With fall in full swing and winter just around the corner, getting the landscape ready to endure the cold months is essential and needs to be done sooner than later. The different plant life from the grass to the shrubs, to the trees all need specific maintenance to ensure their resistance to the freezing temperatures and extreme weather Vermont can deliver. At this time, we at Matt Myette Landscaping would like to take the opportunity to offer some tips and advice on maintaining the perennials for fall and winter.

Define Perennial Plant

Perennial plants are plants that live for more than two years and they are also used to describe the plants that have little to no wood growth. Perennials, particularly small flowering plants, are plants that will grow and bloom in spring and summer and come the fall and winter they die back and then spring they return from their rootstock.

Examples of Perennial Plants that Need Trimming in the Fall

Come the late fall, it’s time to prune and leave some to cut back in spring after all of your perennials have started to turn brown and die back. A common mistake is that people have a tendency to chop everything down to the ground but many perennials actually require some of their foliage to protect new shoots through the winter. In some instances, there are a handful of perennials that provide height and interest through the winter months for local wildlife that make them an important habitat. There are common perennials here in Vermont that is listed below that should be trimmed down for the fall.
– Astilbe
– Bearded Iris
– Bee Balm (Monarda)
– Catmint (Nepeta)
– Columbine (Aquilegia)
– Daylily (Hemerocallis)
– Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
– Hostas
– Lilies
– Peony (Paeonia)
– Phlox
– Salvia
– Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum Odoratum)
– Yarrow (Achillea)

Perennial Plant Diseases

There is quite an assortment of perennials that need to be cut back in the fall, the above list are just a few examples of the common perennials found in area. To help prevent disease and rot in the early spring, prune foliage down to just a few inches from the ground and make certain you do not neglect clearing away any debris from the vegetation. In the event that this past season was hard on your perennials, such as Bee Balm or Phlox, especially and they were inflicted with disease, cut them down all the way to the ground and do not use the foliage for compost. To ensure other plants are not infected with the disease ensure you properly dispose of the debris immediately as far from the landscape as possible. Treat your pruners with equal parts bleach and water if you maintain and plants infected with a disease.

Landscaping & More in Greater Morrisville, Stowe, Hyde Park, Elmore, Cambridge, Morristown & Lamoille County, Vermont

If you are unsure which perennials should be trimmed, how they should be pruned, or even the ones that should be left for their beneficial use, call in the experts of Matt Myette Landscaping. We will help get your landscaping ready for winter. Call us today to schedule to let our specialists get started!