When you take the time to imagine the perfect garden, you are taking the first step in creating it.
In late fall, Canadian gardeners are ready for the weather ahead. Snow may fall next week – or continue for another six weeks.
With the future uncertain, we are making final preparations for a beautiful garden next spring. Here's what you need to know:
Evergreens need protection from severe frost and frost. The upright cedar and juniper trees have long, upright branches that bend to the ground under the heavy weight of snow and ice.
Wrap each specimen in two layers of natural burlap and then tie with twine. The second layer protects them from gusts of wind.
salt kills . The salt used on slippery winter roads protects us but is highly toxic to plants. The Cedar Fence protects from "Salt Drift," a water mist thrown up by nearby salt-laden vehicles. This mist can permanently burn the leaves. Two layers of hemp attached to wooden pegs work best.
Dry air in winter can dry out the leaves of green plants, especially broadleaf rhododendrons, yew, mahonia, and holly. When the temperature is above freezing, apply a spray of a liquid insecticide called Wilt Pruf to the leaves. One application is enough for complete winter protection.
Small fruit trees with a trunk diameter of less than three inches are a favorite food for rabbits. Like rabbits, field mice and rodents are very hungry in the dead of winter, and the smooth bark of fruit trees is attractive. To avoid wrapping the bark and killing the tree, wrap a plastic file around the bottom of the trunk.
Fertilize your garden . We've been talking about this for weeks, but it's never too late to start fertilizing your garden in season. The grass prepares for winter by storing natural sugars in the root zone. With the onset of spring, your yard is recovering with minimal snow print.
leaves . We recommend not putting it in a paper bag until it can be removed. Instead, move them off the page and onto yours. Easier, less and better work for your garden. Many insects, beneficial bacteria, microbes, and other beneficial substances will burrow into the leaves and benefit the soil in the spring.
Oak leaves must be shredded with a lawn mower to break them into small pieces because whole leaves can take several years to decompose. All blades break faster when you run the lawnmower at maximum wheel speed. By late spring, most of the leaves will rot and become food for worms, which is another plus.
Dispose of compost and repackage . The leaves and kitchen scraps you've thrown in your compost or garbage heap over the past year are rotting and ready to absorb the nutrients in your garden soil.
Once sprinkled on the soil surface, fill an empty container or garbage heap with leaf litter (brown material) mixed with green kitchen waste or grass clippings (green material). It is best to use about 10 parts of the leaf to one part of the green mass.
planting tulips . Tulips can be planted as late as you can bury the soil if you can get them from the gardener at the end of the season.
Finally, sit down and sip coffee on your favorite garden bench in the fall sun and enjoy days of insect activity in your garden. Soon the bees will come to life, the migratory songbirds will migrate south, and the garden plants will begin to rest during the winter.
Now it's time to think about how beautiful your garden will be next spring.
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