Gardening Care During Winter

Gardening can be pretty tricky in the winter, one day it can be sunny and warm and another will be windy and cold. Gardening care in the winter or winterizing will make a garden look better during the cold months but will make work in the spring a lot easier. It would be a good idea to close down your garden when frost is predicted or when your temperatures begin to drop into the low 40's or mid 30's consistently. In some parts of the country that is usually in late October or November but in the Pacific Southwest that may not happen until late December or January if it happens at all.

Fall is the perfect time to remove any plants you do not want or to move the garden plants you feel are not working or growing well in their present location. Fall is also the time to plant bulbs and any bare-root trees and shrubs. It is also time for dividing your perennials; this maintains the health of the plants and it is an easy way to propagate them for more coverage next season. If you want to have more fall blooms you may want to plan on adding late flowering plants in the spring, such as aster or Black-eyed Susans. Hydrangea paniculata will provide some color during the fall and you do not have to wait until next spring for planting them. Many of these hardier shrubs such as the hydrangea are quite happy with planting late and use the extra winter to build a bigger and better root system.

You can start the winter clean-up by removing weeds and all the spent annuals from your garden beds. Also remove all the diseased leaves from the shrubs and trees, but do not prune in the fall for it may arouse new growth just when winter is setting in. The non-hardy bulbs such as gladiolus, dahlias, and cannas should be lifted out of the ground, dried out in the sun and then stored in a dry cool place for winter. Many organic gardeners or farmers use flame weeders as an alternative to using herbicides. They are very effective in a garden, along walkways and pathways, and around your lawn to wither up the weeds. They are also very useful on icy walkways in the winter.

If you have not started doing any composting this would be a good time to consider starting. You can toss most of your cuttings along with the dried leaves into your compost bin which breaks down into nutrient-rich soil for the spring garden. You do not want to throw any diseased leaves, cuttings or weeds in for composting; this will only multiply the problems and your compost will be riddled with disease and weed seedlings and you do not want that in your garden for next spring.

Fall is a the time to have a tree expert come out to check those trees; since the leaves are now off, everything that is dead, dying or diseased can be seen, and it should be removed. To limb up those trees will lighten the shade a bit for next season and it would be a good idea to check out other areas of the garden that will benefit as well. Some other winter gardening tips are to look at those evergreen plants that make up part of the landscape. Sometimes the wind can dehydrate them so much that they end up in a permanent state of dormancy so these plants also need to be protected. An old method of protection is to hammer in some stakes around the plant and then wrap some burlap around the stakes and place pine boughs or straw to create a windscreen.

Mulching for the winter will protect your plants from drastic temperature drops in the soil, will insulate your plants against the bitter cold, and will also eliminate soil erosion. If you mulch too early in the season it may encourage pests and disease. It is better if you wait until after you have been hit by the first frost when the ground begins to freeze. Four to Six inches of mulch, such as shredded bark, pine boughs, pine needles, or dried leaves will provide a sufficient layer of protection for your plants. It is also a good idea to water your garden well before the ground freezes. Even if you do get snow winter can be very dry for many shrubs and trees, such as rhododendrons and evergreens.    

Once you have finished your winter gardening care it is time to give a little care to those gardening supplies. Clean, oil, and sharpen your garden tools, then you can store them away in a dry area for the winter. You also want to drain any and all garden hoses and store them coiled up in a save place so they will not freeze or crack. If you decide not to do any gardening care in the winter that is fine, it just means you will have extra chores in the spring to prepare your garden. I believe it is worth the extra time on a crisp fall day to prepare your garden for the cold months ahead.