Winterize Your Garden During the Month of Change

Greetings all, fall is here and winter is on the way! I have been busy making craft items and preparing my gardens and plants for the winter. It has been a rush in more ways than one. I can’t say that I am a big fan of winter, but the fall weather is great and the beauty that surrounds the farm is such a treat to enjoy while I am working to protect the plants from the harsh reality of winter cold. The elm trees have gone from faded green to pale yellow and now have turned a glistening gold! Red Oaks are changing from what was once a neon green-orange to a roaring-red.

As much as I try to wish it away I know the leaves will all morph into brittle bare arms sprawling toward the sky as if begging for another chance to live. Their last testament of color definitely gets them noticed and makes it impossible for their Maker to forever abandon them in this juncture. Enough about the leaf looking, I will get to the point of this article—-the changes I have made to the garden.

Here’s my list of things to do when the first signs of winter begin to knock at the door and when your work-space has become a delightful world of colors.

_____ 1.Trim any tree/bush limbs that are out of control or that have died or just to shape them up cosmetically.

_____2. Watch the weather forecasts for freeze warnings or get apps with freeze alerts.

_____ 3.Cut any blooming flowers such as roses to use inside.

_____ 4.Cover any plants that might be damaged by frost/ freeze with sheets or fabric, then, cover that with plastic.

_____ 5.Remove and pot any plants like tropical hibiscus prior to the freeze and plant indoors or a shed/greenhouse.

_____6.Plant bulbs in beds or trim bushes and plants that might cover the area where bulbs are planted so they can get sunlight when the time comes for them to bloom.

_____7.Sharpen blades and do maintenance on all garden tools and heavy equipment.

_____8.Compost Compost Compost! Did I say compost? get the compost ready! Compost!

_____9.Mulch around beds that have lost the previous layers.

_____10.Protect hoses and outdoor faucets from freeze damage by unhooking and covering them.

_____ 11.Replace summer plants in pots on the porch with winter varieties like rosemary and pansies.

_____ 12.Plant pansies in empty spaces in the beds where you removed plants for winter or anywhere
you want for colorful winter company.

_____13. I’m sure you can find more “Oh yeah” projects (my name for them) by sitting or walking around the yard. When I sit down to rest and start looking around is when they usually come to me!

Once you’ve winterized your yard and gardens sit back by an outdoor fire and roast some marshmallows and say a prayer of thanks to the one who made all this beauty possible!