Garden Notes

Section of hosta garden in early September

In October, I start garden maintenence for fall. I remove spent annuals, cut back a lot of perennials and do a major clean-up to remove pests. Perennials that reseed are always on my clean-up list. A few volunteers are fine, but some plants produce a cast of thousands and the next year, they are simply another weed to be dealt with. One of the worst offenders in our yard has been the common purple astor. I planted them a few years ago and now they are everywhere. This year, I dug out all of the astors I could find except for a few specimen plants. When those remaining astors finished blooming, I cut them back to prevent any seed dispersal. I do love how the astors look when they are in bloom and the butterflies and bees love them as well, so I am hoping that my fall clean-up stops their population explosion.

I also make sure I cut back all of the hostas. Since I have a lot of them, slugs can be a problem. It is very gratifying to cut back the spent hostas and see the many slugs who will be traveling to the compost bin along with the garden waste. If left standing, those same hosta clumps provide winter protection as the slugs lay their eggs and then hibernate through our cold Wisconsin winter only to emerge next spring with a whole new group of slug friends.

Research:

Slugs prefer moist environments and feed at night to avoid predators. They hide in soil crevices, holes, under leaves, boards and debris. After maturity (which can take 1 to 2 years) slugs have both male and female organs. Cross-fertilization is the most common method of reproduction but if extreme conditions exist, slugs can fertilize themselves for survival. Slugs lay their eggs in clusters of 3-80 eggs at one time up to 6 times a year hiding them under wood or debris or in crevices or holes in the ground. Those eggs usually hatch in a few weeks but can lay dormant until sufficient moisture is available.

Same garden as above after frost and again with hosta clumps cut back for winter.