Falltime & Flowers???

[lovekisses]

Which plants have to be trimmed down in the fall time?

I know for sure that Ive got:

- Peonies
- Clematis
- Rose bush
- Sunflowers
- Morning Glories
- Geraniums
- Marigolds

the others I don't know what they are..lol..but most of the others are low to the ground or didnt grow any taller than 1-2ft high or lower.

So which ones do I trim down?
How far do I trim them?
When do I trim them?

Thanks ahead of time for any answers [img]/ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]

[yoda]

the clematis does not require pruning unless it's getting unmanageable.
Peony, if it is a tree peony I would probably trim in early spring, before growth starts, if it is a plant, I would trim it back almost to ground level in the fall but I would also put mulch over it once the ground has frozen...I use oak leaves for this.
The rose bush, I would probably trim in the spring also just like most (but not all) other flowering shrub. If you prune it lightly, more flowers will grow, if you pune it back "hard" fewer flowers will develop but they will be larger.

[kitca]

i do all my pruning in the spring. i think it gives the plants more time to strengthen their roots.

several of your flowers are annuals, and they wont come back unless they seeded themselves. the sunflowers, morning glories, geraniums and marigolds are all annuals.

fall is a great time to plant some bulbs though! you should see them in canadian tire, walmart etc. grab some tulips and marigolds and put a few clumps together.

[lovekisses]

So then I should wait to cut my plants down until springtime is what you're saying?

I was told to trim my peony bush and rose bush in the fall; and then cover my rose bush up as well.

Its the rose bushes' first year and the peony Im not sure as we just moved here last year;so this was the first year for me & the plants together..lol..

[EyelashExtensions]

I'm so disappointed!! I have to take almost all my bulbs out so my hunny can redo the garden come spring time. It was put on the back burner so we could do some renos in the house. A few I have left in the ground like my sweet peas, my peony tree and a few hostas in my one garden area. So I hope to get an early start on the bulbs come this spring in the green room(house thingy). Does anyone know how I should take care of my sweet pea? I have no idea if it should be cut back, or if I can even move it to a different area in the garden. Someone told me they don't transplant well.

[kitca]

lovekisses, is it just a regular peony? you shouldnt really have to do anything to it, you may want to layer some branches over it, but you dont have to. unless it is a special peony or peony tree. regular peony will just die back and start up again in the spring.

for the roses the main part that you want to protect is the crown - the area from the soil to about 6-8 inches up. you could mound up a bunch of leaves around that area, if you like. we are lucky here in our area because of the snow cover. we dont get the freezing and thawing and exposed areas like further south. the snow insulates the plants.

as for cutting you rose down i find spring best. some years i have done in the fall but then it dies back further, but in the spring i cut it back to where it is green, just cutting the dead parts off. they have always done really well, and sometimes keep on blooming in november depending on the weather.

the best thing to do for your garden is enrich the soil. i was told spring and fall to add 2 inches of organic material - compost, leaves, manure... i dont do that much myslef, but i try to at least in spring or fall. it is so easy to add shredded leaves to the area and it will do so much good. they are easy to shred with your lawnmower, just keep mowing them over in a cirle. it s amazing how several bags of leaves shreds down to only one bag.