Wow, what a summer! This has been a great year for the garden and this September weather is ideal to be outdoors to get the fall cleanup under way.

 

Many areas of Prince George been hit by a killing frost and the annuals are done. Dig them up and toss them in the compost pile. If you had a problem with disease or fungus this summer, then do not put them in the compost, as you don’t want to spread this years problems to next years garden. This is also true for when you are raking up the leaves.

 

If you placed houseplants outdoors for the summer months bring them indoors before they are damaged or killed by a frost. Also, if you plan on keeping this years Fuchsias and Geraniums for next year, they should be brought indoors too. Be careful for any insects that may be on the plants. To get rid of these unwanted pests, spray the plants with insecticidal soap first, before bringing the plants indoors.

 

There has been a large amount of mice this summer, and mice can do a lot of damage over the winter months. To help prevent damage to trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs,  clean up any debris around plants so there are fewer places for mice to hide and nest. If you live in a rural setting try to create a berm where nothing is growing so that mice will not come into your yard from the bush. 

 

Any tall grass or brush should be mowed down low and removed. Also available at the garden centre are ‘tree guards’. These are made of plastic and wrap around the trunk of the tree which prevents the mice from eating the bark in the winter when the trunk is buried by snow. Wrap the first 100-150 cm of the trunk from the ground up, and this will stop the mice from damaging the tree. The tree guards are removed in the spring and can be reused next fall.

 

Perennials that have been affected by a frost or have died back can be cut back to 15 cm from the ground. Don’t cut them right back down to the ground because you want the left over stubble to catch the snow in the winter. Snow is a good insulator and will help protect the plant over the winter. Also, by leaving 15 cm of stems, makes it easier to find the plant next spring.

 

Roses should be cut back, by cutting half of the new growth off. The rest of the pruning is done next spring. Some extra protection such as sand, peatmoss, etc can be placed around the base of the plant and the rose can be wrapped with burlap or have a rose hut placed on it.

 

Vegetable gardens are tidied up by removing old plant stems and debris. Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, leeks are left in the garden for a little longer, depending on the weather. The soil can be dug up in areas that have been cleaned up, and this will expose the insects and seeds, for the birds to eat, and cold winter temperatures.

 

Continue to water. The warm temperatures are drying things out and plants need moisture before heading into the winter.

 

Keep up on the weeding. Many weeds will overwinter or produce seeds, so by pulling the weeds now, you will save yourself a lot of time for next year.

 

Strengthen the lawn by applying ‘Fall Fertilizer’ (6-3-12) The high percentage of potash will help the lawn overwinter for next year.

 

Newly planted trees and shrubs can also benefit from an application of 0-0-50. The potash will help strengthen them over the winter.

 

While working outdoors, take some notes and pictures of what worked and what needs improvement, so that next year you will know what needs to be done.