Hort Shorts
- Remove potting soil from any ceramic pots and store out of the elements to prevent cracking in freezing weather.
- Keep diseased plant material out of compost piles.
- Use plant labels to mark the location of deciduous perennials that die back in winter.
- Disconnect, drain and store any hoses to prevent bursting and cracking.
- Cover new bulb plantings with chicken wire or landscaping mesh to discourage squirrels and other burrowing bulb-munchers.
- Bring houseplants inside before evening temperatures dip below 45 degrees F.
- Withhold fertilizer from perennials. They need to ready themselves for winter dormancy.
- Use only bark mulch that has a fresh, earthy smell. Sour-smelling mulch indicates poor preparation and storage and harbors substances that harm plants.