Leave the Leaves but Not the Invasives

 

November 2023

 

Pickaway to Garden

Leave the leaves but not the invasives

By Paul J. Hang

 

In just two months we will be celebrating the New Year. It’s time to take stock of the old and prepare to welcome the new in the yard and garden. The latest advice from the scientific horticulture community is to not do a lot of fall clean up and leave the leaves, with some exceptions. Take the leaves off the lawn. Leave the leaves around the shrubs and trees and in the flower beds. This adds mulch, organic matter and fertilizer to the soil. It also provides a place for overwintering frogs and toads, bugs’ and insects’ larvae, eggs, and pupae, this includes butterflies and bees.  Remember, most bugs and insects are beneficial.

 

Shredded leaves can be placed on vegetable beds as mulch and to add organic matter. Leave most stems and seed heads of perennials for food and shelter for birds and overwintering bugs and insects. The stems of Anise hyssop, Coreopsis, Purple coneflower, Black eyed Susan, Monarda (Bee Balm), and Asters are especially useful. Come spring these stems can be cut back to 12” to 18” until warm temperatures awakens the slumber of overwintering residents. Whatever you cut down can be left as free mulch and fertilizer and more habitat.

 

I know this will distress some readers but shrubs such as Asian bush honeysuckles, privet hedge and burning bush have proven to be invasive as are vines such as English Ivy and Winter creeper. Fall is a perfect time to consider removing them and replacing them with natives in the spring.  According to the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University, “A species is considered invasive when it is both non-native to the ecosystem in which it is found and is capable of causing environmental, economic or human harm.” They can be cut to the ground and the stumps treated with an herbicide. For more information, search controlling invasive species at ohioline.osu.edu.

 

Things to do in the Garden:

 

Now is a good time to do soil tests. You have time (3 to 6 months) to amend your soil if required. You will avoid the spring rush. To obtain soil sampling instructions and kits along with specific recommendations contact the local Cooperative Extension Office 740-474-7534.The Helpline is also available at the same number. It’s not too late to plant spring flowering bulbs. Spring bulbs look best in a cluster. Try excavating an area rather than planting them in single holes. Lift tender bulbs (caladiums, dahlias, glads etc.) and store for the winter. Sow seeds of hardy annuals (calendula, bachelor’s buttons). Mums can be “tidied up” but don’t trim back until spring.

 

Tender roses should be “hilled up,” mound the soil a foot deep around the base to protect the crowns. Also a wire cage filled with leaves surrounding them as protection can be added. Final pruning should be done in the spring, but long spindly canes can be trimmed off now. Climbing roses or ramblers should be tied to prevent injury from being whipped around by harsh winter winds. Do not fertilize. Clean up all dead and diseased rose leaves and put in the trash. Peonies can be cut to the ground to control the fungi and disease for which they are prone to develop. Dispose of the stems and leaves in the trash.

 

A fall fertilization of your lawn can be done now. Do not allow leaves to form a matted layer on the lawn. Rake and compost heavy layers of leaves. Running the mower over the rows of leaves at right angles a couple times will reduce them to half inch pieces which earth worms will pull into the soil. The latest recommendation is to continue to cut your lawn at 2.5-3 inches as long as it continues to grow. Run the gas out of your lawn and garden machinery or add gas stabilizer for storage.

 

November is a good month to plant most trees. For two short informative videos, go to; http://bit.ly/PlantATreeCbus. When your trees go dormant you can view; http://bit.ly/PruneATreeCbus and see how to prune them properly.

Make sure leaves and mulch are not heaped against the trunks of trees. Bring the mulch a few inches to a foot away from the trunks of all trees. You may also want to stake newly planted trees from the winds of winter and early spring storms. Generally new trees more than 2” diameter don’t need staking. Consult ohioline.osu.edu for staking and other gardening information. Evergreens and shrubs should be watered deeply. Apply an anti-desiccant to broadleaf evergreens after it freezes. Wait until dormant to do any normal pruning. Do not prune spring flowering shrubs (lilac, forsythia, spirea etc.) if you want them to bloom this spring.

 

Take stock by taking notes and map your garden while you can still remember where the plants were. This is particularly important for the vegetable garden. Remove the stalks from asparagus when they turn yellow or brown and mulch the strawberries with straw. You can still plant garlic. Clean your gardening tools and put them away. A coat of oil can prevent rust. A light coating of linseed oil on wooden handles prevents splitting due to weathering and drying. Drain garden hoses and store. At the very least disconnect from the outdoor spigots. Make sure underground irrigation lines are drained or blown dry with a compressor.

 

Remove the dead plants from containers and, if not diseased, compost. Unglazed terracotta pots must be stored indoors or they will be destroyed by freezing. The same goes for fragile garden ornaments. Synthetic containers can be left outdoors. Stop or reduce fertilizing indoor plants. Weed the vegetable garden and compost non-diseased debris. Place diseased materials in the trash. Remove stakes and cages, clean and store. Plant a cover crop or cover with mulch, no bare ground..

 

Consider leaving the stems and seed heads of perennials, Rose of Sharon is an exception. Nature is not compelled to neatness. She leaves cover for pollinators and butterflies to overwinter themselves or their pupae and eggs. You can clean up in the spring. Cut off dead annuals and, if not diseased, compost them. Now your beds are tucked in and settled down for a long winter’s nap.