6 tips to prepare your garden for winter
Category News
As the leaves start to turn a golden brown hue signifying the arrival of Autumn, it's time to start getting your garden ready for the frigid winter months ahead. From planting winter annuals to cleaning out your veggie garden, we've devised 5 quick and easy steps for preparing your garden for winter.
1.Drainage for Waterlogged Areas
Take note of the areas in your garden that were waterlogged in the rainy months. These areas are ideal for plants that need a lot of water, group these plants together. You will need to water these beds in the dryer months. Plants such as Lily of the Valley, Bugbane, Crinum, and Sweet Woodruff are excellent for this sort of application. See more here.
2.Good Drainage:
In areas that don't get waterlogged or have very good drainage, plant Waterwise plants like succulents and cacti, they will do well here. Adding gravel and a minimalistic look in these areas could really freshen up your winter garden. You will also not need to water these beds very often, which is very low maintenance and saves water.
3.A clean up of dying leaves and branches
When it comes to deciding which plants to prune this season, start by trimming off any dead wood, or branches and cutting back. Remove any plants infected by disease, pests, or fungus, these should be the first to go.
4.Start de-weeding
Now that you have a clearer picture of what's staying and going, it's time to start de-weeding. From encroaching lantana to unwanted bindweed in your strawberry patch, these renegade plants need to go.
Certain invasive weeds are exceptionally hardy and will happily keep growing within your compost heap. Because of this, it's best to dispose of these completely as it is the only way to prevent these plants from sprouting up all over again.
5.Get your soil prepared for winter
With all the decluttering legwork out of the way, it's time to start getting your garden prepped for the inevitable arrival of winter. While most homeowners opt to add soil amendments during the springtime, Autumn offers you an excellent opportunity to add compost and organic fertiliser.
Doing this earlier will give your soil enough time to break these nutrients down and become biologically active just in time for the growing months. Doing this now means that half the work is already done before things start to get busy in spring.
Johannesburg has seen quite a bit of rainfall this year, and while we do not expect it to carry through to winter, rather be on the safe side and have your garden prepped for a spontaneous deluge. Consider mulching for your soil or plant a few cover crops (such as rye, vetch, or clovers) in order to protect your soil amendments from being washed away.
Take a look at this video for more soil preparation tips - Soil Prep for Winter
6.Pruning Perennials
Autumn represents a perfect opportunity to trim some of your perennial garden plants. Be sure to practice a little care and choose the right ones. Plants like fennel will definitely benefit from an autumn pruning but spent raspberry cones actually do well to keep the plant nourished during the colder months.
Be sure to concentrate all your autumn pruning on flowers such as roses, herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme (minus the Scarborough Fair parsley!) and veggies like rhubarb and asparagus. If you're a fan of your blackberries then (they too benefit from an autumn pruning) be sure to remove any crossing canes to keep the plant's growth in check.
While they may seem ungainly, rather avoid cutting back perennials covered in seed heads. They provide excellent nutritional benefits for birds. Don't go too crazy about removing stalks and leaves as they provide adequate winter protection for your plants.
Assess your previous year and ask yourself if the veggies and fruits you planted yielded an adequate supply. Take stock of underperforming plants and consider searching for a better variety for that location if possible.
Even if your plants are growing well, you can always yield better results by planting varieties that may ripen earlier or later in the season. When it comes to a good or bad growing season, you will need to understand what you can control and what can be chalked up to poor weather.
Beyond that, and we've said it before, keeping track of your soil fertility, moisture levels and plant placement is most of the work required. Think ahead! Regardless of where you live, there's no excuse not to properly prepare for the next gardening season.
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Author: LV Digital
