Late winter/early spring perennial garden
Dragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)
8 years ago
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Kate OK USA (7b)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Early questions about winterizing perennials
Comments (8)I'm in Z5 in NH, and up HERE, having a Buddleia overwinter on its own w/out protection is iffy. So I do mulch mine in the fall with something- whether it's straw, leaves, or whatever. We have deciduous trees, so there's never a shortage of leaves. Snow abounds, so that also helps. I cut it back to about 6-8" in late March here. Lilacs- You're good to go with those. Leave them be. I am taking some time now & again to check out the pruning schedules of all of my shrubs- several the same as you have, and it's making a big difference. I pruned mine RIGHT after they bloomed this year, as one instruction I read said that new growth starts almost immediately, so I gt on that one right away. Weigela- Mine is very unruly, but blooms its head off twice a season. I'd like to re-shape it, but need to read up some more on that. All my "general" perennials: I use the rule of thumb: If they're brown, cut them down; if they're green, leave them be. Because I have a lot of garden space to tend to, and I work F/T, I get on this as often as possible, doing a little each time I'm out so the spring workload isn't so much. I clean both in spring & fall, but mostly in fall. Iris: I trim down the Siberians in the fall, even before they turn brown. No harm there. I also am trimming down my Bearded ones this year since my 'logic' is that if someone was going to sell them to me, they'd come trimmed down already. So...I figure it can't hurt. Anything in the veggie patch gets tilled under or pulled & composted. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were such a thing as a perennial tomato??!!! I have a boxwood, too, and it does fine over winter. I don't mulch my Peonies. I might cut them back, but only after they die off on their own. Another thought on pruning: If you're a die-hard gardener, you'd probably cringe at this, but my DH took the shears to all of our shrubs about 2 weeks ago: Ninebark, Tardiva Hydrangeas, Golden Rose of China, Spirea...if you're out for that perfect timing, perfect shaping, and ideal bloom show, likely this isn't the way to go, but it doesn't hurt them in the slightest....See Morewinter vs spring (or late winter) sowing
Comments (5)I sow perennials and hardy annuals thru the winter and wait until March'ish to start cool season veggies: broc, lettuce, chard, ect.. Heat loving tender veggies: tomato, pumpkin, melon and tender annuals usually hold off until mid April early May. A few times I got impatient and started things like Zinnia, Tithonia, Marigold and tomatoe 2-4 weeks too early and paid the price :) Vera...See MorePlanting perennial plants in 'early spring' in Zone 6 NJ
Comments (5)If the plants are fully hardy for your zone, there is no real need to be overly concerned about last frost date. Too late or too early still runs the risk of frozen soils, but if the soil is workable and the plant hardy, you can plant. Frost dates are generally used as benchmarks more with regards to tender perennials/annuals. Perennials with more succulent foliage, like hosta, can be damaged (not killed) by cold if they are fully leafed out then but will releaf rapidly. Although my soils don't freeze to any significance here, we do experience lots of frost, some rather late season and some quite severe. It doesn't bother the perennials at all. I've even planted a full perennial border in mid-December right before a 2 week cold snap into the low 20's - the plants never even blinked....See MoreLate winter/early spring lawn question
Comments (2)Sorry...I don't have any suggestions...however.... I have to laugh because when I saw the picture, I thought you photographed my lawn! I have the same exact phenomenon....also near my driveway, with the same belgian block...and I am also on Long Island. So, I'm very curious to see what the answer is!!! Alex...See MoreOkiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoDragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas) thanked Okiedawn OK Zone 7Dragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)
8 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years agoDragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)
8 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years agoDragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)
8 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
8 years agomulberryknob
8 years ago
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