Get Your Native Garden Ready for Winter – Fall Maintenance

October 22, 2019

Get Your Native Garden Ready for Winter – Fall Maintenance

Now is the perfect time to do fall native garden maintenance.  This is also an ideal time to add to your existing garden or plant new trees, shrubs, and perennials before the ground freezes while also adding some decoration to it with the use of the best lights for this from sites on the link here.  Putting in a little extra care into your garden now will guarantee it will make it through the cold winter months and into spring.

• Remove all unwanted weeds, including grasses and clover, before seeds spread and create additional work in the spring.
• Thin out volunteer plants and transplant to fill in empty spaces.
• Collect some native seed from your garden and share with others or spread elsewhere in your garden. Leave extra seed in place for birds and other wildlife.  For aggressive native plants such as goldenrod and aster, cut seed heads off.  To maximize wildlife benefits, place these seed heads in a tray for wildlife to enjoy.
• Leave stalks and dormant plant material until spring. Native bees and other insects burrow in dead stalks over the winter.
• Leave your leaves! Fallen leaves can provide both wildlife benefits and can help fertilize your garden or lawn as they break down.   Chop or mow over leaves to create compost.
• Continue to water newly-planted perennials, trees, and shrubs, if the ground is dry and not frozen.
• Top dress your garden with 2-4” of mulch to provide plants with extra insulation.
• Turn over or put away bird baths, flower pots, rain barrels, and other items that can collect water, freeze, and crack.

These easy fall tasks will ensure that your garden will be strong and ready for spring next year.

4 responses to “Get Your Native Garden Ready for Winter – Fall Maintenance”

1. Joyce Sonn says:

   October 24, 2016 at 5:50 pm

   Great article. Also, I like to leave water and food for the birds that stay for the winter. You have to change the water a few times a day to keep it from freezing or you can put heated Rock Bird Bath De-Icers in your bird baths (I got mine at OK Hatchery) if you have outdoor outlets. Our cardinals and other winter birds really appreciate the water as well as suet blocks you can hang in those green holders for them to eat in the cold weather.

   Reply
2. Francesca says:

   November 18, 2019 at 2:07 pm

   Wonderful blog post. Love your point about leaves. So many people sweep away their autumn leaves and it is such a shame and a waste.

   Reply
3. Tim says:

   April 16, 2020 at 5:24 am

   Can I plant cover crops to be ready for winter or fall maintenance?

   Reply
   • Elysia Musumeci says:

     April 16, 2020 at 10:38 am

     Cover crops can be beneficial in many ways as they help to suppress weeds, improve soil quality and manage erosion.