Snow warning and winter mulch removal? Newbie needs advice

This is related to the "Another Storm!" thread--

Today, Saturday, is sunny and supposed to get up to 45 degrees F here on the mid-Cape in Yarmouthport. Yesterday was 63 degrees (boy, was THAT nice) and any snow from the March 17 storm is long gone from the recent rains. The ground feels pretty soft. Naturally my "gardening juices" are in full spate and I want to go out and remove all the winter-protection leaf mulch I piled on my perennial beds and shrubs and heaped up around my container-roses. Daylily shoots are already peeking out a bit, as well as tulip and daff leaves. I'm dying to see what else is underneath, and maybe things need some sun!

BUT: snow is predicted for tonight and early tomorrow. I'm such a newbie to NE gardening (previously having lived in central coast CA). I just don't know if or when it is safe to take off the mulch, especially when a snow storm (albeit a light one) is predicted. Here, our average last frost date is May 25, weeks behind many of you other lucky NE gardeners, so I don't plan on planting things in the ground until then because the soil just isn't warm enough. But should I take off the leaf-mulch now? Or wait a while? When do I know what to do? I realize that mulch is primarily put on to protect from freeze-thaw cycles, but are ours over, or can anybody tell?

As you can tell, I am thoroughly un-versed in the vagaries and excitements of NE weather!

Can't call the Master Gardeners hotline because they're only open Tuesday and Thursday in March. And anyway, you are ALL master-gardeners in MY book!
Thanks,
Emily, who hopes folks will say "SURE, go ahead". . . but who wants to do the right thing!! (The Cape is supposed to be zone 7a, but I think has some zone 6b tendencies!)

I usually remove mulch when I see perennials starting to push up, and the forecast looks pretty mild form there on out. Here in 5b, that means no more night time temps below 30 degrees or so. Because we're often prone to feakish spring weather here, I don't uncover until early April.

If I knew that snow was coming (like it may be tonight), I'd wait. Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. :-(

I wait until early-mid April but I'm not sure if you would be sooner because you are zone 7 (I'm 6) or later because your last frost date is May 25 (mine is May 15).
I would think your frost date is more important than zone so I'd leave the mulch. It can't really hurt to leave it because the ground won't really warm up yet.
Dave

Thank you, ckk and Dave47, for what I am sure is excellent advice to wait until mid April at least to de-mulch! Thanks for the time-line. I'll just have to get my clean-up fix by doing something else--maybe Spring house-cleaning (shudder! ;-))

In my enthusiasm I did go outside today to bustle around in my compost bins, where all winter I've been dutifully adding kitchen veg scraps, coffee grounds, and torn-up newspapers to the excess leaves from last Fall. It was great to be able to toss a pile--not a frozn mini-Kilamanjaro any more!--but I sadly noted that everything looked pretty much exactly as it did the day I tossed it in! Too recently frozen, I guess.

I don't know what I'd do without all you good folks at the NE forum. I am so ignorant about four-seasons gardening.

--Emily

Emily.
Good time to prune bushes and trees, if you haven't already. Pick up sticks in your yard. Prune clematis (if needed). Divide dahlias, start seeds indoors.Plant pansies now if you want If your ground is soaked,like mine, try to stay off it as much as possible (it ruins the structure & compacts the soil).
If your mulch is thick, you can remove half of it.
And remember that you are only 2-3 weeks away from jumping in much further. Around April 15 I remove all winter protection, cut back all winter damage,sow cold crops (greens, peas, etc.)plant perennials.
May 15 is tomatoes, cukes, squash, and the rest. You should probably wait until May 22.
Hope that helps. Feel free to ask questions.
Dave

Dave, thank you. It does help to have some direction--glad to realize that there's plenty enough to do right now. I really appreciate having someone explain the next steps.
Thank you so much. And I WILL keep asking questions.
--Emily
PS: And it IS snowing tonight; big soft flakes that look like cotton candy.

what about pulling back fallen leaves and removing garden debris from last year? I have killed more mums by uncovering them too early so determined I wouldn't do that, but I do have quite a bit of garden clean up that didn't happen last fall. Can I begin?

what about pulling back fallen leaves and removing garden debris from last year? I have killed more mums by uncovering them too early so determined I wouldn't do that, but I do have quite a bit of garden clean up that didn't happen last fall. Can I begin?

Jeez Andrea - I get it already ;)

I don't have any mums, other matted down leaves I remove early.

Dave, now I feel discouraged. I was understood that the last average day of frost for Springfield was April 29. Is that the date the last day of frost refers to, or is it the last date that frost ever occurred?
Seandor

It means that you can get a frost here up to May 15. I guess it's the last recorded frost but I have seen people put their tomatoes out a week early here because it was warm then lose them to a May 12 frost. Some people (I think Pirl ?) wait until Memorial day (Not sure if Canadians know that's May 31)

This refers to tender annuals. You can plant hardy annuals and perennials sooner. But I wouldn't plant seeds that say "wait until all chance of frost has passed".

Oops! I forgot Andrea. She should have repeated her question more often :)

I would cut back the remainder of last year's plant & remove but I would leave at least half of any mulch whether you applied it or if leaves just fell there. It's not a huge risk but why mess with it?

I usually do tomatoes and friends some time after Mothers Day - mid May.

I usually don't mess with much until my yard stops squishing when I walk on it. :-) Some years that's April 15th, and some years that's May 15th. I don't like to plant perennials when the beds are still saturated either.

Good point ckk.

Yes - better to 'read' your own garden than look at the calender.

CapeCod, This is still a little problem for me to decide. If I don't remove most mulch I miss some of the smaller blooms, like crocus. I remove the evergreen boughs and most of the larger pieces of leaf mulch. I end up gently hand pulling most of it off the beds and reapplying a lighter layer. This is fairly labor intensive but I get to see what's sprouting and can cut back any plants I left for winter interest at the same time. If a storm is predicted(the ice and sleet seem to destroy new buds and blooms) I cover some of the early bloomers with a layer of the evergreen boughs again.

Thanks, everyone, for the useful comments about when to remove my leaf-mulch. I have so much to learn--most of all, how to read my garden. Today I have been walking around my (mostly leaf-buried) perennials, hoping for a message. I've learned from you that If the ground squishes, it's a signal not to do anything major YET. I've also learned from this thread to pay attention to the weather and temperature predictions--don't uncover if sleet is coming! Which it did the other night. So I think I will cool it with serious mulch removal, at least for a while.

My, this is an invigorating climate.

Thanks again,
Emily

o-o-o-o-o-k-k-k-k-k- just thought I'd save space and get my duplicates all in one post.

Its Yahoo's fault not mine you should see the Yahoo Group's pages - some posts put in 10 times. I don't know how that applies to DG but I'm sure its related.

Its hit between 65 and 77 the last 5 days in a row - everything is busting out, including my tree peonies. We usually get a thaw like this a few days in Jan or Feb when all sensible plants stay down, but right now the hostas are pushing up next to Scilla and early daffs. All the spring bulbs are in full bloom at least a couple weeks early for me. The ground is dry and workable even. I've got matted leaves all over the ground. Because I plant so closely I don't need as much mulch and I let the leaves pile up for winter. The trouble is the durn slugs - they are happily wintering safely under there and probably eating anything poking up. Everything has just shot up - lilies up 4" - its too early for them to be up and too early to pull off all the winter cover - we always get snow in April and often May. I just ordered Sluggo for first time to try to kill kill kill. Shower music from Psycho included in MP3 file to play at night.

so I guess I will just toss out the Sluggo on top of the leaves and see if the little pods come and get it.

I started feeding the mangiest, ugliest wild cat. Oh dear he is truly ugly, but the poor thing was starving so if I can get him in a Hav a Hart I'll haul him off to the humane society where they will no doubt have to tranq him to get him cleaned up and his mauled ears and body scars attended to.

I pulled up the mulch from around my perennials that are pretty hardy and left it over the more tender perennials. Today, I planted my first set of cilantro seeds and parsley. I never plant tomatoes prior to June 1. You can plant them a few weeks before last frost with some protection and they'll usually be fine, but they also won't be doing anything but sittng in the soil getting exposed to potential diseases and pests. Since the spring's been dry, I sowed grass seeds and watered a few times. I'm the first on my block to have a green lawn and plan on mowing this weekend for the first time. Like others have said, read your garden. In past years, I wouldn't have been doing any of the things I'm already doing so early, but this has been such an atypical year I figured I'd take a few chances. If cold weather looms, I have row covers to cover everything up.

Emily, I remember when I was trying to learn to cook a few things and my Mom would say "just add enough(of an ingredient) 'til it looks right". Well, of course, I had no way of knowing when it "looks right".
Same thing happened when I started gardening. Reading your garden probably takes experience. Until then, go with safe concrete rules (i.e. frost dates, etc.). In time, the exceptions will come to you.
Also remember that it is not brain surgery and your results won't be fatal. (Well, maybe fatal to some seeds or seedlings but they are not too expensive.) I have killed many a green thing along the way and I don't think I could have learned without making mistakes.
Have fun!
Dave

Thank you, all, for the "mulch stories." Alyrics, I walzed through my various beds yesterday scattering Sluggo (and when I ran out of that, Escargo) as well. Even though we haven't had temps above 55-58--I just KNOW they're down there. Waiting. Planning. . . .perhaps I'm getting a bit paranoid?
Jjpm, I appreciated your comments about what an atypical year this has been. Not that I know what a typical year is, since I'm so new to this climate! But it's interesting to hear your plans for seeding and planting out your tomatoes. I will be growing some tomato seedlings under lights. . . I need to remember not to put them out before June first. (That's what all the Cape Cod gardeners say as well.)
And that brings me to Dave47's reminder that all this is not brain surgery! Dave, I related to your comparison between learning to cook, and learning to be a gardener (which I think has a long learning curve, but that's just me!) Cooking NOW seems easy, after 30-plus years doing it, but I was once a novice at that, too. I need to relax and enjoy the ride.
Thanks,
Emily

Welcome. I still vividly remember sweating out each decision.

Oh gosh I have already learned so much from all of you! I do realize this is a process but I am willing to take on the challenge. I find I am constantly moving things around or deciding on which plants would be better in certain spots, etc.... That has come with my little experience and from the information I learn on this site! You are all such a great bunch of knowledgeable people and I love this site!

Ok I am really confused. I bought lovely perennials from Bluestone, and they recommend that we do not mulch plants over the winter - except German Irises. So I only mulched the irises, and everything seems to have survived (well, maybe not the lavender - but that's probably because they were half rotted when planted. These came from Michigan Bulb - so I guess you get what you pay for.)

Anyway - why mulch at all?

Seandor, I'm with you in confusion, actually. I've learned that in years that are very cold and have no snow cover, mulching really helps to keep my perennials safe. I lost a phlox plant a couple of years ago because it wasn't mulched and we didn't have snow.

I'm sure that there are better experts out there, but my experience has been (living in New England as we do) that the snow cover is usually sufficient cover for most perennials.

I bought mulch and fully 'intended' to use it ;0). never got a 'round tuit'. anyway, things are looking alive. I was back in the fairy garden and my Arp rosemary looks to have green on it. this is the first time I've tried rosemary. figured I had nothing to lose but a $4 plant. it's in a relatively protected location and has had snow cover throughout the bitter cold. all of my much more expensive dwarf conifers are also alive and well. I built a little mud wall on the windward side of the little deodar cedar...just a few brown needles.

Well, it appears that I am even more of a newbie than our California transplant, CapeCodeGardener. I moved to southern NH in the summer from NYC and am working on an established but slightly neglected garden that I inherited.

Yesterday I raked leaves off my daylily and herbaceous peony beds, since I see nice green shoots on many of the daylilies; a few peony stalks and some scylla are poking up, too. We are expecting 24 degrees tonight, then some rain/show showers in the next couple of days. I guess I just forgot to look at the weather forecast, given the sunniness of the past couple of days and my hopefulness.

I'm thinking of just laying some burlap over the plants in expiation for my sin. What do you think of that, or should I try to round up some leaves somewhere, or throw ugly bark mulch on top? (No pine boughs available....)

I'll try to explain. Many plants will always live w/o winter mulch and more will likely live w/o it. Snow is a good mulch for anything that truly belongs in your zone. If you are "pushing your zone" to grow something not 100% reliable and/or you live in a place like mine where snow cover is not reliable through the winter, mulching helps.
My understanding is that mulch is not to keep plants warm as much as to keep them cold. The biggest risk comes from the frost/thaw cycle which can heave plants out of the ground. So after the ground is cold or frozen, mulch to keep plants at a more stable temperature.
Unusual for me, I didn't mulch this past year(except soil mulching roses) because it took so long to get cold then I blew it. I still expect most everything to be OK. Ironically, my roses look hardest hit.

Anyone else have very beaten roses this Spring?

Overall, my roses look okay. A few look iffy. I am not a fan of mulch in general. It's costly (unless you have a very small area), it has to be renewed regularly and can float away in heavy rains. I have been slowly converting to ground covers, with some doing better than others. I am looking for something that grows thick so as to smother weeds. Beds with a ground cover base look much nicer, in my opinion, than mulched ones. Looks more natural. And when the ground cover is in bloom, an added bonus!

Pruned my roses today and took away half of their mulch (which is compost). They weren't quite as bad as I feared but hit harder than other winters. Victor, do you even mound your roses? I use compost or garden soil to do this.
My goal is solid groundcovers but I have a long, long way to go.

Spent a lot of time gathering about 3 garden carts of sticks of of my front lawn. It is about 2/3 of an acre with mature trees all around. What a mess. Got some bone meal on my bulbs. Sprouts coming from both inside and outside (wintersown). Good to be back in business again.

Dave I have a question for you. I just bought some bone meal. Some of my bulbs are just coming up now....should I put some bone meal around them now??

Yes! Ideally when you first see them pop up, when they open and in the fall. Not so sure about the need for the middle application.

Dave, I generally don't mound up for the roses, unless I planted them too high by mistake. I plant them with the graft just about at soil level. I think two applications of bone meal is more than enough for bulbs. I forget half the time and they still do fine.

Hi--
Thanks for the reminder to put some bone meal around my emerging daffs and tulips. They are definitely up--some have been up an inch or two for some weeks, given the warm weather in Jan. Some look a bit frostbitten--just hope they keep on coming!

Regarding the need to fertilize bulbs: I have read that a Fall and a Spring application are recommended. An application when the bulbs are actually blooming may not be necessary, since the fertilizer won't filter down to the bulbs in time to do much good (this comes from White Flower Farm's recent newsletter.)

My roses look terrible--brown, scrawny branches--but then, I'm so new to a real winter that I don't really know how they're supposed to look! The nor'easter and prolonged freezes of early March did a number on them. I did mound up compost over the graft, and removed this a week ago but I won't really know if it did any good until I see more "action" with the leaf-buds. Dave, is it time to prune them? Good ol' Cape Cod has an average last frost date of May 26.

Thanks for all that I learn on this forum.

--Emily

True on the Spring bulb fertilizer thing. Before bloom!

Believe me, I'm lucky if I fertilize mine once or twice in a year. I thought I rembered reading that fertilizing while in bloom helped, not with the bloom, but the nutrient storage of the bulb.
I always try to think about how well & long flowers grew w/o any assistance from humans. Nature doesn't apply bone meal twice a year (or mulch beyond fallen leaves). Part of my: don't let it drive you nuts" philosophy. We are just increasing our odds.
Emily, pruning would be good now. If you had more damage, you could just remove it later. But pruning will reduce risk of disease,etc.

I go through this decision every year after being burned by pulling the leaf cover off too soon. I think some of the shoots are tender, not hardened off to the sun or the burn of the cold if they are uncovered too soon. Then if ya leave it on too long its impossible to pull it away without damaging said new shoots. Anyway we've had this gorgeous weather and in 2 days they are telling us we will have 3 days of snow with night time temps of 25. Maybe April 15-ish.

Drat a new bed I did of hellebores and hakone grass is not blooming this year and one hakone is heaved out and dead. Anemones are blooming and all the daffs, I put in a couple hundred Tete-a tete 2 yrs ago and I love those little ground huggers.

Dave - no better ground cover than Ajuga or pulonaria -both can take drought very well tho like damp better. No weeds in a bed of any of those two. If you've got some dampness I've got the green liriope spreading like wildfire - I'm about to start using RoundUp to control it. I also just tried a strawberry saxifrage last year and am very impressed - spreads by runners, is evergreen and the leaves are variegated dk green/white with a red/purple underside. For sun I have a length along my drive that has really rocky poor nutrient soil - and lambs ears do fine.

Okay so how do I apply around my bulbs?? Do I dig it into the dirt or just leave it on top???

Dawn, Scratch it into soil with a rake. Nothing too fancy.