Clipping Plants Back

By now most of the plants in the garden are ready to take a long winter's nap, with the exception of a few. The cool nights let them know that winter is just around the corner.

When most of my plants are finished blooming or bearing fruit, I clip the spent flowers off and trim the plant foliage back. This is called deadheading plants. If the plant had produced seeds, now is the time to collect them for next year's planting. Sometimes I will just break them off and scatter them directly in the garden. Some of the tender plants should be covered after the first frost. Be careful what you cover them with! Some materials used can be an invitation to rodents (mice love to eat), and so do the deer. Also you wouldn't want to cover your plants with weeds. You might be planting new weed seeds in the process. Straw(not hay) and pine boughs are quite safe. Hay will reseed itself readily and this requires more work next year, trying to pull it all out. Even if you use grass clippings, you will be reseeding the grass, unless the grass is old and starting to decompose. Mice and voles like when people use grass clippings!