry (V. trilobum), mentioned above and sometimes called American cranberrybush viburnum, prefers moist soil and full sun to light shade, and makes an excellent 8- to 12-foot-tall screen or informal hedge. (Smaller cultivars, such as 'Compactum', are also available.) 

Mapleleaf viburnum (V. acerifolium) is one of the more shade-tolerant species. Showy flowers in spring are followed by attractive fruit clusters that start out orange, turn red then purplish black as the summer progresses. In autumn, the foliage turns reddish purple. The plant reaches a height of 3 to 6 feet and spreads by suckering; it is best used in a situation where it can spread and form a thicket. 

Non-Native Types 
Korean spice viburnum (V. carlesii) is native to Korea and prized for its sweetly scented flowers. This attractive, rounded shrub grows 6 to 8 feet tall and is largely pest free.

Burkwood viburnum (V. x burkwoodii), an upright, multi-stemmed shrub growing to a height of 10 to 12 feet, is the result of a cross between Korean spice and service viburnums. Glossy, deep green foliage, pink flower buds maturing to showy white, fragrant blooms, and a tough constitution make this an excellent shrub for just about any landscape. The cultivar 'Mohawk' is smaller, growing to just 6 feet, and has striking, red flower buds. 

Note that the fruits of both Burkwood and Korean spice viburnums are less showy and usually more sparse than their native cousins, so if you're planting to attract wildlife, choose one of the native species. 

Doublefile viburnum (V. plicatum var. tomentosum) is a large, elegant-flowering shrub that produces masses of white flowers and abundant fruit along horizontal tiers of branches. It's a little more finicky about conditions, requiring consistently moist but well-drained soils. It is rated hardy to zone 5, but it occasionally suffers from branch dieback due to winter injury. 

There are dozens of other viburnums to consider, so take your time before investing in one of these long-lived shrubs. Check hardiness ratings carefully: Some, such as Burkwood, will thrive anywhere in New England, while others, such as Japanese viburnum (V. japonicum), are rated hardy only to zone 7. 

In his tribute to the viburnum, Michael Dirr even gives a recipe for "a beautiful, ruby-red jam with distinctive flavor" made from highbush cranberries. It's the only recipe I've come across in his 1100-page book, so it must be something special. Certainly the berries aren't good for fresh eating -- a bite of one of the very tart berries reveals why they lack the popularity of, say, wild blueberries. I'll settle for them being a feast for the eyes! 

Hasten the Harvest 

• Now's the time to be realistic about which plants have time to ripen their fruits before frost. To encourage plants to devote their energy to the melons, squash, and tomatoes currently growing, pinch off the ends of vines and any excess flowers that don't stand a chance of maturing. Also pinch off the tops of brussels sprouts. 

Plant Cover Crops 
 

• On bare areas of the garden, sow seed of annual rye or another cover crop that will compete with weeds, prevent erosion, and provide organic matter to the soil when it's tilled in, either in late fall or early spring. 

Let Rose Hips Form 
 

• To help roses begin hardening off for winter, reduce your cutting to leave some flowers on the plants to form rose hips. This signals the plant that the growing season is winding down. 

Clear Out Weeds
 

• Don't let weeds go into fall dispersing seed all over your garden. It's time for a last ditch effort to pull or mow weeds. It's not even too late to spread mulch in the vegetable garden to smother weeds. Spread damp newspapers and top with hay or straw. Then in spring you can till it all under to add organic matter. Hay contains more nutrients than straw but it also contains some weed seeds. 

Preserve Herbs 
 

• Harvest herbs in small batches and freeze or dry them for winter use. Plan to make pesto once a week rather than waiting until the night before a hard frost to pull up all your plants. 

Tip: Plant Snapdragons 
 
 
 

• Plant snapdragons now for flowering this winter. Plant seeds indoors, transplant into the garden in 8 weeks, or buy transplants from garden centers. If the plants are flowering by November, they'll flower through winter. 

• To collect sunflower seeds after the flowers fade cover the head with cheesecloth to keep birds away. When you can rub seeds off with your hand, cut the head, remove the seeds, dry them in a warm, airy indoor location. 

• When mowing the lawn, leave the grass clippings. Clippings can add nutrients (nitrogen) back to the lawn, while not adding to thatch buildup. Use a mulching mower, if possible, to make smaller clippings that decompose faster. 

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Trees and Shrubs  - continue to plant, watering well 

Aannuals  - add to compost 

Perennials  - spread compost on beds 
- dig new beds 
- leave interesting seedheads and shapes for winter interest, cut back the remainder of foliage 

Bulbs and Tubers  - continue planting spring bulbs 
- complete storage of summer bulbs 

Roses  - if blackspot has been a persistent problem, continue treating 
- cut long canes back by 1/3 to prevent winter damage 

Vegetables  - finish harvesting and tidy up 
- add compost and dig in 

Herbs  - store dried herb leaves (and save the stems to scent your winter fires) 

Lawns  - rake leaves regularly 

Patio/Container Plants   - design fall container with grasses, gourds and leaves 
- bring in frost susceptible containers 
 

Save Dahlias 

When the first frost blackens the foliage of dahlias (or if a hard freeze is predicted), cut off the stems about 6 inches above the tubers. Carefully dig the clumps with a spade or fork, and and let them dry out of direct sun and wind for a day (not too long or they'll begin to shrivel). Store the tuber clumps whole (you'll get larger plants), or make more plants by carefully separating the tubers from the stem, making sure to include any "eyes" (small, raised nubs near where the tubers attach to the main stem) with each tuber. These are the future sprouts. Store tubers in cardboard boxes filled with peat moss, vermiculite, or sawdust. Keep them in a dark, 35- to 50-degree F location. 

Overwintering Tender Annuals 

If you have good indoor light or grow lights, you can keep fuchsias, geraniums, and begonias flowering during the winter, or at least for awhile longer. If you want to let them go dormant, cut the stems of fuchsias and geraniums back to the edge of the containers and store the pots in a cool, dry location. Stop watering tuberous begonias. When the foliage drops, remove the tubers, rinse and dry them, and store them in perlite or vermiculite in a cool, dry spot. 

Clean Tools and Pots 

Begin preparing tools for storage. Clean the soil off shovels, spades, and trowels using a rag or wire brush, then wipe blades with an oiled cloth. Make sure pruners are free from dirt and plant debris, and wipe down the blades with the oiled cloth. Empty pots of dead plants and soil, adding the debris to the compost pile unless the plants were diseased. In that case, dispose of the plants in the garbage or a location far away from your garden. Rinse pots. 

Prepare Soil for Next Spring's Roses 

Roses need a well-loosened and amended soil, so prepare the soil now for spring planting. If the bed is in a low spot, add coarse sand and topsoil to raise the level. Then mix in peat moss or pine needles for a little acidity, compost or peat moss for aeration, and manure or cottonseed meal for nitrogen. 

Harvest Brussels Sprouts 

As the weather cools, look for Brussels sprouts developing along the stalk. Start harvesting from the bottom and work your way up. To encourage the sprouts to grow large, cut off the tops of the plants so the plants will redirect energy to the developing sprouts. 

Tip: Cut Back Perennials 

As the weather cools, cut back perennial flowers such as phlox, coneflower, and bee balm to 6 inches from the ground. Remove and destroy any diseased foliage, but compost the foliage without serious disease problems. 

Harvesting Pumpkins and Squash 

Harvest pumpkins and winter squashes after they change to their expected color and after their skin is thick enough that a thumbnail doesn't puncture the fruit when you press on it. If you plan on storing the squash, don't let them get hit by frost or they will rot. Also, leave 2 inches of the stem attached for best storing. 

Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs 

Plant daffodil, tulip, hyacinth and crocus bulbs in a sunny site with well-drained soil, amend the soil with a high nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer such as Bulb Booster. Plant bulbs 2 to 3 times their diameter deep. 

Plant Bulbs in Layers 

To plant bulbs in layers, plant daffodils 6 inches deep. Cover with soil and plant tulips 3 to 4 inches deep on top of daffodils. Cover with soil and plant crocus 1 to 2 inches deep on top of tulips. 
 

Trees and Shrubs  - keep watered until the ground freezes 
- use an anti-desiccant spray to prevent moisture loss on broadleaf evergreens 

Annuals  - enjoy remaining last blooms 
- collect last seeds 

Perennials  - complete clean-up 
- add mulch but don’t cover tender perennials until freeze-up 

Bulbs and Tubers  - great deals at final sales, plant until ground freezes 

Roses  - get extra earth, compost ready for hilling next month (just before freeze-up) 

Vegetables  - harvest any remaining vegetables 

Herbs  - mulch perennial herbs after freeze-up 

Lawns  - fertilize after dormancy 

Patio/Container Plants   - fill a windowbox with icicle pansies 

Preparing the garden for winter
Most landscape and garden plants require a period of dormancy in order to rest. This dormancy is gradual, and usually brought on by cooler weather. It is very important for garden plants such as roses and perennials to enter a resting phase with controlled moisture and no fertilization in order to be long-lived. Several light frosts --those that nip the tops of the foliage of perennials deemed tender in your area-- generally precede what is termed the first killing frost of the season. As light frosts begin in many areas, it's time to prepare the perennial bed for winter. 

As a rule, remove dead and diseased stalks, stems and leaves first; then trim the remaining foliage to 4 inches. Pull weeds and discard trimmings to prevent overwintering pests; otherwise they'll reemerge in greater numbers come spring. A winter mulch can be applied after the first freeze, carefully avoiding the rosettes of perennials such as gerbera daisies that will rot if deeply mulched while dormant. 

More on Mulching

In areas where temperatures regularly drop below 20 degrees F., modern roses will benefit from protection, even though infrequent surprises of 20 degrees may not warrant it. In mild winter areas, dormancy of roses may need to be forced. After the first frost, strip leaves from plants that suffered from blackspot. Remove old mulch and replace with a new disease-and pest-free material that will give your roses a new beginning in spring. 

Cover Crops

A cover crop in vegetable gardens --one not intended for harvest-- can provide nutrients to the soil as well as winter protection (till it back into the soil in spring). Cover crops such as annual rye, crimson clover, hairy vetch, or winter wheat can provide shade for the soil, prevent germination of weed seeds, and fix nitrogen deep within the soil (hence the name green manures). If you choose to till in autumn instead of planting a cover crop, top it off with a winter mulch. 

What about Trees & Shrubs

Soak broad-leaved shrubs and newly planted trees if rainfall has been scarce. Apply 3 to 6 inches of mulch after the first killing frost but by the time the ground freezes. Leave a small distance between the mulch and the trunks of trees and large shrubs to discourage rodents. 

TIP : Many gardeners choose to use inverted clay pots to cover perennials for an advantage of protection from drying winter winds. Chicken wire can be fashioned to stand over a large garden bed, and can be covered with burlap. Secure the burlap edges to the corners of the frame. Perennial vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, chayotes and rhubarb can also be protected this way

Make One Last Mowing   

On cold winter areas it's time for the last mowing of the season. Leave grass clippings on the lawn as a fertilizer for this last mowing. The clippings will slowly breakdown over winter and provide a light mulch this winter.