The following contribution is from another author.
If you’re green-fingered, chances are that you spend extended periods of time out back from Spring through to Autumn. This makes gardening a pleasant hobby that allows you to spend time outdoors doing something that you love in the sun’s rays.
We take care of all of the necessary tasks to keep everything fresh and pretty. We mow the grass as regularly as possible. We water our flowers and trees. We prune plants and trim bushes – all with a smile on our face. But during the winter, many of us are put off our venture. We don’t want to kneel down on sodden ground, pull up weeds with cold fingers, and deal with mud and grime.
But don’t be a fair weather gardener! If you neglect your garden through the winter months, you’ll head back out in spring to find a barren space with minimal greenery. You’ll have to put a whole lot of effort into making things nice again and are likely to have to start again from scratch after conducting a major clean up job! So, to prevent this, here are a few steps that you can take to make sure your garden makes it through to spring.
Remove Remaining Leaves
We’re fast approaching January and chances are that most leaves have fallen from the trees surrounding your property by now. But if there are leaves remaining on the floor, you really do have to remove them. Leaves left to rot tend to block out sunlight and prevent the grass beneath from growing. Your grass could wither away and it will prove extremely difficult to encourage it to grow again! Now, don’t think that the wind will just blow the leaves away eventually. That’s probably the attitude that got you into this situation in the first place. If the leaves haven’t blown away by now, they’re going nowhere of their own accord. Instead, rake them up. Invest in a decent quality rake, pull them all into one area, and scoop them up into biodegradable bags to dispose of them. If you don’t have much time on your hands, you could hire a gardener to do this on your behalf, or you could use a leaf blower to blow them elsewhere. Just avoid blowing them into neighboring gardens, or you might annoy or aggravate your neighbors, leading to tension and complaints.
Take Extra Care of Your Lawn
Once your lawn is clear, you can use specialist products and treatments to encourage growth through the winter. Effective Lawn Care takes so much more than mere watering! It could benefit from processes such as pine straw laying and aeration. You might even want to reach out to The Local Tree Experts.
Remember to Water Your Plants and Grass
Don’t make the assumption that your garden will obtain sufficient water through rain alone. Sure, if you have experienced a particularly rainy period, you may not need to water your plants further. But it’s a good idea to monitor rainfall. This will ensure that you can top water levels up yourself if you go through a dry spell. Remember how unpredictable rain can be. Stick with your usual methods, like using a watering can or turning a sprinkler system on briefly.
Make Use of Mulch
Frost on the ground poses more problems than making surfaces slippy and increasing your risk of falling over (just ask garden experts from Detroit, MI). Frost can damage plants and their roots, causing them to die. Excess rain can also clog up the soil, creating damage from the root up. You can prevent this from happening by spreading a layer of mulch over your soil. This will prevent the soil from getting compacted and can protect any plants’ roots too. Mulch can be obtained from local garden centers and is widely available, so don’t put off investing.
Give Extra Attention to Potted Plants
Potted plants are protected from the elements in many ways, but it’s still a good idea to keep an extra eye on potted plants. They can become waterlogged and their roots can rot as a result if you don’t drain them. Make sure that any pots that you are using have small holes drilled in the bottom where excess water can escape. Remember to raise them from the ground slightly once you have done this – there’s no points having holes in the bottom of the pot if water still can’t escape from them.
Beware Snow in Trees
If you’ve had a white Christmas and have experienced snowfall, you may be tempted to leave your garden as it is. After all, it’s likely to look pretty and scenic. But if you have trees in your garden, you may have to take extra measures for their preservation and for safety in general too! Snow that builds up on branches can prove to be extremely heavy. The branches may not be able to hold this weight for a long time and branches are likely to break under the pressure. Not only is this problematic for the tree itself (after all, without branches there are fewer leaves, which means an inhibited ability to photosynthesize), but branches could fall on people, pets, or other animals. Use a brush or broom to sweep snow from the branches. Just be extremely careful when doing so!
These are just a few different steps that you can take in order to give your garden the best chances of making it through to spring. Incorporate them into your routine as soon as possible!
