Fall Chores | Ottawa Start

7 • POSTED ON September 20, 2005
Fall Chores
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Most people think of spring and summer as the typical outdoor seasons but – with fall lurking right around the corner – let’s take a look at what this time of year has to offer us in terms of gardening.

Our gardening column is published every Tuesday on OttawaStart. Read previous columns here.

Most people think of spring and summer as the typical outdoor seasons but – with fall lurking right around the corner – let’s take a look at what this time of year has to offer us in terms of gardening.

Although spring is definitely the busiest time of year for a gardener, there are quite a few tasks that either need to be tackled right around now or can be done in order to save you some time next spring. Although personally, I am not a great believer in cleaning perennial borders before winter, this is a good time to start cutting back those plants that flowered early in the season.

I support the theory that dead leaves provide plants with extra winter protection and furthermore, I simply like a garden’s winter silhouette. However, if you are a “tidy garden teddy” who hates to see brown leaves, dried-up seedpods and other signs of decay in your garden, then by all means cut back whatever looks like it’s far past its prime.

As is the case with most “things gardening”, winter interest is something you are into or are not into; one is not better than the other, it is just a matter of personal preference. Whatever you decide upon, make sure to add lots of compost to your borders. As is the case with all bulky organic matter, it takes about three months before compost takes effect on your soil so if you add it now your soil will have improved come next spring (we do not count the months when the soil is frozen).

Dividing perennials is another chore that should be done before it gets much colder. As a general rule of thumb, perennials need to be divided every 3 to 5 years. A lot depends on the plant itself as well as on the condition of your soil, but sooner or later you will notice that the plant is taking up too much space or has started to wear thin in its center (when your plants start to look like doughnuts it is a sure sign to start sharpening your shovel!).

The widely accepted theory is to divide spring flowering plants right after they are done blooming (so that they have all summer to recuperate) and fall flowering plants in the spring (for the same reason). However, can you imagine how tough it must have been on plants to re-establish in the hot and dry summer we had this year? Personally, for most early flowering perennials, I prefer late summer/early fall when the plants are still growing and the soil is warm enough to allow new roots to establish relatively quickly. Don’t wait too long, though; you are supposed to be finished 30 days before the first hard frost hits us! For obvious reasons, do not touch your fall flowering plants until next spring – they should be flowering right around now. While I am on the topic; some perennials do not like to be moved at all and – unless you have no alternative – should not be touched at all. Among them are Peonies (Paeonia), Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra), Balloon Flowers (Platycodon), Lupins (Lupine) and Monkshood (Aconitum).

Although it is a wee bit early to actually plant them, spring flowering bulbs have appeared in stores and garden centers. If you are thinking of adding bulbs to your garden, you could at the very least purchase them now – while selections are still good – although I would give it another week before actually digging them in. Funnily, the majority of gardeners still plant bulbs as if their garden is part of our annual Tulip Festival, lined up in formal rows or squares. If your garden IS in fact part of the Tulip Festival grounds, please continue to do so. If not, you might be interested in the simple, but rewarding technique of letting bulbs naturalize in your garden.

In nature, tulips (or any other bulb) do not grow in rows, but rather in irregular clumps scattered over the landscape. If you can provide your bulbs with the conditions they prefer – as is the case with all plants, bulbs grow best when they are happy - nothing stops you from letting your bulbs spread and self-seed.

Thus, within a few years, your bulb patch will double or even triple in size without ever having to purchase new ones. Planting Crocus in a lawn or under a tree is a great idea, as is planting bulbs on a slope (if you decide to plant bulbs in your lawn, make sure not to cut off the leaves once they have finished flowering; instead let the leaves die down naturally before unleashing the lawn mower onto them). Crocus, Allium (ornamental onion), Narcissus (daffodil), Camassia (quamash), Scilla (spring squill) and Muscari (grape hyacinth) are all very well suited for naturalizing. A word of warning; it takes the average bulb about 5 to 7 years to grow from seed to flowering plant, so a little patience is required…

When buying bulbs, chances are that your local garden center staff will ask you if you require “any bulb food with that”. If you are solely purchasing new bulbs, there is no need for that; the flower is already pre-formed in the bulb and it WILL bloom – whether you add bulb food or not. If you already have existing bulbs, it is a good idea to add some food each year. Also, when buying bulbs, make sure not to select dried-out or shrivelled ones; instead, go for the plump ones that feel hard when you (gently) squeeze them.

One final word of advice - when in doubt about which is the top or bottom of the bulbs, plant them sideways!

Newt week, more on the fall garden; until then, happy gardening!

René Trim

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About René
René Trim was educated and trained in The Netherlands, before moving to Canada in 2000. After studying the differences in climate and season faced by Ontario gardeners he established Trim Garden Design and Rescue in May 2002. A gardener since the 1980’s, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience, a vast library of reference materials from which to draw answers to various garden situations as well as an enthusiastic and professional staff.