AKRON, Ohio – Much of Northeast Ohio has experienced the first snowfall of the season. However, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to winterize your lawn and garden beds.
Wayne Kollman, general manager of Donzell’s Flower and Garden Center in Akron, offered tips for folks fitting in yard word over the next few weeks.
Kollman said now is a fantastic time to plant spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips or daffodils. The bulbs must go through a 10- to 12-week cold process in order to blossom in the spring.
“The bigger the bulb, the deeper they go. A tulip, you want to put in about five inches. Smaller bulbs, like crocus, maybe a couple of inches,” Kollman said.
He also recommended cutting back perennials, such as hostas and black-eyed Susans, to prevent overwinter disease from spreading.
“There’s always some kind of blight that can overwinter in the ground and come back and affect your plants in the spring.”
Similarly, Kollman suggested cleaning debris from vegetable and rose beds.
“You might have to dig out maybe tomatoes because they have good root systems, but other than that, if you can pull them out, great… Typically, roses you’re going to just pretty much clean the leaves, maybe trim them back a little bit.”
When it comes to your lawn, Kollman said the fall and winter period is one of the most important times to fertilize.
“It’s just a good health benefit. It sort of puts the lawn to bed, so to speak, and it’s a great time to fertilize,” he said.
He added that homeowners who didn’t aerate their lawn in the spring should do it before the ground freezes in mid to late November.
“It’s a messy process because there are cores that you’re taking out of the ground. It’s a little easier in the fall because the rain and the snow will sort of wash that back into the soil.”
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