As the warm days of summer slip away and winter’s chill approaches, it’s time to start preparing your garden for the cold months ahead. By investing a little time in your garden now, you’ll set yourself up for success come spring. Here are three easy and effective ways to get your garden ready for winter: mulching, applying burlap, and pruning.
1. Mulching
Mulching is often associated with spring, but mulching in the fall has its own set of advantages and is an essential part of garden preparation for winter. Here’s why fall mulching is beneficial:
- Saves Time in Spring: Fall mulching takes care of much of what spring mulching is meant to do, such as retaining moisture, suppressing weeds, and protecting the soil from erosion.
- Insulates the Soil: Fall mulch helps keep the soil warm, creating a thriving environment for the soil-food web, which includes organisms like earthworms and microbes. These organisms stay active longer in the fall, improving the soil’s health.
- Protects Plant Roots: In areas where soil freezes and thaws throughout winter, plant roots can suffer from the stress of temperature fluctuations. Mulch helps to moderate these changes, ensuring your plants stay healthy.
- Easy Application: Once perennials are cut back for the season, mulching becomes a breeze, as there are no new shoots or bulbs to work around.
Fall Mulching Tips:
- Use mulch that traps air, optimizing insulation and warmth. Shredded leaves, weed-free straw, and shredded bark are excellent choices.
- Apply a mulch layer about 3 inches thick.
- Wait until after the first hard freeze to mulch. This gives you the chance to cut back perennials and prepare your beds properly.
- If you live in a windy area, secure your mulch with wire fencing or chicken wire to prevent it from blowing away.
2. Applying Burlap
Burlap is a fantastic material for protecting plants from winter’s cold, offering an affordable, permeable, and biodegradable option. For the best results, choose natural burlap made from jute, as it decomposes naturally over time and is far better than synthetic alternatives.
Here’s how to use burlap effectively:
- For smaller plants, cut holes in the burlap and wrap them for protection.
- For larger plants, wrap the burlap around them fully to shield them from frost and wind.
- You can also use row-sheets of burlap to cover entire garden beds for added insulation.
Burlap provides just the right balance of protection and airflow, ensuring your plants are shielded from the cold while still being able to breathe.
3. Pruning
Fall pruning is an important step in preparing your garden for the winter months, but it’s important to know which plants to prune and when. Pruning at the wrong time can harm your plants, so take care to prune based on the plant’s blooming cycle.
- Blooming on New Growth: If a plant blooms on new growth, it’s best to wait until spring to prune, as pruning in the fall may reduce next season’s blooms.
- Blooming on Old Growth: If a plant blooms on old growth, fall is the ideal time to prune. Pruning these plants before the first frost can help them endure the winter and prepare for a strong spring bloom.
By researching the specific needs of the plants in your garden, you can prune them correctly and help them stay healthy throughout the winter months.
Get Your Garden Ready for Winter
As November settles in, it’s the perfect time to take a walk through your garden with these winter preparation steps in mind. Mulch, burlap, and pruning will set your plants up for success, ensuring they’re protected from the harsh winter weather. If you have any questions or need help with garden preparation, don’t hesitate to reach out to Landscape Plus. We’re passionate about gardens and are here to help you prepare yours for the cold months ahead.
