Those discount perennials will perk up come spring!
When it comes to gardening and yard work, it’s really easy at this point in the season to turn a blind eye and let it slip. We’ve worked so hard, and you start to wonder if finish line projects are even worth it.
Jessica Berrett, horticulture manager at the Ashton Garden at Thanksgiving Point, says there are a few key things you should do now to not only pretty up your yard for the rest of the season, but to guarantee a beautiful yard comes spring.
Jessica emphasized that the garden checklist is never-ending. “You can always find something to do,” she said. Despite the tiredness she encouraged us not to give up! There are tasks we can do now that will keep our gardens fresh going into fall, and even help us in the spring.
Refresh Your Flower Beds
Jessica suggested focusing on flower beds, especially perennial ones. “If you have annuals that are tired, go ahead and pull those out,” she advised. You can either mulch over those areas, or, plant cool fall annuals like ornamental cabbages, kale, pansies, and celosia.
“If those annuals aren’t working for you, take them out. But if they look great, you can leave them!” she added.
Refresh the Mulch
This is the time of year when mulch might start looking tired. Jessica recommended adding a bit more mulch to keep your garden looking fresh.
“You don’t need to go crazy and hit every spot,” she said, “but take a step back, look at your beds, and if some are bare just touch them up a little bit.”
Jessica showed us a few interesting new mulch options to look into:
Soil Pep: tried and true. Soil pep is finely shredded bark that is basically a nice forest dirt.
Buckwheat Hulls: very lightweight, so maybe better for houseplants. Gives an even texture to your dirt, but also helps hold in moisture.
Cocoa Fibers: made from cocoa beans.
Jessica advised against using rubber and rock mulches since they can be hot and hard to keep weed-free.
Planting New Perennials
Jessica loves looking at clearance racks for discount perennials at this time in the season. “This is a great time of year to pick up some of those more expensive plants for a good deal,” she said. Even if they look a little sad now, they will thrive next spring.
She also suggested dividing existing perennials to create new plants. “You’re going to want to get them back in the ground as quickly as possible so that the roots aren’t sitting out and drying for too long,” she explained.
Find more gardening advice from Jessica on Instagram, @plant.geek.
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