Garden Gate – October 2019

32 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149

Know what you grow

Barbara Pleasant

Author of Gardener’s Guide to Plant Diseases,

Gardener’s Bug Book, and more

Every garden is unique. That’s why Barbara, longtime

gardener and author of books on garden pests and diseases

and veggies, encourages concentrating on really knowing

how to care for the plants you have in your garden.

CUT WHAT YOU NEED TO CUT There is no one solution

to keeping pests and disease out, so get to know which ones

your plants and growing conditions are most susceptible to.

Barbara prefers to leave most perennials standing through

winter so spent stems can act as an umbrella over the crown

of the plant. The tops of most perennials catch snow and

shelter crowns from ice. She grows two varieties of bee balm

and cuts her larger one back to a foot tall to provide enough

winter protection but leaves her smaller variety uncut. Her

woodland phlox often go through bouts of powdery mildew,

some years severe, some years not at all. She keeps an eye on

it but has come to trust that it’s going to be OK so she doesn’t

bother cleaning it up in the fall.

LEAF DEBRIS Learn where pests

overwinter: Cabbage worms, cabbage

aphids and asparagus beetles overwinter

in debris in and around the veggie

garden. Remove dead material from

the veggie bed and, as an extra caution,

from perennial beds near the vegetables.

Cucumber beetles, Colorado potato beetles and squash bugs

overwinter in bark crevices and old logs, so debris or not,

some bugs may still be finding a place to live.

But sometimes for Barbara, insects are a welcome sight

because it means good bugs will be present, too. Leaf litter

is home for pollinators and some species of snails, which

attract and feed birds. Earthworms love leaves, too, and

they’ll enhance the soil drainage as they break leaves down.

Teri, avid gardener in New York and author, reminds all

gardeners: Cleaning up the fall garden is not like cleaning up

the living room. Your goal is not necessarily tidiness. Learn to

appreciate the natural beauty of the fall and winter garden.

Some flowers, such as coneflower, look amazing in the winter.

DON’T CUT In fact, Teri leaves all her perennials standing

through the winter. The stems protect the plant, and if you’re

growing any marginally hardy plants, as Teri often does, you’ll

want that extra protection. If one of her perennials comes

down with a disease, she removes the plant from the garden

altogether. And, even after a first frost, a plant is still sending

energy to the root system to fuel next year’s show, so cutting

too soon can inhibit the plant’s performance next season.

AGGRESSIVE AND INVASIVE As author of the book

How to Eradicate Invasives, Teri answers the question: Should

you really leave the seed heads of aggressive or invasive

plants? No, you should not. Remove flowers before seeds are

formed and dispose of them in the trash. If you’re trying to

completely remove an aggressive or invasive plant, fall is a

good time to pull it. Energy levels are decreasing, and it has a

harder time fighting back.

LEAVE NO BARE GROUND Above all else, Teri empha-

sizes the importance of covering bare ground in the perennial

bed. She uses mulch, which she makes herself. Her secret

mulch recipe is to chop up fallen leaves and mix them with

straw, leaving some leaves in piles for pollinators. This mix

is relatively inexpensive, decomposes well and enriches the

soil. Teri likes to mulch thickly, covering beds with 4 inches of

mulch. A good layer of winter mulch can prevent aggressive

plants from spreading — they’ll pounce on open ground

in spring — and can help protect marginally hardy plants

through the cold days. An extra perk of a nice layer of mulch

in fall: It looks tidy.

Another option instead of mulch is to cover bare ground

with a fast-growing but easy-to-remove perennial ground

cover. Lamb’s ear works well in her garden. It covers a lot of

space while she waits for slower-growing plants and shrubs

to fill in, looks good with everything and is easily removed

when she needs more room for other plants.

Make sure to mulch

Te r i Dunn Chace

Author of Seeing Seeds,

How to Eradicate Invasive Plants, and more

Spent foliage

can catch

snow and ice

and protect

the crown

of the plant

through

winter.

Bearded iris Iris spp. and hybrids

Bee balm Monarda didyma

Brunnera Brunnera macrophylla

Coneflower Echinacea spp. and hybrids

Botanical

Names

Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba

Honeylocust Gleditsia tricanthos inermis

Lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina

Norway maple Acer platanoides

Oak Quercus spp.

Siberian iris Iris sibirica

Woodland phlox Phlox divaricata

GG14930_33_FallCleanUp.indd 32GG14930_33_FallCleanUp.indd 32 6/26/2019 2:32:28 PM6/26/2019 2:32:28 PM

32 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149

Know whatyougrow

Barbara Pleasant

Author of Gardener’sGuidetoPlantDiseases,

Gardener’sBugBook, andmore

Every garden is unique. That’swhyBarbara,longtime
gardener and author of booksongardenpestsanddiseases
and veggies, encouragesconcentratingonreallyknowing
how to care for the plantsyouhaveinyourgarden.
CUT WHAT YOU NEEDTOCUTThereis noonesolution
to keeping pests and diseaseout,sogettoknowwhichones
your plants and growingconditionsaremostsusceptibleto.
Barbara prefers to leavemostperennialsstandingthrough
winter so spent stems canactasanumbrellaoverthecrown
of the plant. The tops of mostperennialscatchsnowand
shelter crowns from ice.Shegrowstwovarietiesofbeebalm
and cuts her larger one backtoa foottalltoprovideenough
winter protection but leaveshersmallervarietyuncut.Her
woodland phlox often gothroughboutsofpowderymildew,
some years severe, someyearsnotatall.Shekeepsaneyeon
it but has come to trust thatit’sgoingtobeOKsoshedoesn’t
bother cleaning it up in thefall.
LEAF DEBRIS Learnwherepests
overwinter: Cabbage worms,cabbage
aphids and asparagus beetlesoverwinter
in debris in and aroundtheveggie
garden. Remove dead materialfrom
the veggie bed and, as anextracaution,
from perennial beds nearthevegetables.
Cucumber beetles, Coloradopotatobeetlesandsquashbugs
overwinter in bark crevicesandoldlogs,sodebrisornot,
some bugs may still be findinga placetolive.
But sometimes for Barbara,insectsarea welcomesight
because it means goodbugswillbepresent,too.Leaflitter
is home for pollinators andsomespeciesofsnails,which
attract and feed birds. Earthwormsloveleaves,too,and
they’ll enhance the soil drainageastheybreakleavesdown.

Teri, avid gardener in New York and author, reminds all

gardeners: Cleaning up the fall garden is not like cleaning up

the living room. Your goal is not necessarily tidiness. Learn to

appreciate the natural beauty of the fall and winter garden.

Some flowers, such as coneflower, look amazing in the winter.

DON’T CUT In fact, Teri leaves all her perennials standing

through the winter. The stems protect the plant, and if you’re

growing any marginally hardy plants, as Teri often does, you’ll

want that extra protection. If one of her perennials comes

down with a disease, she removes the plant from the garden

altogether. And, even after a first frost, a plant is still sending

energy to the root system to fuel next year’s show, so cutting

too soon can inhibit the plant’s performance next season.

AGGRESSIVE AND INVASIVE As author of the book

How to Eradicate Invasives, Teri answers the question: Should

you really leave the seed heads of aggressive or invasive

plants? No, you should not. Remove flowers before seeds are

formed and dispose of them in the trash. If you’re trying to

completely remove an aggressive or invasive plant, fall is a

good time to pull it. Energy levels are decreasing, and it has a

harder time fighting back.

LEAVE NO BARE GROUND Above all else, Teri empha-

sizes the importance of covering bare ground in the perennial

bed. She uses mulch, which she makes herself. Her secret

mulch recipe is to chop up fallen leaves and mix them with

straw, leaving some leaves in piles for pollinators. This mix

is relatively inexpensive, decomposes well and enriches the

soil. Teri likes to mulch thickly, covering beds with 4 inches of

mulch. A good layer of winter mulch can prevent aggressive

plants from spreading — they’ll pounce on open ground

in spring — and can help protect marginally hardy plants

through the cold days. An extra perk of a nice layer of mulch

in fall: It looks tidy.

Another option instead of mulch is to cover bare ground

with a fast-growing but easy-to-remove perennial ground

cover. Lamb’s ear works well in her garden. It covers a lot of

space while she waits for slower-growing plants and shrubs

to fill in, looks good with everything and is easily removed

when she needs more room for other plants.

Make sure to mulch

Te r i Dunn Chace

Author of Seeing Seeds,

How to Eradicate Invasive Plants, and more

Spent foliage

can catch

snow and ice

and protect

the crown

of the plant

through

winter.

BeardedirisIrisspp.andhybrids

BeebalmMonardadidyma

BrunneraBrunneramacrophylla

Coneflower Echinaceaspp.andhybrids

Botanical

Names

Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba

Honeylocust Gleditsia tricanthos inermis

Lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina

Norway maple Acer platanoides

Oak Quercus spp.

Siberian iris Iris sibirica

Woodland phlox Phlox divaricata