WASHINGTON — From perennial plants that come back year after year, to annual flowers that should taken out of the ground before winter, a few suggestions from Horticulturist Josh Demers at Brookside Gardens might surprise you.
Did you know you shouldn't be cutting back any of your roses or perennial shrubs this time of year?
"It's sort of a misunderstood concept," Demers said. "If you prune any kind of tree or shrub now what will happen is that will push out new growth that won't potentially harden off before the first frost."
The next time you'll want to cut them back is around the February to March timeframe.
But before we rush into winter, there are still a lot of late-flowering perennials thriving in our climate, including Aster Tataricus Jindai.
"It's really nice extending the blooming season into the fall," Demers said.
Sedum is also an option, as it flowers from summer through the start of the cooler months.
"[It's a] very, very easy plant that loves heat [and is] heat tolerant," Demers said.
Platycodon, also known as balloon flowers, turn from bright blue to yellow this time of the year.
And Salidago doesn't just look nice, it's great for the environment, too.
"Actually they're very good for pollinators," Demers said.
But if you're feeling inspired to add some of these plants to your garden, you're better off waiting until spring since they all go dormant in the winter.
"They're not putting on much if any root growth," explains Demers. "And also there's more moisture in the soil."
That moisture can lead to root rot and plants ultimately not surviving.
As for your annual summer flowers, you can still wait a few more weeks before pulling them out.
"We wait a little bit longer until the temperatures gets a bit cooler, and then they start to fade," Demers said of Brookside Gardens' protocol.
Once they come out, your spring bulbs can go in. Demers recommends waiting until the soil temperature is around 55 degrees.