Taking control with fall garden maintenance

Don't be afraid to show mint who's in charge!

Gardeners love plants. Whether it be an overrun weed or a majestic willow tree, we're suckers for the green things. I know it's hard to take control of your garden and tell your plants what to do but it's a necessary evil. Fall is here and it's time for a little tough love maintenance from the gardener.

At the end of the growing season there are many plants that have taken their chosen territory by storm. Don't be afraid to cut them back to where they're supposed to be. It's OK to use a little rough pulling and tugging in garden maintenance.

Mint is just one herb that used to cause me trouble every year. When I first planted my herb garden, I gave no thought to popping that little plant right in with the rest. Every year I used brute force to eradicate the spearmint. Every spring it came right back up again to take over the rest. When we moved to the new house, I made sure to keep mint in pots.

If you made the mistake of planting prolific plants like mint in the ground, don't worry about eradicating them. Those little buggers won't be harmed by your brutal fall garden maintenance. It's OK to show them who's boss even if it isn't true. Somewhere underground there is a spearmint root with devious plans for taking over next years herb garden.

That adorable little patch of dandelions didn't ask to be planted in your yard. Some wayward seed just happened to land there and do its thing. Dandelions are really pretty, aren't they? Too bad sucker, fall maintenance means digging up dandelions so the yard has a chance to grow next year.

Sometimes fall maintenance means moving the 'little plant that could' to someplace where it could do better. Aw, poor little thing, it really put forth some effort to grow where it was planted, you just planted it in the wrong place. Give it a new home where it has a prayer, it's OK.

There are tulips where you want daffodils and daffodils where you want tulips? It's OK to dig them up, dust them off and move them to different locations. That's called lifting bulbs. It's common for fall maintenance. You can read about how to do it here. Don't worry, they're going to love their new home.

Oh, gee, what about all the little plants that don't make the cut? How sad for them to be thrown away like yesterdays news. Well, that's alright too. They can serve a new purpose as compost fertilizer for next years plants. See, that wasn't so bad. Most of the plants survived your brutal fall maintenance. The others will be fine. They're in a better place now.