Winterizing Made Easy

Photo by PaulMaguire/Getty Images.

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SPRINGTIME SUCCESS BY PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN, LAWN AND HOUSE FROM WISCONSIN’S BIG CHILL.

BY MARK HAGEN

For some, winterizing is a melancholy chore signaling summer’s end; for others it’s a bittersweet respite from watering and weeding. Regardless of how you feel about packing it in for winter, the following tips might make winterizing your garden, lawn and house a bit easier.

Photo by PaulMaguire/Getty Images.

WINTERIZE YOUR GARDEN

Remove annuals. Pull the annual plants and flowers from your garden now and you’ll have a clean slate from which to get creative come spring. Some like to keep leaves in the garden for organic mulch, others like to clear them away to save time in the spring. If you go the mulch route, consider raking the leaves, running them through the lawn mower and then mulching with the broken bits.

Compost the soil. Composting isn’t just for summer. Before Jack Frost arrives, layer a few inches of compost onto your garden’s surface and then work it into the soil. Compost helps the soil retain moisture and stimulates the sort of bacteria your garden will crave come summer.

Plant and divide. Get all those bulbs in the ground during autumn for lovely spring surprises. If dividing perennials is on your to-do list, now’s your last chance to get the job done.

Layer on the mulch. A couple inches of mulch will protect perennial plant roots from snow and frigid temperatures. Keep the mulch in place until spring’s final frost.

WINTERIZE YOUR LAWN

Rake and mow. It’s important to rake and mow during autumn. Removing leaves allows sunlight and water to nourish the lawn and mowing the grass until it stops growing will keep your lawn at its healthiest.

Aerate the soil. Aeration pulls plugs of soil from the ground to help nutrients reach grassroots during the cold winter months. This fall, consider renting an aerator or hiring a lawncare group to aerate for a great lawn come summer.

Fertilize. It’s important to fertilize the lawn after aerating so the fertilizer hits the grassroots. Whether you aerate or not, fall is a key season to fertilize because the season’s cool dew helps the soil absorb the fertilizer. Similarly, this is also a good time to reseed your lawn’s bald spots.

Photo by Zbynek Pospisil/Getty Images.

Photo by ziggy1/Getty Images.

WINTERIZE YOUR HOUSE

Clean it up. Autumn is the time clean rain gutters and remove debris from downspouts. You might also want to power wash driveways and sidewalks. This is a smart time to call a chimneycleaning company as well.

Wash the windows. Give windows a final scrub before the temperature makes it too difficult to do so. Swap out screens for storm windows and install storm doors.

Inspect your roof. Check the rooftop for missing, curled or broken shingles. Watch for damaged flashing before snow covers the roof.

Shut down water features. Turn off and insulate water spigots. Disconnect and store garden hoses. Drain fountains and other water features.

Pack up the planters. Compost plants from planters and containers (don’t forget the hanging baskets). Remove half the soil from containers to prevent damage from frozen moisture. Store planters and containers for next year.

WINTERIZE YOUR TREES & SHRUBS

Trees. Autumn is a good time to remove dead branches from trees. Now is also the time to wrap younger trees or thin-barked trees with paper tree wrap. (Start at the bottom and wrap up to the first branch.) Remove the paper in spring to encourage new growth. If you planted a tree this summer, you might want to add a few inches of mulch to protect the root ball. Continue watering trees until the first frost.

Shrubs. It’s important to know when to cut back or prune shrubs and woody plants. If you prune lilac and forsythia in fall, for instance, you’ll likely have few blooms in spring. Shrubs that bloom in summer, however, do best with a cutting back in fall. (Think hydrangea, butterfly bush and lavender.) Once pruned, use burlap, foam domes or other coverings to protect delicate plants such as roses.

Mark Hagen is an award-winning gardener whose work has appeared in Fresh Home, Birds & Blooms and Your Family magazines.