Re: Winterizing Z5 (IL) perennial beds?
- To:
- Subject: Re: Winterizing Z5 (IL) perennial beds?
- From: l*@teamzeon.com
- Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 15:47:59 -0500
From: Valerie Lowery@ZEON on 11/09/99 03:47 PM
Nancy,
I would recommend that you purchase a wonderful book that details all you
need to know about taking care of your more common perennials. Problem is,
I can't remember the darn name! It is by a lady named Tracy, it's about
maintaining your perennial garden. Anyway, she goes into much detail about
pruning, clipping, shaping, etc.
Yes, as a rule of thumb, I would leave those plants with hollow stems alone
until spring, particularly if you have wet winters like we do here in
Kentucky. We also have problems with stem borers, which will quickly take
advantage of any cuts you have made on woody stems (like roses) and make a
comfy home for the winter. We also go through terrible freeze-thaw cycles
here. This will stimulate growth on some hardier perennials (especially on
those I've cut back) and that new growth will die with the next freeze.
This will mean even more will have to be cut back. We almost never have a
good dependable snow cover; our winters are full of ice/sleet. We have
such a wide range of winter weather that I've learned over the years that I
have to be very careful about what I'm cutting.
What I never cut back in my zone 6a garden until spring: woody stems,
hollow stems, borderline tender perennials, plants that are especially
ornamental during the winter (tall grasses, colored stems, etc). You're
experiences may vary according to your climate and what you have in your
yard. For everything I've mentioned, I'm sure that someone may find the
very opposite to be true for them!
Val in KY
zone 6a
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
