Hello World! Welcome Friends! It might seem as though the garden is in a state of suspended animation throughout the winter, but the plants and insects face many challenges from the extreme conditions and will not survive in many cases. You can help their chances by preparing your garden for the winter, using the tips below. They include composting fallen leaves and wrapping young plants for extra protection.
Rake up Fallen Leaves
Autumn leaves are lovely as they change color and even as they collect on the drive. Who doesn’t want to kick through a bundle of autumn leaves? However, after some rainfall and some gusts of wind, these leaves can soon become a health hazard. They are notoriously slippy, and the last thing you want is to end up on you back on the way to the car. At the same time, they make excellent fertilizer for your garden when collected together in hessian sacks.
Look After Your Lawn
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to your lawn before the onset of winter; doing so will mean you have healthy looking grass come spring. Remove any thatch or moss from the grass using a scarifier – a springbok rake works just as well, especially if it’s a small lawn. Aerate the lawn using a garden fork and put down a top dressing of sand. The sand will improve the soil structure and help with drainage. In the autumn, you want to ensure your soil is nutrient-rich, so select a specialist autumn feed to add. For more advice on how to look after your lawn, visit Andy’s Sprinkler, Drainage, and Lighting.
Wrap up Shrub Pots
There’s nothing worse than assessing your garden in the spring only to realize that the shrubs you planted the year before haven’t lasted the winter. The occasional freeze has killed them off, or their pots have cracked due to the persistent cold weather. Prepare these delicate shrubs for the winter by wrapping the pots in bubble wrap. This gives the soil and roots an extra layer of protection and will prevent the pots from cracking. You may also wrap them in a hessian sack.
Leave Herbaceous Perennials
Before the winter comes in, it is good practice to cut back herbaceous perennials. Since they only appear in the spring, it makes sense to give them the best chance when the weather starts to warm up. Furthermore, you don’t need a lot of dead growth in your garden. Before you go all out, however, consider the habitat of your garden. There are probably many species of insects such as ladybirds, that rely on the herbaceous plants – even in the winter. Cut back most of these plants but leave enough as a winter habitat for your garden’s wildlife.
Protect Young Plants
If they are not protected through the harsh winter months, the Young plants in your garden will struggle to survive. But you can help them massively. Use canes to create a wigwam shape around them. You can create the conical shape using string and tie-wraps. Over the skeleton put material such as canvas or polythene. This will protect the leaves and roots from harsh frosts. Check them regularly. If the roots seem too dry, you can water them and recover.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
5 Signs Wild Animals Have Invaded your Home
How to Clean your Living Room Like a Pro
Researching a Personal Injury Attorney
A Pantry Refresh & Organization
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Toodles,
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