8 ways to prep your property for healthier plants come spring
Mow the lawn until the first frost.
And rake up clippings — this keeps roots from being smothered over the winter.
Trim perennial flowers (such as black-eyed Susans, daylilies, or peonies).
Leave a one-inch stem to save the roots for next year; also rake leaves from flower beds, so they don’t rot and attract unwanted bugs.
Dig up summer-blooming bulbs, like calla lilies, dahlias, or gladioli.
This is especially important if you expect a killing frost (when it stays below 32 degrees overnight). Store in brown paper bags in a cool — but not freezing — place like a basement until planting time in early spring.
Get rid of dead plants.
Pull out dead annuals (impatiens and begonias), plus most plants in your veggie garden, or else they’ll rot there. Compost all but tomato plants, which are more likely to have diseases, and squash or pumpkin vines, which take more than a year to break down. to ready this DIY fertilizer for next spring).
Don’t pull up herbs.
Cut them back as you do perennials. Many (thyme, oregano, and chives, for example) will return.
Prune diseased perennial shrubs (rhododendron, azalea, and hydrangea) branches.
They’ll either have white or black spots or look gnarled. Remove dried-out boughs from evergreen bushes. To prevent heavy snow from snapping off branches, tie evergreens by wrapping with twine securely (but not too tightly) like a candy-cane stripe from the bottom of each bush to the top.
Mulch perennial beds.
Use hardwood or cedar chips to keep roots insulated.
Bring inside any outdoor pots or planters.
Put them by a window, if you want the plants (geraniums or ferns) to last. If you plan to replace potted annuals, rinse out the pots and store upside down so water drains and doesn’t cause them to crack if frozen.
Start a perfect compost pile
Now is the time to start building the perfect compost pile. Here’s how to do it.
