Most gardens, by November or December are ready to be put to bed until spring. There are a few tasks you can do now, before the winter, to keep your garden healthy, as well as making spring maintenance easier. Here is a list of 10 such tasks.
1. Cut back you perennial garden to the ground. Perennials return year after year and removing this years growth will allow the garden to start fresh next spring.
2. Wilt-proof new or exposed evergreens. Winter winds can dry out hollies, rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens. Wilt-proofing them seals in moisture and helps prevent this. A product call, conveniently enough, Wilt-Proof is available at mot greenhouses.
3. Plant bulbs now for early spring color.
4. Protect your roses from the drying winter winds by covering the base of the plant with salt-marsh hay or compost.
5. A late fall lawn fertilization will give you lawn a jump start next spring. There are late season fertilizers so look for one that is “fall specific”.
6. Divide any perennials which become too large for the spot in the garden. To do this simply dig the perennial out of the ground and, which a spade, cut the plant in half. You now have two individual plants. You could plant one back into the garden and one wherever it would work best. If you have no extra space, give it to a friend.
7. Prune out deadwood and sucker growth off of fruit trees. Without foliage the structure of the trees is much more visible. This makes it easier to see what needs pruning.
8. This may be obvious but raking light dry leaves in the fall is much easier than raking wet heavy, possibly frozen, leaves in the spring.
9. I like to do one last thorough weeding in the flowers gardens. Without the perennials and annuals in the way its a quick job.
10. Drain and put away your garden hoses. This will help premature deterioration.
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