"Oh the weather outside is frightful..." Not really. I love the cold weather; my plants not so much though. Snow on the horizon means it's time to get things in order with our outdoor plants. We had the opportunity to work with local landscaping geniuses at Dixie Yard Works on a feature covering how to care for your beloved plants when the temperatures drop down. They’ve covered everything from roses to ornamental grasses and everything in between.
Roses: Once the foliage has turned brown and started dropping, trim to shape as desired, taking off no more than 1/3 to 1/2 of the overall size. Fertilize in late winter-early spring.
Azaleas: Lightly shape if needed for overall aesthetics, but don’t trim too hard or spring blooms will be lost as they are set in the fall. Fertilize as per Boxwood instructions.
Daylilies/Hostas/Peony/Other Perennial Flowers: Cut back dead growth once brown in fall or winter. Mulch over lightly if possible to protect and insulate roots/crown. Lightly fertilize in late winter/early spring.
Hydrangeas: Most mop-head varieties (big snowball-looking blooms) require dead-heading only (cut off dead blooms) and light shaping. Other varieties like Oakleaf can take more in-depth sizing. Lightly fertilize in February or so.
Boxwoods: Trim to shape before too many freezes are occurring to prevent damage to any possible new growth that may flush after pruning. Fertilize any time in fall-winter with Tree & Shrub Food or something general-purpose like 10-10-10.
Nandina: Trim lightly to shape if needed—these usually don’t require much. Lightly fertilize as per Boxwood instructions.
Liriope (AKA Monkey Grass): Cut back to 1”-2” in height any time throughout the winter, but before new growth emerges in spring. We like to leave them for a little extra color through the winter as they don’t start to brown out until around February.
Other Ornamental Grasses: Cut back to 4”-8” in height after blades have turned brown in the fall. Don’t wait too late or they will start breaking off and blowing around your yard! However, some people prefer to just tie a string around them and leave growth on through the winter to provide some additional seed heads for birds to feed on.
To get in contact with our favorite landscaping, hardscaping, lawn-loving geniuses visit https://dixieyardworks.com or stop by Dixie Yard Works today at 7070 N. Dixie Highway in ETown. You can also call or email: 270-735-1668 and info@dixieyardworks.com.
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Happy Holidays Hardin County,
