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Preparing the Garden to Over-winter
By David Salman

Gardeners living in cold areas should be preparing gardens for the coming low temperatures, heavy snows and drying winds. If you live in warmer climes, you might be able to wait as late as December. Following are some simple guidelines for wrapping up this season's garden.

Fall Clean-up

• Don't be too hasty in cutting off the stems of perennials and shrubs. Many plants over-winter more successfully with stems left intact. Stems provide energy reserves for the root system and catch blowing snow which helps insulate the soil and collect moisture. 
• Run leaves through a branch chipper to make fabulous, nutrient-rich, coarse textured mulch. Save gasoline and landfill space by not taking them to the dump.
• If any perennials and deciduous trees had foliage disease or insect problems, gather and dispose the dropped leaves.

Tending to Plants
Besides mulching as above, don't forget to water. Deep-soak established plants until the soil freezes; continue every 3 to 4 weeks.

• Fertilize plants to promote root development; fall is the best time. We recommend Yum Yum Mix Winterizer. Top-dress the soil and water it down. Then apply mulch.
• Inoculate the plants in your garden with beneficial "root friends" (mycorrhizal fungi). This is essential if you live in subdivisions or other sites where the soil was compacted or striped away. Earth Magic and Protein Crumblies will do the job!
• Prune dormant trees (when they shed leaves) in late fall. Do not prune evergreens or spring-flowering shrubs during the fall.
  
  Other Garden Tasks

• Now is a good time to chink up stone walls. Or level out wooden edgings that have settled. With leaves gone you can see trellises. Now is the time to make things right. 
• Bring houseplants inside that have summered in the garden or patio. Repot any that have outgrown their containers.
• Drain garden pools and birdbaths if you don't keep a heater in them. Drain hoses.
• Install simple windbreaks to protect new plantings. Anything that encourages snow accumulation provides excellent shelter against low temperature or drying winds.
• Clean tools using 3 parts sand to 1 part oil; the sand cleans, the oil prevents rust.
• Store seeds, fertilizer and garden chemicals in a place they won't freeze.

David's Helpful Hint: Fall Planting in the Southwest (and other areas with mild winters and scorching summers)

"Dig into Fall" is our slogan at High Country Gardens. Research shows that plants do a lot of root growth in the fall. The combined triggers of decreasing day length and cooling night temperatures push plant growth from above ground to below ground. So, while you might not see much change above ground in your fall transplants, they are eagerly spreading their roots into the soil.

Most folks don't realize it but technically, fall starts on or about September 21st (the vernal equinox) and extends through to December 21st or 22nd (the winter solstice).

A Change of Habit

Many people have lived and gardened in cold winter regions of the United States. Then they move to the Southwest. (How many people do you meet in Phoenix, Arizona or Las Vegas, NV who were actually born there?) In the colder regions these folks learned that in Ohio or New York or other cold winter areas, you only "plant in the spring." And that made sense until research suggested otherwise. So when they moved to Carlsbad, CA or Tucson, AZ or St. George, UT, they carried their old spring-planting habit with them. But this is not a good idea for a variety of reasons.

Fall is the Best Time to Transplant

Wait until daytime fall temperatures moderate before planting. In areas that have mild winters and scorching summers the soil never freezes and usually stays above 40°F. This is ideal for root growth. It also gives plants plenty of time to establish their roots before the heat begins, usually in late spring and extends through most of the summer.

Remember that when air temperatures reach 90°F plant growth for many herbaceous and woody ornamentals (but not succulents) comes to a halt. The plants put so much energy into cooling themselves via transpiration ("sweating" through their leaves) that very little energy is left for growing shoots and leaves.

• For example, planting in April in Tucson gives no time for plants to establish their roots, which are needed to pull up water from the ground to cool the plant. As a result the plants either perish or don't grow at all. They just try staying alive until the day temperatures cool down a bit many, many months in the future.

Things to Do After Fall Transplanting

Water

Remember to water your fall transplants through the winter months. This is the key to success. Roots need moisture. Although you won't water as frequently as you will in the heat of the growing season, a good soaking every 5 to 14 days (depending on soil conditions, daytime temperatures and winter rains) will bring your plants through to spring.

Mulch

Spread about two inches of organic mulch (course compost, shredded leaves, pine needles, crushed nut shells) or small angular gravel around plants. This layer of mulch insulates the soil to keep it moist and a more even temperature. Mulch also keeps down weeds come spring time.

Stimulate the Roots

Use our root stimulator mixture (Liquid Seaweed and SuperThrive) to encourage root growth.

Bigger Plants and More Flowers

So dig into fall this year and see what a difference it will make come next summer. You'll be very glad you did.

Plant Combination: For Coastal Regions
This month we've chosen two plants that work well in the warmer western coastal regions. Planted together they set up an interesting sculptural tension in the garden. The different textures are striking, and as the plants grow the interest keeps rearranging itself.