Time to get your yard, garden ready for the cold
Q. What are some tasks I should consider to get my yard and garden ready for winter?
A. As fall lingers, my to do list includes a variety of yard work that needs to be completed as Old Man Winter makes his way into Illinois.
Let's start with your lawn. It's important to continue to water and mow your lawn during the fall as this is when your grass focuses on growing its root system. The cool temperatures of fall along with some sunshine and water go a long way in strengthening your lawn's root system prior to the arrival of winter.
Fall is also a great time to prep your lawn for next spring. Give your lawn some care by filling in any bare spots. You may also want to consider aerating and overseeding your lawn during the fall. If necessary, you may consider fertilizing, as well.
As you move to your fall gardening projects, it's time to prune back your perennials. I always hold off doing so as long as possible to enjoy the last of my summer flowers. While I do prune back some perennials, I also leave some for winter interest in my garden.
Fall is also the time to transplant. If you want to transplant perennials, do so now so that they have time to develop their root system before the first frost. I also like to mulch around the base of some of my perennials to protect them during our cold winters. I sometimes do so with leaves that have fallen from my trees as they are easy to clean up come springtime.
After I've tackled my perennials, I pull any annuals from my garden and/or pots. Again, I wait as long as I can to do this so I enjoy the last remnants of my annual blooms. As I do have some perennials planted in pots, I take the time to protect their root systems.
We move our pots to the shady side of our garage to protect them from temperature swings. I also lay mulch across the tops of my perennial pots to protect them. You can also wrap your pots in a blanket and then a bag to give an added layer of warmth.
We all know that with fall comes leaves. Be sure to rake your leaves up during the fall to allow your grass to breath and to minimize any infections that sometimes develop from leaving wet leaves on your lawn.
As the harsh reality of winter sets in, be sure to pick up all of your lawn ornaments as well as garden tools, given them a good cleaning and pack them away in an easily accessible place. This will help to protect them from our frosty winter days and you'll know where to find them when the first sign of spring shows itself and the garden cycle begins again.
- Wendy Reiner
• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 Monday, Wednesday and Saturday or (847) 201-4176, ext. 14, on Fridays.