ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot

This is a perfect time to redesign the garden. Move plants, get rid of hideous colour clashes and change plants that dwarf or hide others. Add exciting new plants to discover in next year’s garden. Colourful spring bulbs and flowers, such as Forget-me-nots, wallflowers, primulas, pansies, Sweet William and Bellis daisies provide lots of cheery spring blooms.
Tip: Buy spring bulbs early for the best selection.
Herbaceous perennials should be divided every three to five years to keep plants the right size in the border and flowering well. This is best done while the soil is warm and moist. Lift the plant, avoiding root loss, and chop the clump into smaller sections with a spade, axe or two forks placed back to back. Keep only healthy sections with good roots for replanting.
Tip: Perennials that flower in the fall are best divided in spring (e.g. sedums, Rudbeckias). Those that flower in spring and early summer are best divided in the fall (e.g. peonies, irises). Do not replant peonies or irises too deeply or they will not flower.
Save leaves from large trees such as maples, oaks and chestnuts. A covering of leaf mulch insulates roots, feeds the soil, helps retain moisture and improves soil structure. Mulch also provides an extra layer of protection to half-hardy, tender plants such as gaura and penstemons and vegetables such as artichokes, beets and carrots. Wrap frost-sensitive plants such as bananas or Echium with burlap sacking.
Cut back ornamental grasses discriminately. Calamagrostis acutiflora “Karl Foerster” and Spartina pectinoides hold their shape through winter, providing interest for winter months. Herbaceous grasses become brittle and are more easily cut back in spring. Sow fall cover crops such as fall rye, winter wheat, barley or field pea on empty beds from now until early November. They will be dug under as green manure crops in the spring.
Gather herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage, for drying. Cut stems about six inches (15 cm) long, bunch and tie them and put in paper bags and hang in a warm, dry place. After about 10 days, the herbs should be ready for storage in darkened, airtight jars.
Check your garden for ripe seeds and collect them by shaking into clean, dry buckets or placing into brown paper bags. To clean them, remove the chaff from around the seeds and carefully blow away any debris and dust, which may contaminate stored seeds. Spread cleaned seeds out on plates or trays and allow to dry thoroughly before storing in labelled envelopes or airtight yogurt containers.
When the last crops of raspberries have been harvested, cut the woody fruited canes down to soil level. This helps prevent pests and diseases from developing, and lets in light to promote new cane growth. Prune out the fruited canes of blackberries and hybrid berries such as boysenberry, tayberry and loganberry. Tie the remaining canes on to their supports to prevent winter damage.
The wingless, female winter moth walks up fruit trees from September on to lay her eggs on the branches. The resulting green caterpillars feed on foliage and blossoms the following spring. Tie grease bands around fruit tree trunks to keep the moth out of the tree. Use one or two six-inch, removable wraps (such as burlap sacking tied around the tree with twine) and coat them with a sticky product such as TanglefootTM. Tip: Press the bands firmly around the trunk to prevent the moth from crawling under.
Due to the prevalence of bacterial canker on the wet West Coast, cherry trees and all stone fruits (peaches, apricots, etc.) should be pruned in late summer or early fall after the fruit has been harvested. After harvest, the flow of sap slows down dramatically and the leaves start to turn a month later. When the wood is drier, pruning cuts heal more quickly, making it less likely that bacterial canker will enter the cuts in winter. Annual pruning is not required other than to help keep a balanced canopy or restricted form. Cut into clean wood, remove any diseased material that could infect the tree and make sure you disinfect all pruning tools between trees.

From A Year on the Garden Path: A 52-Week Organic Gardening Guide by Carolyn Herriot. Second edition $24.95. Available from your favourite bookstore or order online at www.earthfuture.com/gardenpath.