Winterize your garden investments now
Protect your plants, trees and lawn from the harsh cold, snow for a better spring
Think of your garden as an investment. You’ve poured a lot of yourself into it, and probably some cash. And then there’s the time that it has taken for it to mature. So this is no time to sit back and just let Mother Nature have her way with your hard work.
Winter is the most severe test of a gardener’s mettle. What pops up through the soil next spring will, to a large extent, be determined by your actions in the next week or two.
Here are my Top 5 winterizing tips: 1. Your lawn The most important application of fertilizer to your lawn occurs this weekend — or so. The low nitrogen and high potash contents of the winterizer formulas of lawn food help to build up the natural sugars at the root zone of grass plants. Healthy roots equal healthy plants come spring. Don’t expect to see much now; there is really nothing to show for you effort until spring.
But a healthy lawn resists snow mould, greens up quickly and fills in before weeds are able to get established. Look for 12-0-18 for a great looking lawn . . . next spring. 2. Fruit trees Remember the ice storm of 2013? After the ice came record cold temperatures and one huge dump of snow after the other. The result? A very active rodent population chowed down on the tender bark of young fruit trees, killing many and maiming many others. A simple, plastic spiral wrap prevents this damage.
For about $4 a pop you can save a fruit tree that may be on the cusp of producing a great crop. Remember what I said about your investment? This is the perfect example of how a little effort can save you a ton of disappointment. Non-fruiting trees like crabapples, flowering cherries and plums also benefit from this protection. 3. Roses If you have climbing, miniature and shrub roses you are off the hook. Hybrid teas, grandiflora and floribunda roses all need protection over the winter. Mound 60 to 80 centimetres of clean soil or triple mix over the base of each plant. Do not prune them unless they are so high that they may blow over in winter winds. Prune in spring when any winter damage is evident. 4. Broad-leafed evergreens Most people don’t even know that they own a few of these. If you have yews (taxes), boxwood, holly or rhododendrons in your garden apply WiltPruf (apologies for the spelling — it’s an American product, what can I say?) This stuff works like magic at preventing wind burn, desiccation from the drying effects of our winter air and sunburn (mostly from the sun bouncing off the surface of the snow come March). Apply WiltPruf when the day time temperatures are above freezing for best effect. One application will do the job. 5. Cedars Have you noticed all of the brown cedars in the past couple of years? Road salt is the cause, the No. 1 enemy of cedars.
Wrap them in two layers of burlap: one to protect them against wind damage and the other to insulate them from salt spray. This is especially true for cedars located on the east side of a road, even 50 or 60 metres from the road! As cars and trucks travel over the pavement they kick up salt spray and the prevailing westerly winds push the drift into your yard. Any cedar that is in the way is dead meat, unless it is covered with burlap. And while you’re at it:
Clean and lubricate your lawn mower. Clean and oil metal hand tools. Remove any lingering leaves from your lawn and put them either in your composting unit or onto your garden where hungry earthworms will pull them down into the soil next spring. Plant spring flowering bulbs. Feed the birds (more on that in a couple of weeks).
After all of this, we’ve earned the right to a rest. This year was a long and productive gardening season and even I — passionate gardener that I am — feel some relief at the sight of the first snow fall. Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster and garden editor of Reno & Decor magazine. Get his free monthly newsletter at markcullen.com. Watch him on CTV Canada AM every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. Email him at groundskeeper@markcullen.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCullen4 and Facebook.