Fall mulching is especially critical for the plants listed here
Fall mulching benefits most plants in every landscape and garden, but it is more important for some plants than for others given our harsh winters.
If you aren't able to get mulch onto all of your plants this season, do focus instead on these seven to help them survive winter and be better plants next Spring:
New trees and shrubs - a thin layer (2-3 inches at most), not too close to the crown (a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot) will protect fragile and particularly sensitive roots. Use a lightweight mulch like pine needles (not bark mulch).
Vegetable gardens - both in-ground and raised beds - mulch with a rich compost that you can till into the beds come Spring, or cover with pine needles (you'll have to remove before planting next season), or add a thick layer of non-diseased leaves between now and first snow.
Bulbs and Tubers - helps with temperature fluctuations and offers extra nutrition to the soil. Use a rich compost, layering two inches or so.
Perennials - many perennials appreciate extra care and supplemental nutrition in the form of organic mulch or compost in the Fall. The mulch will slowly decompose over the winter, and protect your plants from the harshest winter conditions. Keep a two-inch buffer around the stem to prevent rot or mold.
Roses - temperature spikes and dips is what kills roses in our area (not the freezing itself). We have big swings in temperature in our area ("freeze-thaw" cycles), so it is important to mulch roses that don't like that. Mulch roses only after they have gone dormant (after first hard frost four hours or more in length) with bark, shredded leaves, compost, manure, or any other type of organic mulch that will protect but also have good airflow (not too heavy of a mulch).
Hydrangeas - need frost protection to prevent bud loss. In late Fall add two to three inches of mulch to the base of the plants, and consider burlap wrapping the plants as well (keeping the tops open).
Strawberry plants - adding mulch is essential to winterizing your strawberry plants. It protect plants from being killed off by harsh winter temps and helps to keep the roots moist and prevent drying out. Use a seed-free straw mulch for strawberry plants once the soil is 40 degrees or less for three consecutive days. The plants should be dormant before mulching.
If you aren't able to get mulch onto all of your plants this season, do focus instead on these seven to help them survive winter and be better plants next Spring:
New trees and shrubs - a thin layer (2-3 inches at most), not too close to the crown (a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot) will protect fragile and particularly sensitive roots. Use a lightweight mulch like pine needles (not bark mulch).
Vegetable gardens - both in-ground and raised beds - mulch with a rich compost that you can till into the beds come Spring, or cover with pine needles (you'll have to remove before planting next season), or add a thick layer of non-diseased leaves between now and first snow.
Bulbs and Tubers - helps with temperature fluctuations and offers extra nutrition to the soil. Use a rich compost, layering two inches or so.
Perennials - many perennials appreciate extra care and supplemental nutrition in the form of organic mulch or compost in the Fall. The mulch will slowly decompose over the winter, and protect your plants from the harshest winter conditions. Keep a two-inch buffer around the stem to prevent rot or mold.
Roses - temperature spikes and dips is what kills roses in our area (not the freezing itself). We have big swings in temperature in our area ("freeze-thaw" cycles), so it is important to mulch roses that don't like that. Mulch roses only after they have gone dormant (after first hard frost four hours or more in length) with bark, shredded leaves, compost, manure, or any other type of organic mulch that will protect but also have good airflow (not too heavy of a mulch).
Hydrangeas - need frost protection to prevent bud loss. In late Fall add two to three inches of mulch to the base of the plants, and consider burlap wrapping the plants as well (keeping the tops open).
Strawberry plants - adding mulch is essential to winterizing your strawberry plants. It protect plants from being killed off by harsh winter temps and helps to keep the roots moist and prevent drying out. Use a seed-free straw mulch for strawberry plants once the soil is 40 degrees or less for three consecutive days. The plants should be dormant before mulching.