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It may not be currently on your mind but winter is right around the corner. You are most likely prepping by getting your long sleeve shirts and coats ready but have you thought of how to prep your garden for winter?
You could hire a landscaping company to prepare, but if you take care of your landscape yourself, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you prep your garden for winter to that you can preserve your beautiful landscape.
Make Sure to Mulch During The Winter and Fall
Mulching is not only for weed control in the spring and summer months but extremely important and mostly overlooked in the fall and winter months. Mulch acts as a blanket for trees, raising the freeze line and balancing the temperature. As temperature increases, worms come closer to the surface which aides in the overall health of your trees. We all know how expensive your favorite trees and shrubs are, and neglecting to mulch in the winter time can be extremely detrimental to your plants in the spring season. Mulching also adds a little extra to the aesthetics of your landscaping so you will not regret it.
Remove Dead Plants From Your Yard
During your first few frosts, it is a good idea to pull any annuals you have before the winter hits. There are many reasons people remove dead plants in the fall. Some simply want a clean garden for winter and spring months after everything clears away.
Some worry that fungi, viruses, and bad bacteria will attach to the dead parts of plants and kill the remaining plants in your garden. I would not worry much about that but I would, however, recommend breaking down the dead plants after your second frost before winter and leave them to decompose as they supply nutrients back to the plants they came from.
Wrap Delicate Shrubs For Protection
If you don’t think your shrubs are strong enough to withstand the strong wind and snow that winter brings you may want to wrap your delicate shrubs for protection. Depending on the size of the plant, you can either wrap them in burlap or cover smaller plants in overturned pots or buckets. Some of these shrubs can be pricey so make sure you protect them during these winter months.
Potted Plants Should Be Brought Inside, Or Composted
Most potted plants will not survive the winter months and can either be thrown into the compost pile then replanted next year or brought indoors for the winter months. If you have a plant that needs full sun and plan on bringing it inside, I recommend investing in a grow light for the winter months.
I would splurge for a decent light that will last many winters depending on how badly you want your plant to survive. Just make sure you set that timer to the winter month cycle so you don’t confuse your plants, resulting in their ultimate demise.
