Winter Preparation

What should you be doing in the gardens to prepare for our winter's arrival? Many things, from tending to your plants and putting away your garden tools. We've been busy this past week cleaning gardens, pulling out annuals, and cutting down perennials.

• Which perennials do we choose, those that bear no winter interest or are more prone to get fungal diseases, such as peony, irs, monarda, roses and phlox. Perennials that are typically left up for winter interest include, astible, rudbeckia, echinacea, sedums, and various grasses.
• Another important item to take care of before the deep freeze sets in, is storing away your breakable pots. Often when the soil is left in the pots and kept outside over the winter, moisture accumulates in the soil and then goes through the freeze/thaw cycle often times causing your ceramic pots to crack. The best way to protect your breakable pots is to empty out the soil and store them inside a garage or shed.
• Hoses are another important garden tool. Once you've decided it's time to shut off the outside water, it is also a good time to prepare your hoses. They should be drained of standing water and properly stored out of the elements.