Gardening with Galligan: Fall clean up and a plan for next spring
I’m assuming your bulb order has been sent, as mine has been and that you’re getting ready for the fall roundup. The next column will be my last — not only for the year but for good.
There’s a lot to do, but with the cool, brisk sunlit weather of fall, it actually feels good to be outside and working.
Once there’s been a frost, perennials should be cut back to ground level. It isn’t necessary to wait until they’ve turned tan and crispy. I’d wait another two or three weeks for the late bloomers, the asters for example, giving them a bit more time to finish their cycles.
Then their beds should be mulched heavily. I know this is expensive, but it is worth doing; it’s also sightly. Above all, don’t give in to the temptation to take free mulch, wherever it’s offered; it’s full of weed seeds and germs. Sadly, you need to buy it fresh and new.
As you put your tools away for the winter, breathe deeply and shoulder one last chore.
Think how you want to find your tools next spring — sparkly clean. Put them away that way. You’ll feel really virtuous and there’s nothing quite as nice as feeling virtuous.
Check what needs pruning and proceed carefully. Cutting roses back is easy. So is cutting vines that bloomed weeks ago. You can cut them right down to the ground; they won’t mind at all. Take care with rhododendrons, since their buds are already set. If you go overboard, you won’t have flowers next year.
Enjoy the earlier dark — it’s a sign of things to come, time to welcome the end of daylight saving time, just a few short weeks away. Early dark means a gardener can rest sooner, feet up and enjoy a glass of cold white wine. That’s not really bad, you know.
Tip of the week: Now is the time to collect seeds from places around the Island. Both white and blue asters, solidago (goldenrod), all of the pink and white wild roses, are now setting seed. Bring envelopes or a container with you.
When you have the seeds, spread out something white — a tissue, paper towel or napkin. Open the seed pods carefully onto the white surface. Then fold it, keeping the seeds within. Many seeds are so light that if you sneeze, you’ll lose then; breathe carefully.
You can plant them immediately but there’s only one problem in doing this. You have to remember next spring exactly where you put them so you don’t mistake them for weeds, scoop them up and send them packing before they even get started.
You can make a note in your garden book, although a photo is better. Your other option, and it is the one I routinely choose, is to put them into labeled envelopes and give them a place in the refrigerator. You have to convince them that they’re experiencing winter if you want them to bloom next year.
When spring comes, take them out, plant them in those little seed pods, and when they look sturdy enough to stand up to a heavy rain, plant them in the garden. Free plants! Is there anything better?
