Don’t let winter – and the holidays - arrive before you’ve cleaned up your landscape. You’ll save time and enjoy better results next spring if you take steps now to prepare for winter.
Knock Out roses, a sensational grower in central Ohio, need to be cut to about eight inches to one foot from the ground, either late in November, when new growth is not likely, or early next spring. Apply some general, balanced fertilizer. “Knock Out roses are extremely hardy in Ohio,” says Kim Torgerson, vice president of Hennessy Landscaping. "They’re almost maintenance free, and they last a long time.”
Roses can be mulched with the same kind of mulch used in other garden beds. Make sure your mulch covers the entire base of the plant.Simply scratch a little of the existing mulch over the base of the plant.
Cut off the dead blooms of your chrysanthemums. Keep most of the dead stems, as they help protect the crowns. Not all mums survive Ohio's winters. Give your mums their best shot at survival by covering them with three to four inches of mulch, preferably of straw or hay. You can prune the old stems in mid to late April.
Prune your hydrangeas way back, to about three inches off the ground. Late fall is a great time to trim back all your bushes and shrubs to help keep them within the height and shape you desire. Your decorative grasses are also best left alone, if only to enjoy their striking contrast against a winter snow. You can cut the old grass back in the spring, just as the new grass emerges.
As for your lawn, now is the time to make the final cut of the year. Set your mower’s blades to between two and three inches in height. That way, your grass will get enough sun over the winter. Don’t forget to edge your lawn to keep the rhizomes from spreading into your beds. Grass is great in the lawn, but of course, those blades are weeds among your perennials and shrubs.
Knock Out roses need little maintenance.
Plant spring bulbs before the ground freezes.
Ready or not, winter's coming.
Need more tips? Check out BuckeyeGardening.com, a service of the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association.
Need someone to do the work? Give us a call at 614-870-5296, schedule an appointment online or send Joan an e-mail at joan@hennessylandscaping.com
Serving our central Ohio customers since 1988. P.O. Box 528, Galloway, OH 43119
