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Winterizing
your garden You've
toiled all spring and summer weeding and pruning, watering and
fertilizing so your garden would bloom. Now that the cooler
weather is coming, your garden is going to sleep and you can
relax -- almost. Before you go into gardening hibernation, there
are a few things you can do to protect your garden and make
things easier on yourself in spring.
Before the frost
- plant new trees and spring
bulbs like tulips and daffodils. Depending on your
climate, you can do this anywhere from September to
December. A good rule of thumb is that if the soil can be
worked, things can be planted.
- buy polyspun garden fabric
to protect annuals and summer vegetables if the forecast
calls for frost.
- take seeds or cuttings
of plants you want to grow indoors or plant for next year.
- water trees, which
can dry out from wind and sun, particularly if it has been a
dry summer.
- fertilize trees
that have been transplanted within the last year.
- weed. This is not
essential, but it will save you time in the spring. Plus you
don't want ugly weeds to seed and then bloom along with your
tulips.
- rake. Remove leaves
while the grass underneath is still green, so it can absorb
as much light as possible before the snow. Raking beds will
also keep living plants from suffocating. But don't throw
the leaves away; cut them up and put them aside for mulch or
compost.
- dig up sensitive bulbs
like gladioli and dahlias, if you live in a
particularly cold region. Store them in vermiculite in a
paper bag in a cool and dry spot.
- give your roses some TLC.
Ask your garden center or consult a gardening guide about
what's necessary for your type.
After frost
- clean out annual and
vegetable beds. Throw out any plants you suspect to
be diseased or infested with bugs. The rest you can put in
the composter.
- cut perennials back
almost to the ground -- unless they add color to your garden
in winter -- then apply a layer of mulch. If you don't think
you will have time to mulch, don't cut back the old plants,
as the stalks and leaves will give some protection to the
roots.
- apply a two- to four-inch
layer of mulch on top of perennial, shrub and bulb
beds. It will protect the beds from weeds and the elements
and trap moisture. You can use chopped-up leaves from your
lawn or other loose materials like pine needles, wood chips,
chunk bark or coarse gravel for the perennials and shrubs.
Don't put down un-shredded leaves or other matter that
compacts easily because it will suffocate the plants. Cover
bulb beds with evergreen boughs. Trees need a thicker layer
of mulch than flower and shrub beds, up to six inches thick.
- wrap trees,
especially recently planted trees or sensitive varieties
like honey locust or Japanese maple. Wrap in burlap from the
base of the trunk to the second or third branch, allowing
some overlap to allow water to escape, then secure at the
crown. If your evergreens brown over the winter, it's
because the wind has sucked out their moisture. You have two
options to protect your trees: a chemical antidesiccant
spray or windshields. Antidesiccants are not universally
accepted, but you may still find them effective. Windshields
are easy to erect: simply place wooden stakes in the ground
and wrap burlap around them.
- clean and store tools,
ceramic pots and birdbaths. Putting them away before
the harsh weather starts will prolong the life of these
garden essentials.
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