This is a really common question and the answer really varies between plants. First a couple definitions. An herbacious perennial is a plant that is hardy for this area and has a top that dies down to the crown each year. The top reaches dormancy when it has stopped food production AND has basically disconnected itself from the rest of the plant. A Daylily is a good example that reaches dormancy at different times. Some of the older varieties will go dormant by early fall while some of the re-bloomers like Stella D'Oro won't be dormant till November many years. Another good example of differing dormancy times is your lawn. Yes, turfgrass is an herbacious perennial. Cool season grasses are hardy for our area and come back every year, but they do go dormant. Kentucky Bluegrass which is a good choice for this area usually isn't dormant until November. It will stop growing so we don't have to trim (mow) it anymore, but it often remains green which means it is still producing food for the roots. Turfgrass tops don't disconnect the same as other perennials though and the brown plant tops will remain over winter.

When a perennial has reached dormancy with the top browned off and no growth occuring, you can go ahead and cut off the top for the season to clean up the bed. You can cut them fairly low, but you want to avoid cutting into the crown of the plant. The crown is that growing point where next year's growth starts out from. Hosta has a fairly evident crown. You will see the greenish, pointed crown at the base of this season's dead leaves. As a Hosta gets older, the crown will build and mound on itself getting higher each year. The crown area can also get too crowded and this is the time to consider dividing your perennial. The recommended timing for division is a little different for each perennial and you should consult a good plant reference book for this information

Probably the MOST asked question over the past 3 years has been how to get rid of moles. No easy answer to this pesky problem. Listen to the related Landscape Planner for some audio info or read on to get a little more info.

ABOUT MOLES

These pesky animals tunnel aggressively in what amounts to a very wide territory. Their range is measured in acres! They tunnel searching for food. Their main source of food are earthworms. They do eat other insects and grubs, but prefer the worms.

They will generally live in a woodsy area and will use main tunnels to go back and forth between their home base and their feeding areas. Their main tunnel runs are checked everyday and these runs are often a foot deep. These main runs will often be straight often between mounds. They will run along sidewalks, drives, buildings or landscape bed edges.

The meandering surface runs are made searching for food and generally just exploring their territory. It appears that sometimes, they just like an area and tunnel around even if there isn't any food present. They are scent oriented and it seems that new moles respect another family's territory and won't move in until the first family has abandoned the site.

CONTROL OPTIONS

TRAPS

Mole traps are the most recommended control method. Either a spear type or a guillotine type can be used. The key to success with traps is patience and perserverance. Set the traps on the main runs which may be deep. Focus on these straight runs and you will be more successful. A trick is to locate the run and then put a golf ball in the run and set the trap trigger on the golf ball. Once you are no longer catching moles, you will have a respite for some period of time, but eventually other moles will smell that there is no activity in the area and will Move In. Push any exposed runs down and check to see if they are pushed up again and you will know that moles have returned and it is time to start trapping again.

POISON WORMS

Talparid posion worms mimic the moles favorite food and have been reported to work fairly well by several of our customers. The key is to plan to deploy them the same way you would with a trap, using the main runs and monitoring for activity. Care needs to be used as these are poison. You should wear gloves to protect yourself and also to keep your scent off of the worms. You should try to prevent pets from getting to the worms. It will be harder to see your results than using a trap, as you must dig them out to see if they have been eaten or you have to press down runs and look for new activity. Patience and perseverance are keys here also.

REPELLENT WORMS

We stock repellent worms from Liquid Fence, that utilize castor oil to repel the moles from an area. Probably not the answer if you already have a very active group in your yard, they may be very helpful after you have trapped out your residents and wish to prevent new moles from moving in.

When the leaves are first emerging is the time to apply fungicides to protect your trees including flowering crabapples and apple fruit trees to prevent an infestation of the apple scab disease. This common disease shows up later in the year with spotted leaves that drop early and fruit that is covered with scabs. By the time you see the symptoms, it is too late to control. Now in the early spring is the time to act. Stop in the Garden Store for the latest in preventative control options.

LANDSCAPE OFFICE HOURS
Currently, we are open Monday thru Saturday from 9:00am until 5:00pm

GARDEN STORE HOURS
Give us a call at 740-269-7685 or 330-340-9108

SPRING HOURS:
Monday thru Saturday, from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm
Sundays 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm

Our current hours are also listed at the bottom right of our website

Our annual "Best Bark in the Valley Sale" is during the entire month of April 

Yes! We run deliveries throughout the Valley.  Our delivery fee is by the stop and varies by the zone of your location.  Our delivery truck can hold up to 7 scoops of mulch.  It can hold up to 4 scoops of topsoil or gravel.

Yes, as long as you pay for your mulch during April, you will get the sale price and you can pick it up or have it delivered later in the year.