Summers have a way of always feeling a little bit like a whirlwind. We go on vacation, we drive around dropping kids off at camps and activities, and somehow there is more to do! In the garden there’s watering, weeding, deadheading, harvesting, and trying to keep up with everything that’s growing.
Then fall arrives, routines come back and we all settle down into a bit of a slower pace, and the garden does too.
It’s a good time to take a breath and give your garden a little attention before winter arrives. Here are a few quick things you can do now to help your plants head into winter in good shape—so they can slow down well with you.
And don’t worry—you don’t need to have a perfectly “finished” garden before the first frost. A little preparation can go a long way, but not everything needs to be tackled right now. In fact, leaving some things alone can be just as helpful as cleaning them up.
Here are five things worth checking off your list before the first frost.
1. Divide Overcrowded Perennials
Fall can be a great time to divide many established perennials, especially if your plants have started to outgrow their space.
Take a look around your garden. Are some perennials becoming overcrowded? Have they developed a bare or thin-looking center? Are they starting to spill into nearby plants?
These can all be signs that a plant may benefit from being divided.
The basic process is pretty simple: dig up the plant, divide the healthy sections, and replant them with more space.
When dividing, aim to keep healthy sections with plenty of roots attached. Replant your divisions at the appropriate depth, water them in well, and give them some time to settle before winter.
Just remember: not every perennial should be divided in the fall. Some prefer to be divided in spring, while others may not need dividing at all. Check the specific plant before grabbing your shovel. And as always, if you have questions about your specific Bloomin’ Easy perennial, ask Miss Diggs!
And if you’re not sure? There’s no harm in waiting.
2. Get In Any Final Planting
The first frost is a good indicator that it’s not a great time to put new plants in the ground.
However, if the ground is still workable, fall can be a great time to plant many trees, shrubs, and perennials. Cooler temperatures can give roots time to establish before the ground freezes, allowing plants to settle in before the growing season begins again.
It’s also a perfect opportunity to fix some of the things you noticed in your garden this year.
Did you have a bare spot that could use some colour? Did one plant completely disappear behind another? Did you find yourself wishing you had more blooms in a particular part of the garden?
Make a note of those spots now, while you can still see them.
Then, if the timing is right for your area, you can use fall planting to fill some of those gaps.
Just be sure to check the recommended planting window and hardiness for the specific plant you’re considering. Start with the plant tag: find the hardiness zone listed for the plant, then compare it with your area’s hardiness zone. If your zone falls within the plant’s recommended range and you’re still within the planting window, you’re good to go.
3. Add a Layer of Mulch
If you haven’t already, fall is a good time to add a layer of mulch around your plants.
About 2–3 inches of mulch around the root zone can help insulate the soil and protect roots from the repeated freezing and thawing that can happen as temperatures change throughout the winter.
If you have been around our channels long enough, you know we are big fans of mulch, that cozy blanket for the soil.
Spread it around the base of your plants, but avoid piling it directly against stems or trunks. Leaving a little space around the base helps prevent excess moisture from sitting against the plant. We don’t want any rotting!
You don’t need to go overboard, either. A consistent layer around the root zone is what you’re after.
4. Protect the Plants That Actually Need It
When temperatures start dropping, it can be tempting to wrap up every plant in burlap and store it in the garage.
But not every plant needs winter protection.
Instead, focus your attention on plants that are newly planted, less cold-hardy, or growing somewhere that leaves them particularly exposed to winter weather.
Depending on the plant and your climate, protection might include frost cloth, burlap, or simply moving a container to a more sheltered location.
Before you start wrapping, check the plant’s recommended hardiness and winter care. Shoutout our low maintenance, cold-loving shrubs!
The goal isn’t to protect everything. It’s to protect the plants that actually need it.
5. Do a Little Cleanup—but Don’t Clean Up Everything
Fall cleanup is one area where less can actually be more.
Before you start cutting everything back, take a closer look at what’s happening in your garden. Is the plant dormant, or is it actually dead?
Dormant plants can look pretty unimpressive, especially in late fall. Leaves may have dropped, flowers may have disappeared, and stems may look like they’ve stopped doing much of anything.
But that doesn’t mean the plant is dead.
Look for signs of life, such as firm, healthy stems or viable buds. The scratch test is a good way to check. If you scratch at a stem and underneath the barky exterior, you see some green; that is a sign of healthy life! Some plants naturally die back above ground while their roots remain healthy and ready to produce new growth next season.
On the other hand, stems or plants that are clearly dead, damaged, mushy, or showing signs of disease can be removed.
And before you clear everything away, consider what you might want to leave behind.
Healthy seedheads can provide food for wildlife and add winter interest. Ornamental grasses can add texture to an otherwise quiet garden. Some perennial stems can provide shelter for insects and other garden visitors.
Your garden doesn’t have to look perfectly tidy all winter.
If you’re unsure whether something is dormant or dead, it’s often better to wait. Some plants are much easier to assess once spring arrives and new growth begins.
You Don’t Have to Do It All
The garden doesn’t need to be perfectly cleaned up, wrapped up, and tied up with a bow for winter before that first frost arrives.
Instead, focus on a few things that will actually help your plants: divide what needs dividing, plant a few things, mulch the root zone, protect plants that need extra help, or clean up thoughtfully.
And remember, some things can wait.
A garden is always changing, and sometimes the best thing you can do is leave a little room for nature to take its course.
So before the first frost, don’t worry about checking every box. Prepare what needs preparing, leave what can be left, and save yourself a few things to do when spring rolls around.
Plant. Water. Relax. Even in fall, you’ve got this.
