What to do in winter...newbie question

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mmckeon West Lafayette, IN Oct 02, 2007

I need a tutorial as to how to treat my garden in the winter. What do I do? Cut? Mostly right now I have Hostas and quite a lot of purple cone flowers. I just moved to Indiana from California- where I did not need to do anything to them. Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Post #4041066
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twohawk Blanco, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 02, 2007

I'm not sure what to do for the hosta, as I don't have mine yet
(they're on order, and scheduled for fall delivery, so I'd
like to know how to overwinter them) but, the coneflower I may
be able to help with. They are considered perennials, and will
definately freeze above the ground for you this winter. I would
wait until your first frost, cut them back to about an inch above
the ground, and cover them generously with a heat conserving
mulch. Give them a little water once a week. If you are going to
have below freezing weather for more than a week, water them well
before the freeze. A good watering before freezing temps
actually insulates the root system. Be sure to save and dry a few
of the flower heads, in case they do die.

Post #4041404
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stormcloud Yonkers, NY Oct 03, 2007

Hosta's do not require any help to over winter. Simply clear away the soft dead brown leaves and the eyes will throw new ones up come Spring I have hundreds of Hostas....the only problem is that slugs love them as much as I do. !

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom Oct 03, 2007

Hosta's planted into the garden soil or in pots will die down naturally, dont cut off the foliage as this die back actually feeds the tubers/bulbs, that helps to build up energy for the lovely foliage and flowers for the following year, if the leaves go papery and look too untidy for your winter clear up, then at that stage, you can just pull them away easily, it would be a good idea to throw a good mulch over the area as this will protect them from any really hard winter frosts if you have that in your zone, it is like giving them a thermal blanket to keep them warm and stop freezing.
the other writer has given you good tips regarding your cone flowers, I always add a garden cane to the soil where my Hostas are as they go underground for the winter, come spring when I am incline to tread the soil, it is very easy to trample the very tender new shoots as the peep through the soil and get damaged easily, the same principle will go for any other perennials that may be growing in a cold winter area, dont know if I would water them before the frost though as I would be so scared that the frost came with a fast drop in soil temp, the soil should be damp or wet enough from the winter rain fall or cooler air, so the mulch will act as a barrier to help retain the moisture already within the soil, but as I dont know your area, then maybe you have drier fall season. Hope this helps you out a bit, good luck WeeNel.

Post #4042663
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