Reflections

PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED

Putting the garden to bed—I was outside yesterday with weed whacker, clippers and rake. Sad as it was to see some of my favorite greenery going down, I realized that fall can also be a great time to look ahead, to take stock of the overall health and welfare of that plant community.
BALD SPOTS: With the foliage under control, it is easier to spot the holes. In tough northern climates, we garden folk worry a lot about what winter might do to our beloved plants. In fact, the growing season itself can inflict its share of damage and problems. By now, I know better than to wait for the spring sprouting to remember where new plant stock is needed. A simple annotated sketch or photo of the bed combined with label stakes can be important when deciding where to replant next season.
MAINTENANCE PLANS: Then there are the weeds. Hard as I try to keep up with that nasty chore, it is amazing how even full-grown intruders can hide out under hostas and other big-leaved plants. Ditto, for tenacious invaders that twine themselves among the roots of perennials. The fall cut-back lays bare such problem areas. A wise master gardener friend once said that every weed we wipe out in fall saves us dealing with 2 to 3 in the spring. Tired as I may be after keeping up with the intruders all summer, now is NOT the time to give in and give up.
ASSESS THE CROWDING: As a die-hard perennial fan, I would be the first to admit that one of my biggest shortcomings is keeping my beds under control. To thin out a bed HURTS—literally and figuratively. Breaking up overgrown Siberian iris is tougher than weight training. To pull out an overabundance of common aster demands a great deal of tenacity and patience if I’m going to get all the roots. The mere thought of throwing out perfectly good plants makes me cringe. But that is just what has to happen in order to keep the survivors healthy. With the foliage gone and the root structures laid bare, DENIAL about what is required becomes a whole lot harder.
FORGET RETIREMENT: In the context of four-season gardening, the fall take-down is not a signal to break out the cocoa and seed catalogs quite yet. Moving on takes work. It takes honesty, too. The biggest enemy is our own end-of-season laziness.
A silver lining? Fall’s chill, brisk air is not just a boon for football fans. At least as we tackle some of our garden’s toughest problems, we are not going to pass out from heatstroke. Dig in—and happy fall gardening.