Bring your herb garden indoor for winter

You can bring some herbs indoors for the colder winter months as long as you have adequate sunlight. This means a southern exposure ideally with about eight hours of sunlight a day. Some signs that your herb garden is not receiving enough light will be long stems and leaves(referred to as leggy), and fading leaves or simply leaves that fall off for no other reason. If you do not get enough light from a window, you can supplement your herb's growth with growlights. These special lights differ from regular light bulbs because they shine with the full spectrum light that plants require. There are complete setups with pots and overhead lighting available or you can purchase the growlights separately and be sure they are placed according to directions. An easy alternative is to purchase florescent shoplights, and keep the light suspended within 4 inches above the growing herbs. Indoor grow lights need to be replaced on a schedule to be certain that they are giving off the proper strength your plants need.

Other concerns with indoor herb gardening are temperature and moisture. For some plants, the air inside is too dry during the winter and additional moisture needs to be provided by misting or placing the herb's pot onto a tray full of pebbles with water poured into it. While this tray water evaporates, it adds humidity around the plant. You may be surprised at how often you have to refill the tray.

Pests can also become a problem for indoor herb plants. Because there is no winter cold to kill off eggs, sometimes there will be a large number of tiny sucking insects that will suddenly appear around your herbs. If you see tiny insects either crawling or flying around your herbs, simply prepare some tepid, soapy water in the kitchen sink or a large, deep bowl. Keeping your hand over the base of the herb plant, tip the pot over and swish the plant around in the soapy water a few times. The soap will kill the bugs without injuring the plant itself. If you can not flip the herb over, a spray bottle of the same soapy water can be sprayed on until it drips over the leaves. Be certain to spray the undersides of all the leaves because this is where the eggs and hatchlings usually hide.

 

Do Herbs Grow Well Indoors?

Herbs grow very well indoors. They take no more time and effort than a regular houseplant once you decide on the best location for them. Use the different areas in your home to grow herbs with different needs. You will soon have delicious herbal additions to your home with little fuss.

 

 

 

 

Common Perennial Questions

 

 

       Perennial Plants to Prune in the Fall  

 

 

Bearded Iris The tall foliage of bearded iris begins flopping early in the season. By fall, it’s cover for iris borers and fungal diseases. Cut back after a killing frost and it would be wise to dispose of the foliage, rather than composting

Beebalm (Monarda didyma) Even the most resistant varieties of Monarda can succumb to mildew. When that happens, you’ll be cutting them back long before fall. Fresh, new growth can be left on until spring. Sometimes selective thinning of the stems is all that is needed and you can leave the remaining seed heads for the birds.

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora) Gaillardia is a pretty hardy plant, but cutting back the spent stems seems to improve its hardiness even more, by improving its vigor.

Columbine (Aquilegia) Remove any foliage showing leaf miner damage and remove any debris around the base of the plants. Aquilegia send out growth early in spring and appreciate not having the old foliage to contend with.

Daylily (Hemerocallis) Daylilies respond well to shearing and unless you are in an area where they remain somewhat evergreen, fall pruning will save you a messy cleanup in the spring.

Peony (Paeonia) Peonies need a period of cold to set buds for the following season. That coupled with the fact that their foliage is extremely prone to mildew is reason enough to remove the foliage in the fall. Infected foliage can be removed and disposed of in late summer. Healthy foliage will turn golden in fall and can be removed once it has turned to mush, after the first frost.

Phlox (Phlox paniculata) Phlox is prone toward powdery mildew. Even the resistant varieties can become infected in bad weather. If so, prune and destroy all foliage and stems in the fall.

Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) Perennial Salvia benefits from several prunings during the growing season. In fall when blooming slows, cut the whole plant back to the new basal growth.

Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis) Baptisia is one of those plants that splits in the middle if not sheared back after pruning, however many gardeners like the seed pods and simply stake the plants. Come frost, the foliage turns black and even staking isn’t going to help its appearance. Cut back for aesthetics.

Yarrow (Achillea) Achillea don’t like to sit in cold, wet soil. By fall, most of their blooms are spent and the foliage is flopping and possibly diseased. Cut back in early fall and new basil growth with fill in before frost.

    Suggested Perennial Plants to

    Prune in the Spring

 

Artemisia Most Artemisia don’t like being pruned in the fall. The growth that results is too tender to survive the winter and the dieback is often enough to kill the whole plant. Clean in early spring.

Asters Fall blooming asters have generally been pinched and forced several times throughout the growing season. Once they are finally allowed to bloom, they appreciate being left alone to recuperate, until spring. Several bloom so late into the fall, the question of fall clean-up becomes moot.

Astilbe Astilbe don’t require much maintenance. Fall clean-up is unnecessary and may weaken the plant’s tolerance for cold. Minimal spring clean-up is required.

Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) If pruned for sturdiness, Balloon flower blooms late in the season and remains attractive until frost. Since it is late emerging in the spring, it helps to leave the old foliage as a marker.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) Although not particularly attractive in winter, the seed heads will feed the birds.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) To lessen winter kill, wait for signs of green at the base and then cut back to 6 - 10 inches.

Campanula Most campanulas get sheared back at some point during the summer, to clean up ugly or damaged foliage and encourage another flush of blooming. Fresh basal foliage will result and should be left through winter, so as not to encourage more tender growth in the fall.

Coral Bells (Heuchera) Heuchera are prone to heaving in soils that freeze and thaw. Leaving the foliage in tact helps to mulch the plants through winter.

Delphinium If you’re lucky enough to grow Delphiniums as perennials, remove the flower stalks, but allow the foliage to remain until spring.

Dianthus Most Dianthus can remain somewhat evergreen throughout the winter and nothing is gained by cutting back in the fall. They will still need some clean-up in the spring.

Geum Geum can remain semi-evergreen throughout winter, so no fall pruning is necessary, especially if you’ve been deadheading and cleaning up dead leaves during the growing season.

Goldenrod (Solidago) The new hybrid goldenrods don’t seed or spread all over the garden and can be left standing for winter interest. Study clumpers, like ‘Fireworks’ and ‘Golden Fleece’, will remain upright through spring. The old-fashioned species Solidago should be cut in fall, to avoid invasiveness.

Hosta Although Hosta foliage gets ugly over winter, some Hosta varieties can be damaged by spring frosts and benefit from the protection of the collapsed foliage.

Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum ) When a plant is bred from a common weed, you can usually assume that it doesn’t need much care to survive. Joe-Pye will bloom well into the fall and then produce fluffy seed heads. You can cut it back if you choose, but it’s not necessary to the plant’s survival.

Lavender (Lavandula) Many areas have a hard time over-wintering lavender. The problem is more often moisture than cold, but cold is a factor. Don’t prune lavender late in the season, as new growth is extremely cold sensitive. Wait until new growth appears in the spring before removing winter die back.

Lupine (Lupinus) Lupines are temperamental, short-lived perennials and they do not enjoy winter. Leave the foliage on for protection and hope for the best come spring.

Mums (Chrysanthemum) Leave the foliage in tact to protect the plant’s crown. All the better to let the flowers bloom well into the fall.

Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) Coneflowers don’t look terribly attractive in winter, but they do attract and feed birds. If you’d like both birds and aesthetics, you can always prune your coneflowers in July and get squat, sturdy plants that will provide seed and remain standing.

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) Like its cousin Lavender, Perovskia doesn’t like to be trimmed back in that fall, because it’s tender growth is too sensitive to cold. Wait until new growth appears in the spring and then cut back to about 6 - 8". If the only new growth is from the base of the plant, the entire top woody section has died back and it can be pruned to the ground.

Sedum Many of the tall Sedums can remain attractive throughout the winter, even holding caps of snow on their flower heads. ‘Autumn Joy’, in particular, holds up very well. The basal foliage appears very early in spring, so Sedum can be one of the first plants you prune in the spring.

Tickseed (Coreopsis) Like Chelone, most coreopsis seem to fare better if allowed to stand during the winter and cleaned-up in the spring.

 

Roses

We receive a lot of questions about caring for roses, especially about pruning.  Here are a few tips regarding roses.

 

When to Prune Roses

Timing is determined by the class of the rose plant and the zone in which it is growing. Most rose pruning is done in the spring, with the blooming of the forsythia as a signal to get moving. If you don't have forsythia, watch for when the leaf buds begin to swell on your rose plants, meaning the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish in color.

Hybrid tea roses are the most particular about pruning. If you don't know what type of rose you have, watch the plant for a season. If it blooms on the new growth it sends out that growing season, prune while dormant or just about to break dormancy, as stated above. If it blooms early, on last year's canes, don't prune until after flowering.

 

Some general pruning guidelines by rose classification:

BLOOMS ONCE, ON NEW GROWTH

Modern Ever-Blooming Roses & Floribunda: These bloom best on the current season's growth. Prune hard (½ to 2/3 the plant's height) in the spring and remove old woody stems. Leave 3-5 healthy canes evenly spaced around the plant. Cut them at various lengths from 18 - 24 inches, to encourage continuous blooming.

Hybrid Teas & Grandiflora: These also bloom on new wood and should be pruned in early spring. Remove dead and weak wood. Create an open vase shape with the remaining canes by removing the center stems and any branches crossing inwards. Then reduce the length of the remaining stems by about ½ or down to 18 - 24 inches. You can allow the older, stronger stems to be a bit longer than the new growth.

BLOOMS ONCE, ON OLD WOOD

Ramblers: Prune to remove winter damage and dead wood or to shape and keep size in check. Ramblers bloom only once and can be pruned right after flowering, all the way back to 2-3 inches if you wish.

 

REPEAT BLOOMERS

Modern Shrub Roses: This group is repeat bloomers, blooming on mature, but not old, woody stems. Leave them unpruned to increase vigor for the first 2 years and then use the "one-third" method. Each year remove one-third of the oldest canes (in addition to any dead, diseased or dying canes).

Climbers: Climbers may repeat bloom. Prune early to remove winter damage and dead wood. Prune after flowering to shape and keep their size in check.

MINIMAL PRUNING NEEDED

Alba, Centifolia, Damasks, Gallica, and Mosses: This group blooms only once, producing flowers on old wood and don't require much pruning at all. Prune only to remove dead or thin wood and to shape the plants and prune after flowering.

Miniature Roses: Prune only to shape. Cut back to an outward facing bud after blooming.

 

Rose Pruning Basics

1. Use clean, sharp tools
2. Look at the overall plant, but begin pruning from the base of the plant.
3. Prune to open the center of the plant to light and air circulation
4. Make your cuts at a 45-degree angle, about 1/4 inch above a bud that is facing toward the outside of the plant.
5. Make sure it is a clean cut (not ragged)
6. Remove all broken, dead, dying or diseased wood (Any branches that look dry, shriveled or black. Cut until the inside of the cane is white.)
7. Remove any weak or twiggy branches thinner than a pencil
8. If cane borers are a problem in your area, seal the cut with a white glue, such as Elmer’s.
9. Remove sucker growth below the graft.
10. Remove any remaining foliage