7 steps to winterize your garden

The cold, rain, and snow are right around the corner. What does this mean for you and your fantastic garden? Winterization. Here are seven simple steps that will keep your garden safe and ready to bloom in the spring.

1. Ditch the weeds.

Sad but true, we know… but it’s time to tidy up the garden for the wintertime. Winter cleanup will reduce the time it takes to spruce up in the spring.

What to do:

• Remove all spent stalks and other plant debris, dead or dying foliage.
• Pull out any invasive or unwanted plants that have cropped up.

2. To prune or not to prune?

Pruning your plants is a delicate practice because your approach may need to vary from plant to plant. Some plants might require that you pull back dead or rotting areas, while over-pruning may harm others.

What to do:

• Research! To help you get started, check out this article from The Old Farmer’s Almanac: Winter Pruning Guide for Trees and Shrubs

3. Protect your garden beds!

You don’t need to protect all garden beds, necessarily.

What to do:

Protect only those flower beds of plants that suffer from winter breakage or harsh west winds, such as:

• Boxwood bushes
• Evergreen Azaleas
• Japanese Maples

You can protect your garden beds with:

• Straw
• Mulch
• Garden quilt covers
• Cloches
• Raised garden bed coverings

4. Cover up trees and shrubs.

For larger shrubs and trees, burlap or other commercial shrub coverings are the way to go.

What to do:

• Consider flanking each tree or shrub with wooden planks, which will keep it protected from heavy snow-loaded spots.

5. Plant your bulbs.

Plant your bulbs now before the ground freezes! You can expect them to bloom when the warmer weather arrives in the spring.

What to do:

• Check out our blog, 5 pro tips to planting fall bulbs for the spring.
• Dig a hole depending on the bulb. Most packages will tell you, but some general rules of thumb are:
• Yes, the size of bulbs matter.
• The bigger the bulb, the deeper the hole.
• We recommend planting tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus.

6. Bring in delicate plants.

Outside, you'll first want to move your plant into a shadier spot for a week or two. Then, when you move it inside, place the plant in a sunny window. This will help your plant acclimate to lower light conditions indoors. Inside, you’ll want to move houseplants from sunnier spots in your home to partly shadier (but still occasionally sunny) locations.

What to do:

• Are you growing any tropical plants like elephant ears, bananas, lemon trees, or fig trees? Uproot those and store them inside.
• If you have any annuals, such as ivy, wandering jew plants, or cordylines, you can bring those in to keep as house plants.
• Put plants near a sunny window in your home where they’ll receive the perfect balance of light and darkness to prevent excessive leaves from dropping.

Once inside, the plants will no longer have wind and sun to dry them out, so you can water them less.

7. Don’t forget to mulch!

Mulch actually keeps your flower beds cold—not warm, which is exactly what you want. Be careful, though. Excessive mulch will hold too much moisture, which can cause diseases in your plants. 

What to do:

• Mulch your garden in the fall in order to:
• Insulate and keep the ground frozen.
• Prevent plants from growing prematurely in the spring.

Remember, we offer bags of mulch that are perfect for most household gardens!

At Lockwood’s, our rich history of beautifying Buffalo has blossomed into a living legacy of service to our community. We hope you’ll visit our garden center, say hi, and share your passion for gardening with us! Also feel free to contact us today, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!