If you garden in the Midwest, there is something going on nine months of the year. During those three months when things are not growing outside, you're likely to be planning the gardens for the coming year, making seed and plant orders, starting seeds, or wintering plants over in several different ways.
I was outside this morning, emptying out the last of the containers. Those that still have plants will most likely be wintered over in the garage. I have several mints in huge pots, five or six large chrysanthemums, a pot of lilies, and one poor lavender that didn't get planted. Those plants will be brought into the garage once the mower has been used for the final time this year. I'll be able to get to them to water them periodically, and they will be shielded from the worst of the cold weather.
I sieved the soil from the pots, breaking it up and removing the superstructures of the plants. I caught all the potatoes from the ornamental sweet potato vines to show Elegante Mother. The pots are ready to be stored. The dirt from the pots will be put around the ferns in the back yard, and then I'll cover the fern bed with straw for the winter.
I want to cut back the chives, and the basil this afternoon, and remove the cherry tomatoes and the cages we used to support the vines. I may also cut back the clematis.
The garden magazines are touting the practice of leaving perennials as they are for the winter, removing just the annuals. There are pros and cons to that idea. If you cut things back in the fall, you have a better idea of the health of the plant, and may be able to removed diseased parts. On the other hand, the experts feel that the superstructure of the plant may protect the root system from winter weather. Personally, I like to prune back and mulch anything that might need a little protection. I'm going to try the expert's version this year, with the exception of the peonies and roses. Those will be cut back, mulched, and the roses will have a ring a leaves over them.
It's VERY satisfying to see the garden ready for winter. I have a sense of completion for this year, and preparation for the coming growing year. I like going into winter having things tidied and neat, and I spend the winter thinking of the blooms to come.