Question
I live in Cincinnati, Ohio (zones 5-6) and will love to know the exact way to winterize my garden. We have a variety of perennials. Double Knock Out Rose, Autumn Fire Sedums, Speedwell (Royal Candles), Lavender, Wormwoods (Silver Mound), Calla Lilly, Carmela Mums, and Tabitha Mums. Yes, I went a little crazy with the gardening this year :) But I am very new to all of this, so can you please give me step-by-step information on how to winterize all these perennials I have listed? Do I cut them down to the ground, cover with mulch, or just leave them up or what??? I would greatly appreciate it your advice! Thanks a bunch
Katrina

Answer
Hi Katrina,
Thanx for your question.  I was just in your city back in August and I have been there several times.  We enjoyed downtown with the jumbo screen TV in the square.  Anyway, you'll need to let the first frost kill back the calla lily and then dig up the corms (bulbs).  Cut the dead foliage off the corms and store the corms in a cool, dry, dark place in some shredded newspaper or in a netted onion bag.  You can plant them again in the spring after the last frost and when night temps are above 50F.  Callas are not hardy in the Cincinnati area.  The sedums, speedwell, lavender, wormwood and mums, I would trim these back to a few inches above ground once the frosts have finished them off for the year.  Remove this spent foliage and put it in your compost pile or otherwise dispose of it.  You can mulch all of the plants including the rose with leaves, pine needs, cypress mulch or bark a couple of inches deep and extending out about a foot from the root ball.  This should keep your plants snug and protected for the winter.  I hope this helps.
Tom