Gardens Galore: Crown Jewels ~ By Karen Brewka

Now is the time to start getting our yards and gardens ready for winter. Perennials, trees, shrubs and turf need some attention before the snow flies.
Most perennials are done for the year. It's important to allow these plants to completely finish growing. If leaves are still green, that means there are still carbohydrates being produced and stored. If leaves and stems are brown and floppy, they are done and can be cut back. I try to leave stalks as tall as possible in case we have a low snow winter. The stalks help to catch snow and keep the crowns covered. The crowns are the parts of the plants that grow just below or at the soil surface. They are where the above ground parts and the below ground parts come together. They are very important parts. A covering of wood chips, leaves, or compost over the crowns will help if snow is scarce. I like to leave some poppy and sunflower stalks standing for the birds and for winter interest. Most grasses go through the winter upright, as well.
Newly planted trees and shrubs should also be crown mulched after deep watering. Deep watering starts about the end of September and means a gentle flow of water around the root zone for a thorough soak. This is especially important for evergreens as these trees and shrubs lose water throughout the winter and need a good reservoir in the root zone to draw from. It might take a number of hours to 'water in' a mature spruce. Lay the hose down on the ground at the edge of the branches and let the water soak in for maybe half an hour. Move the hose around the outside of the tree at the outer edge of the branches until the whole tree has been watered in. Watering in all our trees and shrubs means less winterkill to prune off next spring. While watering in, I also like to wash down branches and hose off any insect frass (masses of weblike frizz with little black dots in it) that has accumulated. There is lots of frass this year because of the vast quantities of aphids that hatched out and flew around at the end of August and early September.
Lots of people like to fertilize turfgrass in the fall. It's a good idea if you have the right kind of fall. We need to wait until night temperatures are between 0 and 5 degrees and we have a stretch of fine weather ahead. Fertilizing in the fall causes the turf plants to want to grow. However, if the temperatures are low enough, all of that growth goes to the crown. Again, this is the best place for the carbohydrates to go. The crowns thicken up and this really helps the turf to go through the winter in a healthy condition. Leaving the turf a little on the long side is a good idea as this will also help to protect the crowns as winter progresses.

The Valley Neighbours Garden Club welcomes new members. For information call Bea at 403–933–7131.
The Horticultural Club meets every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. For information call Sheila at 403–931–3989.