It may seem early but now is the perfect time to prepare your garden for the coming winter.

 They’re predicting a tough winter ahead (but then they always do) and your plants need to prepare and gather their strength.

 They should have already been given fertilizer so please don’t feed them now.  Fertilizer at this time of the year will encourage foliage growth when the plants need to fortify their foundation.

 Be sure they are well-watered.  The 4” or so of rain that we had a week of two ago isn’t enough to get them by.  Keep on watering.

 Trim any dead foliage and deadhead the flowers – unless you want them to go to seed.

 Mulch the plants to help hold in the moisture.  When you mulch, you should never pile it around the stem higher than it grows naturally from the ground.  Keep the mulch back a couple inches to avoid too much moisture. 

 There also needs to be space between the ground and the underside of the foliage to provide air circulation or you’ll have issues with mold and fungus.

 The last thing is to plant new perennials so they can get established before winter.  Don’t wait too long!