Articles & Resources

Fall and Winter Gardening Tips
By Gail Robinson, Director of Horticulture

Now is the time to get ready to settle in for the winter months. Soon we will be gazing from our windows into a frozen snowy scene. The fall garden clean up is a matter of personal aesthetics. Whether you prefer garden beds to look as though there never was a garden, or you like the look of dried stems and seed heads, there are a few important jobs to complete on those nice fall days.

Some folks plant gardens especially for winter interest. If you don't clean up the leaves around the foundations of perennials and shrubs now, don't forget to do it in early spring as little critters and fungal diseases may be harboring there.

The following are a few more jobs to do on those nice fall days and throughout the winter:

• Shred your leaves, the smaller you can shred them the faster they will compost. Oak leaves take the longest to break down.
  
• Use chicken wire or hard plastic wrap around the trunk of newly planted trees to prevent deer feeding.
• Give your garden a good watering before the first hard freeze if it has been dry.
• Spray an anti desiccant on evergreens (conifers and broadleaf) to prevent drying out.
• Plant all spring blooming bulbs - they are no good next spring.
• Dig a hole now for a living Christmas tree.
• Mulch new perennials once the ground has frozen hard to prevent freezing and thawing.
• Prune evergreen boughs for holiday decorations 2 weeks in advance. Condition them in a cool dark spot and sprinkle occasionally with water. Spray with an anti desiccant.
• Keep holiday gift plants evenly moist, but not soggy and away from heat and drafts.
• Pile 8"-10" of soil around your rose bushes.
• Keep bird feeders full and provide a source of water as well.
• Protect shrubs from snowplows.
• Use liquid de-icers or sand instead of salt on walkways.
• Shake snow off evergreen shrubs with a broom to prevent breakage.