Should you clean up your Garden in the Fall?
Our first recommendation is to give yourself a break and NOT clean your garden in the Fall. At least, not as much as you might think. Tidy up your leaves if you wish, but we recommend using them as a mulch for your garden plants, and then compost them in the Spring. Though, if any of your plants had fungal diseases or powdery mildew, dispose of their leaves in the trash rather than the compost bin.
Additionally, cutting back perennial flowers in the Fall is common, but many perennials benefit from leaving their foliage intact, as it protects the plant’s crown from frost damage. The dried foliage and stems can also provide winter interest and offer food and habitat for birds and beneficial insects.
Video: 5 Ways to House Your Birds and Bees Over the Winter
Should you Fertilize in the Fall?
Fertilizing healthy, established trees and shrubs in the fall is generally not recommended, as it can encourage late growth and prevent the tree from going dormant. However, if timed correctly, fall fertilization can help the tree store nitrogen in its roots, providing essential nutrients for spring growth. The ideal time to fertilize is late October to early November, using a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer when the tree is not actively growing but before it becomes completely dormant.
Struggling trees and young plants can also benefit from late fall fertilization. Options such as root stimulators, fish emulsion, or organic all-purpose fertilizers are effective choices. Fertilize when the tree is about halfway through leaf drop and temperatures are dropping. A slow-release fertilizer such as Milorganite may also be beneficial, as it can become available as plants begin to wake up in the Spring.
Should you Prune Trees & Shrubs in the Fall?
Shade & Ornamental Trees: Tree pruning is generally best done when plants are dormant, either in late winter or early spring, before the tree begins to wake up. However, if you can’t prune in spring, fall pruning is an option, though it may encourage late growth instead of allowing the tree to go dormant. It is ok to prune off any obviously dead branches prior to winter.
Fruit Trees: Avoid pruning fruit trees in the fall, as the wounds can be sensitive to cold if the trees are not fully dormant, particularly with varieties like Peaches and Cherries.
Spring-Flowering Shrubs: Many shrubs that flower in the Spring often bloom on old wood, which is the previous year’s growth. This means that if you prune them in the Fall or early Spring, you are
Blooms on Old Wood: Prune immediately after blooming if desired
- Barberry
- Flowering Quince
- Forsythia
- Lilac
- Mock Orange
- Ninebark
- Prunus species: Almond, Purple Sand Cherry
- Spring-Flowering Spiraea (Snowmound)
- Viburnums
Video: What NOT to Prune in the Fall
Summer-Flowering Shrubs: Many of these later-blooming shrubs can be pruned or deadheaded after flowering in the fall. You can also prune them in the Spring to encourage new growth and flowering that season.
Blooms on Current Year’s Growth – Light prune in Fall, Hard prune in Spring
- Bluebeard
- Butterfly Bush
- Elderberry
- Hydrangeas
- Potentilla
- Rose of Sharon
- Reblooming Spiraea
Roses
Video: Fall and Winter Pruning and Care for Roses
Upright Evergreens: Light pruning of evergreens is acceptable in late fall while they are dormant to help maintain their shape.
Do you need to Mulch in the Fall?
Mulching with organic matter like fallen leaves, straw, bark or compost can be very beneficial for a few reasons. Organic material will break down over the winter, adding nutrients to the soil and developing a beneficial soil microbiome. A 2”-3” thick layer of mulch will also help with moisture retention through the Winter and help regulate soil temperature.
What Trees Should you Wrap in the Winter?
Burlap Wrap for Evergreens: Many Columnar Evergreens and other similar upright growing plants should be wrapped in burlap before the first big snowstorm. This protects their branches from breaking apart due to heavy snow loads. You don’t need to completely wrap the plants from top to bottom, just a thin strip of burlap starting from the base and twisting tightly around to the top. You can even wrap them with strings of lights at the same time!
We recommend wrapping these plants for the Winter:
- Upright Arborvitae: Emerald Green, DeGroot’s Spire, American Pillar, North Pole etc.
- Upright Junipers: Blue Arrow, Skyrocket, Taylor, Woodward, Spartan, Spearmint etc.
- Columnar Boxwoods: Green Tower, Green Pillar, Graham Blandy, Dee Runk etc.
- Columnar Yews: Hicks, Irish/Fastigiata
- Buckthorns: Fine Line, Tall Hedge
- Sky Pencil Holly
Tree Trunk Wrap: Young and newly planted trees often have smooth, thin bark and are vulnerable to winter damage, such as scalding and cracking. To protect these trees, it’s beneficial to wrap them until their bark matures and becomes rough and rigid. Use a thin white tree wrap, applying it from the base up to the lateral branches before a hard freeze. Remove in the Spring once temperatures start rising again.
Do you need to Water in the Winter?
Can you Plant in Pots in the Winter?
What do Lawns need in the Fall?
When do you plant Tulips?
Tulips and other Spring-blooming bulbs are ideally planted in the Fall. They need a cold, dormant period through the Winter in order to trigger blooming
Bulbs to plant in Fall
- Tulips
- Daffodils
- Hyacinths
- Alliums
- Edible Garlic
- Fritillaria
- Crocus
- Chionodoxa
- Snowdrops
- Bluebells
- Squill
- Grecian Anemone
- Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
- Irises (sold as bulbs and dormant plants)
