Prepare Perennials for Winter

Since spring, you've put a lot of work into your garden. If you treat them right, your plants and flowers will continue to flourish for years without reseeding or replanting. A little work in the fall will give you the most stunning blooms possible, year after year.

Visit your local True Value hardware store for all the products and expert advice you need to prepare your perennials for winter.

While some perennials are evergreen, most survive the cold months by storing food reserves in their roots, tubers or bulbs. This makes perennials perfect for low-maintenance gardens where they can be planted once and left to grow. Coneflowers, phlox and black-eyed susans can be the framework of a colorful garden, and they're good companions for the variety of annuals you plant each year.

Step 1. Cut Back Above-ground Growth
After the first frost, cut back perennial growth to just a few inches above the ground using a sharp hand pruner, garden shears or scissors. Leave the stems above ground to protect the crown — the part of the plant at ground level where the stem meets the roots — throughout the winter.

It's not always necessary to cut back perennials. Perennials naturally begin to go dormant in late fall as they prepare for winter and their foliage dies. Some perennials like ornamental grasses provide visual interest in the winter and don't necessarily need to be cut back. Take note of what kind of perennials you have in your garden. Try to understand their natural, annual cycles to decide whether it's best to cut them back or let them be.

• Ornamental grasses usually remain attractive throughout the winter. So do late-flowering daisy-type perennials, such as: Rudbeckia and Purple Coneflower, Achillea, Agastache, Aster, Astilbe, Baptisia, Buddleia, Chelone, Cimicifuga, Eryngium and Eupatorium. It is up to you whether you want to cut them back or not.
• You should cut back perennials such as Alchemilla, Anemone, Campanula, Centaurea, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dicentra, Euphorbia, Geranium, Hemerocallis, Hosta, Lychnis, Monarda, Nepeta, Oenothera, Phlox (tall types), Trollius and Veronica.
• Evergreen perennials and alpines should not be trimmed in the fall. These include: Ajuga, Alyssum, Arabis, Armeria, Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and 'Huntingdon', Aubrieta, Aurinia, Bergenia, Cerastium, Corydalis, Dianthus, Epimedium (trim in late winter, before new buds appear), evergreen Euphorbia, Helianthemum, Helleborus, Heuchera, Iberis, Kniphofia, Lamium, Lavender, Liriope, Origanum, Phlox (creeping types), Primula, Pulmonaria, Sagina, Saxifraga, Sedum (many creeping types), Sempervivum, Teucrium, Thymus and Viola.
• It's better to not to cut back these types of perennials as well: Buddleia, Caryopteris, Erysimum 'Bowles' Mauve', Fuchsia, Hypericum, Lavatera, Perovskia (Russian Sage), Phygelius and Santolina.

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Step 2. Clean Up Plant Debris
Make sure you thoroughly pick up any plant parts you cut back and any other plant debris that's died and fallen off. Remove any weeds and other garden debris as well, disposing of it in yard refuse bags. Leaving this organic matter in your garden could bring disease, insects and rodent infestation, as they are all attracted to decaying vegetation.

Step 3. Mulch
Mulch provides a layer of insulation from harsh winter temperatures and protects root systems from drastic changes in soil temperature, such as extreme freezing and thawing. This layer provides five to 10 degrees of temperature protection, which may mean life or death for certain plants.

Mulching your gardens and flowerbeds before the ground freezes and the snow starts will help your perennials survive the winter and bloom beautifully when warmer temperatures return.

There are different types of mulch to choose from. While straw can be an effective and inexpensive cover, it may increase the chance of weed growth come spring. Wood chips are a good option but can be expensive. Pine needles are one of the most effective mulches, but they tend to be available only in certain parts of the country. You can also make your own shredded-leaf mulch by running over leaves with your mower, but dried leaf mulch is apt to blow away when the winter winds pick up. Cypress mulch is a familiar option and readily available in most regions of the country.

Spread 4" to 8" of mulch in your garden with your hands. If your winters are especially harsh and temperatures are often well below freezing, you may even want to cover some plants completely. In areas where winters are milder, it is best to mulch around your perennials with 3" of mulch but not cover them completely.

• Don't worry about snow covering your gardens and flowerbeds — snow can actually be a good thing. Accumulated snow can add natural protection and warmth to your perennials and their sensitive structures below ground.

Good work! Protecting your perennials now will help bring beautiful blooms in the spring. To get your outside ready for winter, head to your local True Value hardware store for the tools, products and expert advice you need to start right.

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