Perennials prefer a routine for restful winter's sleep

Just like the routines followed when putting children to bed, perennials prefer a few rituals to prepare for their winter slumber, too. Performing these bedtime tasks will help them wake up ready to thrive in spring.

Cut back perennials. Plants with winter interest or seed heads that offer food for birds can be left standing, but perennials prone to diseases - peonies, phlox and bee balm, for example - should be cut back and the foliage removed from the garden. Ornamental grasses that flop in the first snowfall are also candidates for pruning.

Evergreen perennials, like bergenia, coral bells, dianthus and hellebores, should not be trimmed in the fall.

Give perennials a drink before bed. If Mother Nature doesn't provide an inch of water each week throughout the fall, water the garden until the ground freezes. A once-a-week deep watering is much better than a daily sprinkling.

Give perennials a blanket. After we have had a few frosts, apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around plants. Use shredded leaves, weed-free straw or compost. This blanket of insulation prevents fluctuations in soil temperature, which is especially important for perennials prone to frost heaving.

Frost heaving is caused by repeated periods of freezing and thawing. When soil freezes, water expands; when it thaws, it contracts. These alternating conditions can force plants up and out of the ground, breaking roots as they are heaved from the soil. More roots are damaged by exposure to cold, drying winds and freezing temperatures.

It is also essential to mulch fall-planted perennials, such as Japanese anemones spending their first winter in your garden, and ornamental grasses planted this past summer or fall.

Weed perennial borders. Pests and diseases may overwinter on weeds, and weeds always seem to be the first to awaken in spring anxious to get a head start filling empty spaces in the landscape.

Take notes. While the season just behind is still fresh in your memory, jot down some notes about the garden. Which perennials performed just as expected? Which ones did not? Make plans to add more of the winners and remove plants that disappointed.

Are some plants showing signs of age or moving too quickly through the border? Log a reminder on next year's calendar to divide and replant perennial veterans or eliminate marauders. Was your garden lackluster in spring, summer or fall? Take photos of offending areas, and spend time in front of the fireplace this winter surrounded by garden books, magazines and plant catalogs finding solutions.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Rd., Winfield, IL 60190. Call (630) 293-1040, Ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.