The leaves have started falling and our gardens are being covered in a brown cover of seasonal foliage. Autumn is here and Winter is looming. So, to prepare your garden for Winter, we have prepared some useful tips to help you along the way.
Protect your soil with mulch
Dress fallow raised beds with a healthy layer of straw and for extra love spread one to two inches of organic manure first. Add a heavy layer of leaves or needles to perennial beds once the ground starts to freeze over.
Divide flowering perennials
Divide crowded, spring/summer flowering perennials if your ground isn’t yet frozen.
Get your shears ready to prune
Pruning your perennials is a must. It may seem like a boring task, but it must be one of the most rewarding. Roses, lavender, fruit trees, you name it. I can think of few plants that don’t benefit from pruning and many perform best when pruned in winter. However, it helps to read up just to make sure.
Cast an organic, time release fertilizer
If you can get it, spread it over perennial beds before mulching or before the first freeze and snow if we get it.
Tidy up dead leaves & foliage
Leave the best for winter interest and wildlife.
Give your wildflowers and other self-seeders a head start
It’s time to spread seeds like lupines and others that need winter weathering to germinate.
Design, rethink, and plan.
Every day is a perfect day for creative thinking, but winter is the season of perspective.
