Before the ground hardens, your most crucial task is to ensure I am well-hydrated. My large, soft leaves lose a great deal of moisture. A season of drought has left me vulnerable. Please provide deep, thorough watering in the late autumn, right up until the ground freezes. This hydrates my roots thoroughly, providing essential moisture to sustain me through the winter. Desiccated roots are far more susceptible to freezing damage than well-hydrated ones. Think of it as my long drink before a long sleep.
As the first frosts arrive, my beautiful foliage will blacken and collapse. This is a natural process. You may be tempted to tidy up and remove this unsightly material immediately, but I ask you to wait. Please leave my dead leaves and flower stalks in place. They serve as a natural insulating layer, protecting my crown—the vital growing point at my base—from the initial harsh freezes and fluctuating temperatures. This debris also helps trap insulating snow. You may remove this dead material in the early spring, once the threat of severe frost has passed and before new growth begins.
After the ground has frozen hard, typically after a few hard frosts, it is time to tuck me in with a proper mulch. Applying mulch too early can create a cozy habitat for rodents and delay my dormancy. Once the soil is cold, apply a 3 to 4 inch layer of a loose, airy material like shredded leaves, straw, or bark chips over and around my base. This layer does not heat me up but rather maintains a consistently cold temperature, preventing the damaging cycle of freeze-thaw-freeze that can heave my shallow root system right out of the soil, exposing it to freezing winds and drying sun.
As the sun strengthens and temperatures slowly rise in spring, your care continues. Gently remove the winter mulch layer as new growth begins to emerge from my crown. This prevents rot and allows the soil to warm. Be patient; I am often a late riser in the spring garden, so do not be alarmed if other plants leaf out before I do. Once I begin to grow, a light application of compost or a balanced, slow-release fertilizer will give me the energy I need to produce another season of magnificent foliage and bold flower spikes.
