09/29/2026
I don’t know about you but I’m still in shock that fall is here! Summer went by way too fast! We’ve had such fantastic weather and hopefully it will last a bit longer but well you know…
I plan to get out in my yard today and get my winter prep done! In case you haven’t done that yet or really have never done much then let me share my top tips for not only preparing them for the winter but also setting them up for a beautiful season in the spring!
🍁 Water in your perennials, shrubs and trees in heavily just before the first frost. This provides protection in case we get an unseasonably warm winter and they attempt to break dormancy. If they do then they have a bit of access to moisture. This one is especially important for evergreens. Have you noticed browning over the winter? It’s a sign that they needed that extra water and didn’t have it!
🍁Although you can cut back your perennials in the fall I usually don’t cut them back far. I mainly just cut back to about 6” and leave the rest. This not only provides shelter for lady bugs in the early spring but leaving stuff taller acts like a snow catch. Snow is an excellent insulator!
🍁 I never bag my leaves or throw them into the compost bin. I slightly dig them into the top few inches of my garden beds. I also add in soil amendments like worm castings, finished compost, bonemeal etc…. I add these things in now so that the moisture and soil can start to slowly break things down, making the nutrients readily available by the spring.
That’s basically it! Happy gardening my friends! 🍁Lana🍁
