It always seems to happen so quickly. Each spring I get excited when the plants begin to grow after being dormant for the winter months. Before long, things are blooming and making seeds, and then just as soon as it all began, it is time for fall cleanup.
This past week marked the official beginning of fall garden cleanup. It begins with a sharp pair of clippers, some good knee pads, and my trailer! I like to cut and remove nearly all perennial and annual plant materials each season. I feel that this is one of the healthiest and easiest disease control measures a home owner can use. By removing most plant material each growing season, you also remove common diseases like Powdery mildew and leaf spot that may have been on plants since the growing season began. You also remove the potential nesting areas for mice and other yard pests.
I like to begin my fall cleanups at the beginning of October, and not before. Most perennials have completed their life cycles for the year, and are beginning to go dormant. It is also much easier to cut most plants before they have frozen. In recent years, we haven’t seen a hard, killing frost until very late in October. I always like to have summer annuals removed before a frost occurs; otherwise my job becomes much more difficult and messy!
Fall is a great time to plan next year’s gardens. Contact me and we’ll put our thoughts together for a beautiful result in 2016!