Winter can take its toll on your landscape and garden design. Though many people avoid going outside when it’s nippy, all of the effort you put into your outdoor space is certainly worth protecting after the temperatures drop. Fortunately, there are several excellent ways to prepare your yard so it doesn’t suffer the wrath of cold weather. Here are some ideas to keep in mind before the season arrives.

Tips for Winterizing Your Wonderland

1. Cut Back Your Perennials

Pre-winter is an excellent time to begin cutting back the perennials that have died and are a little unsightly in your garden. For those perennials that still have lots of green fleshy parts, wait until they fully die. Perennials will do better if you let the tops die on their own. However, the exception would be any spots where the sight of them are ruining the look of the garden design, i.e., near the front door. 

2. Add Fertilizer & Improve your Soil

Fall is the most opportune time to add compost to your garden beds.  Because this year has been so wet, adding a layer of compost to your garden is an excellent way to gently add fertilizer as well as help improve some of the heavy clay. Nutrient-rich compost helps break up clay soils, allowing oxygen into the soil and improving root health. A light top dressing throughout your beds refreshes and covers last year’s remnants, and aged compost is also a great deterrent against insects too. 

The more you support the ground in the fall, the better it will perform when cold weather arrives. In more casual beds and natural areas, blow in the remaining leaves and use as mulch.

3. Prune Your Trees

Once the leaves have fallen, consider pruning. Remove dead wood, crossing branches, and lower branches to create a more majestic look.  You may be pruning to elevate, shape, or open up trees, so you can enjoy the form. This later strategy is especially useful for Japanese Maples. Fall is also a handy time to trim back any evergreens; they grow robustly in the spring, so any wounds caused by pruning will be masked by the time the weather warms up.

4. Do Some Planting

Just because winter is on the way doesn’t mean you can’t enhance your garden now in preparation for the warmer days ahead. The combination of brisk autumn air and warm soil provides an excellent timing to add shrubs and trees. Doing this before winter means they’ll have stronger root systems, which will support healthier growth. Our winters are warm enough that we still get root growth, meaning your new additions will be more rooted in and prepared for the heat of next summer.

5. Feed Your Gardener’s Soul

Fall is also a time to nourish your gardening soul. Assess your garden design—decide on areas for improvement, such as adding a color garden or butterfly area. If you need ideas, enlist a professional to help. Walk around and enjoy the quiet before the noise of spring, and then put your feet up and bask in your accomplishments.

Cindy

Is your outdoor space ready for winter? The experts at Edgefield Plant & Stone Center have everything you need to protect your garden design and usher in a beautiful landscape in the spring. Based in Greensboro, NC, our garden center carries an excellent range of trees, shrubs, and perennials designed to enhance your yard. Our landscapers can even install products that will make your home the envy of the neighborhood—think stunning patio pavers and lush greenery. Check out our compost too—it is made from local food waste and tested by the A & L Great Lakes Laboratories as recommended by NC Department of Environment & National Resources. Visit us online to find out more or call (336) 662-0081.