Renewal time for perennials - flower bedding - Brief Article

Sunset, Oct, 2001 by Kathleen N. Brenzel

Follow tips from Sunset's test garden for easy-care flower beds that keep on blooming

Imagine a garden that pumps out gorgeous blooms over a long season. All the flower colors you've ever dreamed of are here--red, yellow, and apricot roses, orange and purple dahlias, candy pink phlox, blue catmint, lavender buddleja--weaving a rich tapestry that's frequented by birds, butterflies, and bouquet makers. Imagine it's easy to care for, too, with soaker hoses taking care of watering a couple of times a week during the growing season, and only an occasional need for feeding. Sound too good to be true?

Bud Stuckey, coordinator of Sunset's test garden in Menlo Park, California, doesn't think so. More than seven years ago, he set aside an 18- by 25-foot section of the garden just for cut-and-come-again blooms. There, after tilling and amending the soil, he planted roses, perennials, and a smattering of seasonal tubers, such as dahlias and tuberoses. The payback for his initial efforts has been enormous: buckets of blooms daily, April through October, for six years.

The secret to this garden's continuing productivity is autumn renewal. Beginning each October, Stuckey follows the simple strategy detailed above--cutting, pruning, weeding, mulching--to freshen the plantings. Follow his program (adapt it to your garden's special needs and to your climate) for a robust flower bed next spring. Then, says Stuckey, "get out of the way and watch the plants grow."

Postseason wrap-up

October

CUT BACK PERENNIALS. Make cuts as shown above. If perennials such as daylilies have become crowded, dig each clump with a spading fork so the rootball comes up intact, then use a spade or sharp knife to divide them (each division should have plenty of leaves and roots). Replant divisions immediately. In cold-winter climates, divide plants by mid-October.

CUT BACK BULB FOLIAGE. After the foliage on dahlias and other summer bulbs dies, cut plants back as shown above. In mild climates, dahlia tubers can overwinter in the ground; in cold climates, dig and store them in a frost-free place until planting time in spring.

PULL WEEDS. Pull kinds such as crabgrass. Discard those with seed heads and compost the rest.

REMOVE SOAKER HOSES. Lay them flat on the pavement, cap the ends, then flush them clean with water. Coil and store them for winter.

ADD MULCH. Apply a 6-inch-deep layer of compost to the soil surface around plants.

December

PRUNE ROSES. In mild-winter climates, remove dead or old canes and make cuts as shown above right. In cold-winter areas, it's safer to wait until April.

March

BEGIN FERTILIZING. After new growth appears, broadcast granular flower food such as a 6-2-5 formulation; water it in with a dilute fish emulsion from a hose-end sprayer. In mild climates, put down soaker hoses.