It’s another season of snowfall, and if our gardens haven’t been prepared, then we’ve got a lot of work to do. Ideally, gardens should be prepped for winter while it’s still fall, but the holiday season can get our hands full. Now that we’ve earned back some good free time, let’s get gardening.
If your garden in Grand Prairie or any other city is already covered in frost, it’s advisable to hire snow plow services first to clear up the area. Once you already have enough working space, you may start sprucing up your garden. Here’s how:
1. Clean Up
No matter the season, it’s always important to keep the cleanliness of your garden. Pull out the weeds, trim the shrubs, and prune any overgrown branches. Sweep away dry leaves and other debris scattered on pathways. If there is no snow falling yet, using a pressure washer can also help tidy up the pavers thoroughly. If you keep a compost bin filled with last year’s waste, now’s the time to empty them and spread them all over the fresh soil in preparation for spring.
2. Protect Your Plants
Palm trees, Japanese maples, and other deciduous plants aren’t suited for the winter, so they need utmost protection while the cold stays. Cover up the branches of palm trees and spread mulch at the bases of delicate trees. Some deciduous plants can be removed and re-planted by spring, so ask a gardener to assist you in moving these plants. In would be immensely convenient and helpful if you have a conservatory or greenhouse to store all these tender plants.
3. Make Barks Stand Out
Birch trees have rather distinctive barks during the cold season, so it would be the best time to showcase them. With frost settling on bare branches, your garden would look superbly appealing and probably a little bit spooky at night, but that only adds to the charm.
4. Maintain Berry-Producing Shrubs
Crabapples and other shrubs that produce berries even in the winter should be maintained or added to your landscape. Birds can feed on these fruits, giving your garden some wildlife presence.
5. Plant Evergreens
Evergreens make great garden focal points all year-round, but they’re especially the star of the show during winter.
6. Pay Attention To Your Garden Furniture
Seeing that plants won’t be at their most brilliant during the winter, divert attention to your structures and furniture instead. Inspect your greenhouse, patio, deck, or other outbuildings in case they need repairing. Place a trellis, some benches, and other sorts of attractive garden furniture to spruce up the landscape. Have evergreen boughs in window boxes, hanging boxes, and other types of winter-hardy plant containers as well to add more life and color to your otherwise washed-out winter garden.
7. Plant Spring-Flowering Bulbs
Winter would be the best time to plant spring-blossoming bulbs. Make sure your soil is in good condition so that the seeds would be nourished. Spring-flowering bulbs must be planted two to three times their depth and spaced two to three times their width. Contact your local gardener if you need some expert planting tips.
8. Stay Alert
Thick snowfall can easily ruin your hard work. Some plant species get damaged or even die from severe frost. Winter will always be a challenging season for garden owners, so the best you can do is to stay alert. If you need to remove snow, it would be more advisable to seek out professional services rather than do the task on your own.
With these winter gardening tips, you can preserve the attractiveness of your garden, and your tender plants will have higher chances of surviving the cold. Practice diligence to ensure that all your plants are going to be safe, and keep on researching ways on reducing the undesirable effects of snow to your garden.
