Fall Clean-up -Are You Doing It Wrong?

Autumn in Michigan is the time to prepare your flower beds for the comingwinter months. Autumn clean-up can be managed with one out of threepossible maintenance strategies,each one is good or bad in some way.

The "tidy clean-up" basically cuts every plant-except woody herbs andshrubs-to with-in an inch of it's life and removes every ounce of deadplant matter with-in a mile. This method looks very clean. Reminiscentof your living room after the maid service leaves. Diseased foliageleft behind with this strategy will probably contaminate next yearsperrennials.It may help with any insect and pest problems you couldhave. There are less pro's with this strategy because you have prettymuch removed all of the excellent compost and mulch that leaving deadmaterial provids for next year. The winter protection that plant debrisprovides has been removed and can no longer protect the roots below.Which means that you will have to add expensive fertilizers andamendments to your garden to make up for this. Expensive in labor andcostly in fewer nutrients this approach is perhaps the leastrecommended.

The next approach to fall clean up is perhaps abalance between vacuuming your beds and the doing nothing approach-thisis what I call the "High/low maintenance" approach. High/lowmaintenance technique is by no means a no maintenance approach. Thinkof low maintenance as meaning less work in the spring, but still a goodwork out in the garden this weekend and probably next week end too. Inthis approach one would remove dead annual plants,sprinkling the seedsas you go and putting away your decorative garden decorif need be. These should germinate if you don't use preen in yourgarden. Proceed to cut down your perennial plants to two thirds withthe exception of woody herbs and shrubs. If you cut these back now theymay not do so well next growing season. The birds in your garden willappreciate it if you leave some seed heads behind. Leave one foot onyour ornamental grasses if you cut them back. Remove all the debris andleaves and rake out the beds. Use a blower and blow leaves onto yourlawn and mulch those with a mower. Those autumn leaves are like freefertilizer when they are mulched into the lawn. Oak leaves mulched intothe grass are supposed to prevent future weeds in your lawn. Ask yourlawn guys to mulch leaves before the blow them away. Now is the time tobury tree roses and grafted roses. You may want to put some wilt sprayon your rhododendrons in December as well as build some burlap housesfor them. Try to prevent the burlap from touching the leaves as this can contribute to drying them out.This is the time to put some extra effort into winter protection foryour flowering shrubs such as rhododendrums, roses and hydrangeas.

The third approach to winter preparation is the "no maintenance"approach. The pro of this technique is you can just be lazy and naturewill pretty much tuck all of your garden in naturally for the winter. The con's of doing nothing now are that your neighbors will hate you for your messy yardand you will have a lot to do in the spring at a time when lots ofplants are starting to peek through the debris. Perrennials and earlybulbs are delicate in the spring and can be easily destroyed as onetramples through spring clean up. Not only that, but the soil in thespring is at it's most vulnerable time and stepping in the beds nowwill compress it terribly and prevent the tender roots of plants fromgrowing at their best. Also remember that many weeds will continue togrow through the winter so if you did not pull them out they will havegrown stronger.

What ever your clean-up approach be sure to put away your garden decor for the winter as you don’t want it to get ruined. Also remember to clean out your cool bird feeders and stock up on bird seed before the snow falls so you can sit back and watch the animals in your garden while it sleeps.

Eachindividual gardener has their own preferences of how to tackle theirgarden before winter comes. The approaches outlined in this article aremeant to help you decide what fall maintenance technique is ideal foryou. Best of luck in your gardening adventures!