Some of our clients have asked us about cutting back their ornamental grasses already. This is a fabulous best practice for fall and Dowco can take care of it during a Fall Bed Cleanup service.
When plants have gone dormant their leaves will yellow and brown and they will break away from the plant easily. Most can be cleaned away by a gentle raking.
If you begin too early, you risk the chance of damaging your perennials and ornamental grasses because they'll push up unwanted new growth that will die off when we get a cold snap.
Dowco's fall bed cleanups will start after the temperatures cool.
The gardening tasks that are completed during your fall landscape cleanup service include:
Cut back large ornamental grasses- Cut back spent perennials
- Deadhead plants that need it
- Remove leaves from beds and pocketed inside plants
This service will make your property look its best through the cold winter months! It's also beneficial to reduce the chance of insects, pests, fungi, or bacteria over-wintering in your garden.
While all of these practices seem cosmetic, they actually go a long way to give your beds the best chance to perform well next year.
Generally, cutting back should be done after a hard frost.
A temperature of 26 degrees is usually considered to be a hard frost. If your perennials are cut down too early in the fall and they are still actively growing they will be forced to use the reserves they should be storing for next year. The new tender growth will get hit by our undulating late fall and winter temperature changes and could damage the plant.
Don't forget about fall mulching!
Applying a layer of mulch in autumn not only keeps your plant beds looking nice, but also protects your plants from the harsh winter temperatures that are just around the corner.
