Winter Garden Preparation

Now that winter is about upon us, what is there to do in the garden?  If your garden looks anything like mine, I would say plenty.

Most perennials have run their course, trees have dropped their leaves, and temperatures are consistently dropping below the freezing point.

Most perennials can be cut back now, removing all the ratty, blackened foliage.  I usually cut them back to an inch or two above the ground level.  This was you can remember where they are come mulching time.  For perennials that have seed heads still attached, consider leaving them be.  Purple coneflowers, black eyed susans, and other aster family members come to mind here.  These plants are a valuable source of food for birds in the winter.  Also, I love to watch the goldfinches fly around on a cold day from the comfort of my sunroom.

If you usually bag up your leaves, I would encourage you to take a new approach.  While I agree that raw leaf cover is not really visually appealing in a typical landscape, there is really no reason why they still cannot be utilized.  I rake or blow the leaves out of the bed areas, and then run over them several times with the mower with a bagger.  Then simply apply the shredded leaves as mulch around the shrubs and trees.  The shredded leaves will decompose rapidly, and provide a nice soil amendment to our often times heavy clay soil.  The finely shredded leaves will also act as a compost addition to the lawn areas as well.  When mulching time arrives in late winter, simply cover up the shredded leaves and there you go!  A nicely manicured bed with all the natural benefits of preserving the leaves on your property.

Don't neglect your tools this time of year.  While they have a few months of down time, now is a good time to get everything cleaned, organized, and sharpened for next season.  First, clean off all the dirt and grime from everything.  Now it is time to sharpen.  Pruners, loppers and saws are the obvious choice here.  Your local hardware store will be able to sharpen most things you bring them, for a pretty inexpensive price (think Pleasant's, not Lowes here....).  Consider sharpening other things that can benefit from having a nice sharp edge as well.  Hoes, scuffle hoes, and bed edgers come to mind here.  They really do not need a razor edge (and are significantly safer without....), but your jobs will be much easier if they are not completely rounded over.  Unless you do a lot of transplanting, shovels and spades do not need to be sharpened.  I have a transplanting spade that I use to slice through roots cleanly, so I like to keep it fairly sharp to help.  After everything is cleaned and sharpened, put a light coat of some kind of oil to keep them rust free.

These tips should help you get the garden together for a few months of down time while the winter sets in.  It won't be long, however, before it is time to start planning for things to start waking up.  Early spring will be here before you know it!

If you need help with these or any other gardening jobs,  give us a shout!

http://www.get-rvascapes.com

Thanks!

Jay