While it has been a mild fall thus far, things are about to change in the Midwest. Plots once colorful and full of life will soon succumb to winter's chill, but it doesn't mean that the colder months are a time to forget about your garden.
"The old adage is: after the first frost you want to cut back and you want to mulch," says Nicolette Figura, Perennial Specialist at the Gethsemane Garden Center on Chicago's Northside. "Since we're having a first frost this Thursday, you may want to get your mulch ready."
Yet it may be too early to bring the hose inside. "You still keep watering," explains Figura. "The cold air dries things out and you don't want the roots to get dried out. You see a lot of people who have the evergreens and arbor vitae and than they die next year. It's because they didn't get enough water through the winter. That goes for the container plants as well. If you don't get enough snow you have to put ice on top of it."
For those concerned about taking plants inside to avoid the deep chill of winter, think again. "If it's a perennial plant and it's for our zone (zone 5 or 4) that plant needs to be cooled down in the earth. It needs the dormancy of the cold," says Figura. "If it is a tropical plant like a mandevelia or a jasmine, you could dig it up and bring it in the house, but plants in our zone need that cool down period."
Figura explains that peonies, for example, are unable to grow in warmer climates like Texas and Florida because it is not cold enough to winter over in.
While our zone has lots of color to enjoy during the warmer months, what can be done to add interest in the winter season? Figura suggests Boston Ivy (which turns a beautiful red), hellebores (if you have shady area), but she is particularly excited about ornamental grasses.
"The grasses look very nice because they are going to turn different colors," explains Figura. "Most of species stay upright and add pretty winter interest."
Any suggestions to those new to ornamental grasses? Figura suggests Myscanthis, Feather reed grass or Calamagrostis and Porpupine Grass. "In Lake County we call it Zebra Grass. It's a tall green grass with yellow patches in it like a zebra. In three or four years it gets about six feet tall. It's really pretty."
While winter can never offer the rainbow of colors that warmer weather can provide, remember that you have to get ready for your spring blooms by planting bulbs now. "This is the best time to plant them," says Figura. "You want to get some bone meal or bulb booster. Your spring bulbs are your daffodils, hyacinths, your Muscari (which is a grape hyacinth that smells like grape bubble gum), your tulips, crocuses…oh my goodness, there are so many bulbs you could be planting now."
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