Preparing your Garden Bed for Winter

The most important thing to remember is to maintain watering up until the ground freezes (especially for evergreens). Fall watering is important because it gives plants a reserve for winter. Check your soil a few times a week, it should be moist about an inch down. If your soil is starting to dry out, put your hose on low and give the roots a deep soak. Established plants need approximately 1” of water per week and newly planted trees and shrubs require up to 2” of water per week. Overwatering can occur so check your soil before watering and if it is still saturated, wait to water and check again in a couple of days.

For winter protection, wait until the first hard frost and plants are dormant. It is a good idea to construct a burlap fence around newly planted evergreens. This helps prevent the wind and sun from pulling moisture out of the plant’s foliage during winter. When you go to burlap your evergreens, you don’t want to place the burlap directly on your plant. Instead, use wooden stakes that are an appropriate height for your tree or shrub and staple the burlap to the stakes creating a fence around the evergreens. You don’t need to go over the shrubs, but you do want to burlap as tall as the shrubs are.

Pruning? 

April recommends not to do any major pruning of shrubs or perennials in the fall. Shearing encourages new growth that will not have time to harden off before winter.  You may have some dieback in the winter so waiting until spring allows you to remove any dead stems or branches and shape the plant at the same time. Leave perennial plant material from this year in your garden through winter. It helps beneficial insects through the winter and gives insulation to the root system. The only time you’d want to remove it is if there’s a disease or pest issue. Tree branches can be removed in late fall through winter while the tree is dormant.