Topic: Beds in winter - dig or not to dig

[anna]

Not an allotment, but I turned my front garden into a cottage garden this year. I've never bothered with flowers before so, i find myself with a bit of a silly question now.

Obviously I pull up any annuals (except the ones still going), trim back to ground any herbacious perennials (diito) and rip out any weeds that are revealed (grr).

However, I've bought a bag of manure, as the soil still isn't that great (was mostly lawn this time last year), and want to add it. Should I just use it as a mulch (spread it liberally over the top) or can I actually dig it in (or would this disturb my perennial flowers)?

TIA

Anna

[Hugh_Jones]

It`s not really a good idea to do either at this time of the year, particularly if your bag of manure is the concentrated stuff with added this-and-that.  Far better to save it over winter and use it either as a mulch, or to work gently into the soil surface as soon as your perennials start growing in the spring.

[anna]

oh! I've always manured in winter for veg - am i doing it wrong?

[Hugh_Jones]

Surely, what you`re manuring in winter for veg is empty ground, which is perfectly correct.  Your original question related to borders containing perennial plants - an entirely different thing. They don`t need or want stimulants of any sort added to the soil while they are dormant, adding manure now can do much more harm than good.

[anna]

OK thanks - I had an inkling that this would be the answer but I'm not that confident in my gardening yet. Phew!

Anna

[Palustris]

Good advice. The old rule for flower beds used to be Mulch in Autumn to protect plants and Manure in Spring to warm up the soil. I presume the mulch would be compost or leaf mould. If your perennials need to be lifted and split in Spring then add manure then, otherwise, put it on the soil and let the worms do the work.