The 411 on fall gardening

Though spring and summer are now over, your garden is still very much alive and needs some care to ensure it can handle the harsh winter and save you some work come spring again. Here are some tips to help you maintain your garden:

1. Don't forget to water!
You may think because the weather is cooler, your plants and lawn don't need watering, but that is not the case. Watering will help you keep the beauty of your yard longer and will minimize winter damage to your garden. According to homedepot.ca the roots of plants are still active in the autumn and they will absorb and store any water they get in order to replace water that gets lost during the winter. Even when flowers and leaves start to fall off, keep watering trees and shrubs. This will help keep moisture in the ground and keep roots warmer for a longer period of time, helping plants survive the winter. Water lightly until the first freeze.

2. Insulate your shrubs
Have shrubs or trees in your garden? Insulate them with mulch at their base. This will limit frost penetration and help prevent sudden changes in soil temperature from deep freezing, which will help protect the root system of tender plants.

3. Don't cut perennials too early

After the beautiful September we had, it's pretty safe to say that Canadian weather is unpredictable. Which is why cutting back your perennials too early may actually be detrimental to it. Allow the perennial to be dormant first until the weather is more stable and cooler (late October and November) then begin pruning. Also, trim any damaged or dead branches on trees and shrubs before the first snowfall.

4. Shelter delicate trees and shrubs
If we have a winter like last year, we know it will be biting cold and can be especially hard on tender trees and shrubs. To minimize damage caused by frost and snow, homedepot.ca recommends wrapping your trees and shrubs in burlap and securing them with twine.