Protect Your Garden For Winter 4 Things You Can Do Now

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Protect Your Garden For Winter 4 Things You Can
Do Now
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• Its time to protect your garden yard ready for
  the winter freeze!
• Do you know that old fable The Ant and the
  Grasshopper? While the ant was busy preparing
  for winter, the grasshopper lazed about enjoying
  the last of the seasons delights.
• Come the first snowfall, the ant was ready to
  hole up for the winter, while the grasshopper was
  suddenly scrambling to find food. He showed up at
  the ants door and the latter told him to hop
  away. Its such a great allegory for life and
  gardening!

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• If you get all the pre-winter tasks done now,
  your garden will sleep happily through the winter
  months and be easily restored come Spring. If you
  want to be a grasshopper? You will have that much
  more to do in the Spring before you can enjoy
  your outdoor space.
• So whats on the list?
• Preparing Your Lawn
• Rake and aerateKeep raking up those leaves
  and any other clippings to keep your lawn exposed
  to light and air, which will help it stay moist
  and fed.

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• You can toss the leaves in your composter but
  before you do, check some for disease or pests
  that you might not have noticed over the summer!
  If you have fruit trees, make sure you gather up
  any fallen / rotting fruit.
• Finally, if you can, aerate your lawn to
  increase the amount of nutrients that are flowing
  to the roots of your grass.
• FertilizeAfter you have raked and aerated,
  its a good time to fertilize your lawn. The
  aeration will allow the fertilizer to get down to
  the roots and make them stronger and better able
  to withstand the rigours of winter.

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• Pick one that is meant for Autumn use, as these
  contain a high amount of potassium, which makes
  the grass and roots more resistant to the effects
  of frost.
• CutGive your lawn one last trim before the
  snow flies and pay special attention to corners
  around your home or hardscapes, or around trees.
  Tall grasses in these areas are prone to be areas
  for mice and other small rodents to build their
  winter homes!
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• Avoid cutting your lawn too short at this
  point2.5 inches is ideal. The right height
  ensures that your grass strands stay strong and
  upright, allowing for airflow and moisture, two
  things your grass needs to avoid rot and disease
  building up.
• OverseedWe talked about this in our August post,
  but its worth repeating if you want a lawn come
  Spring that is the envy of all your neighbours,
  do a little overseeding in the early Autumn.
  Remember that you need enough time to cut the new
  shoots a few times before winter hits or they
  wont be strong enough to survive the freeze.

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• Use a high quality overseed topsoil and your
  grass seeds will be able to build a strong root
  structure, giving you a strong, healthy lawn in
  the Spring.
• Preparing Your Trees, Plants And Bushes
• DigNow is the perfect time to dig up any bulbs
  that dont fare well in cold, like dahlias or
  gladiola. You can wrap them in burlap or place
  them in sand and store them in a dark, dry place.
  Dont forget to plant your onion and garlic
  bulbs, so you can start harvesting next June.

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• WaterUntil the first freeze, keep watering
  your garden beds, trees and shrubs. Like with
  people, plants are stressed if they lack
  moisture. Extra water will help to nourish them
  well into the winter.
• Cut / RemoveAs the first frost approaches,
  its time to remove your dead annuals and cut
  back your perennials and hedges. You dont want
  to leave any holes in the latter, but they
  should look bare. Dont forget to remove the
  clippings so that airflow isnt blocked, which
  can lead to rot.

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• MulchAdding mulch to your garden beds helps to
  protect perennials and bulbs. The danger isnt
  snow or even the cold the danger for your garden
  beds is the freeze / thaw / freeze cycles.
• Over winter, the mulch will decompose, adding
  nutrients to the soil. The key is to avoid
  putting too much mulch, so as to prevent plants
  from pushing their way out in the Spring. If
  youre using leaves, for example, dont put more
  than four inches of cover over your plant beds.
  Roses need special care insulate them by
  mounding at least twenty centimetres of top soil
  at the base of each bush.

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• ProtectTie up any young trees or shrubs with
  stakes and garden twine, to prevent their being
  damaged by high winds and wet snow or ice.
• A couple of layers of burlap will do the trick
  with cedar trees, so they arent impacted by icy
  winds. Young trees that are less than ten
  centimetres in diametre, particularly fruit
  trees, are favoured by small rodents in the
  winter so protect the bark with plastic
  protectors, on the base of the trunk.

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• ProtectTie up any young trees or shrubs with
  stakes and garden twine, to prevent their being
  damaged by high winds and wet snow or ice.
• A couple of layers of burlap will do the trick
  with cedar trees, so they arent impacted by icy
  winds. Young trees that are less than ten
  centimetres in diametre, particularly fruit
  trees, are favoured by small rodents in the
  winter so protect the bark with plastic
  protectors, on the base of the trunk.

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• Preparing Your Water And Other Hardscape Features
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• DrainIts time to drain fountains and other
  water features to ensure that they dont get
  damaged by fluctuating thaw / freeze
  temperatures. Terra cotta pots are particularly
  prone to cracking if they have any moisture in
  them during the thaw / freeze cycles, so be sure
  they are covered or otherwise untouched by snow
  and ice.

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• Sweep and CleanWhile technically not a part of
  your garden, keeping your downspouts and gutters
  clean of leaves will prevent them from
  overflowing or backing up. Thats good for your
  house and your garden! Do you have cracks in
  between your paving stones? Fill them up so that
  they dont fill with water, which then freezes
  and thaws, damaging the stones in the process.
  Clean up BBQsunless youre hardy enough to use
  it all winter long, it can be a happy munching
  space for mice and other small mammals. Clean and
  store outdoor furniture.

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• Preparing Your Tools
• SharpenSharpen all your shears and other
  tools clean your digging tools and have your
  mower blade sharpened, if its not something you
  want to undertake yourself, before you put all
  your gardening tools away. Gas powered tools do
  best if the gas is removed or run until they are
  out of fuel. And a little oil goes a long way to
  keep tools in good condition for next Spring,
  ready for use.

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• StoreHoses and watering cans should be drained
  and stored in a shed or basement. Leaving them
  outside could leave them open to cracking open
  after the first freeze, if there is still water
  in them. Outdoor faucets should also be drained
  and the water shut off from the inside.
• After all that is done, you can sit back with
  your favourite hot drink and start planning your
  Spring planting and outdoor projects. Its a
  great time of year to check in with your local
  landscaper / hardscaper to make sure that your
  projects are ready to start work when the ground
  thaws!

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