During the warmer months, many people spend a lot of time working on their gardens and landscaping. When winter arrives it’s important to ensure your garden and landscaping are properly prepared for the cold and snow. Here’s how you can protect your gardens and preserve your efforts:

Remove Dying Plants

There is no need to keep seasonal plants through the winter. There is very little chance that they will continue to grow or contribute to your garden. If you don’t get rid of dead or dying plants, you may put your healthy plants at risk. Many plants begin to decompose because of disease or insect infestation. Insects and diseases spread rapidly, so it’s important to burn dead plants when possible rather than throwing them on a compost pile.

Rake Leaves

By the end of Fall and into early Winter, a thick layer of leaves may cover your lawn and garden. Make sure you rake your leaves because as the weather changes to rain and snow, they become damp and put added weight preventing your plants from getting important nutrients. Leaving piles of damp leaves also provides a comfortable home for bugs and other harmful critters to burrow under.

Plant Spring Bulbs

Don’t wait for spring to plant your bulbs! Get a head start and plant them in the winter so they’re ready to bloom when the weather gets warm again. You can be creative and pick up some beautiful, vibrant colours that stand out against winter’s bleak colour scheme (reds, oranges, yellows and purples are a welcome change from the greys and whites of winter).

Trim

Look through your garden and trim back any plants that are overgrown. Trimming plants back as much as possible helps protect them against frost and heavy snow. Plants that have been trimmed properly have a better opportunity to bloom fuller in the spring.

Put Down Mulch

If you haven’t done so already, adding mulch to your garden is a great idea before the winter. It helps prevent the growth of weeds and supports important nutrients and moisture in the soil. If you’ve already mulched your garden, add some extra in any areas that are looking sparse as part of your garden winter prep. Before you begin mulching, we recommend adding some compost into the soil. This will act as a natural fertilizer for your plants.

Water Everything

Thoroughly soak your garden a couple of times before the weather gets too cold. When the temperature does drop below freezing, it will lock in the moisture, making for premium quality soil in the spring.

Preparing your garden and landscaping for the winter is important. It’s better to let your garden breathe for as long as possible to keep unwanted critters from invading. Don’t encourage pests to choose your garden as their place for winter hibernation.

It may seem like a substantial amount of work to prepare your garden for winter. But when the spring melt arrives you’ll be happy to find a well-preserved garden that’s ready for you to start digging in. Keep your property looking its best! Contact Van Beek’s Garden Supplies for all your garden and landscaping needs in the Oakville and Mississauga area.