As the growing season winds down, it’s time to think about winterizing your garden. Proper preparation can protect your plants from harsh winter conditions and set the stage for a thriving garden come spring. In the video above, Ask This Old House landscaping contractor Jenn Nawada walks through the key steps to prepare your garden for winter, focusing on watering, clean-up, and protection.
When To Start Winter Garden Prep
November is a great time to begin winterizing your garden. By this point, most plants have finished their active growing season, but the ground hasn’t yet frozen. This gives you time to put protective measures into place to help shield your plants from winter’s harshest elements.
As Nawada emphasizes, it’s important to protect all the hard work you’ve put into your garden throughout the spring, summer, and fall. In the video, she shares techniques to
keep your garden in good shape through winter and ready to thrive next season.
Key Steps for Cold Weather Garden Preparation
These essential steps—watering, cleaning up, and protecting—are simple but make a big difference in how well your garden weathers the winter.
1. Watering
Contrary to what many gardeners believe, watering is an important step in winter garden preparation. Nawada explains that October and November are typically dry months, leaving plants thirsty when the hard freeze hits in December. Here’s what you can do to combat this:
- Avoid overwatering, which can lead to root rot.
- Make sure your plants get enough moisture before the ground freezes.
- Give your plants a few deep soaks in late fall, similar to rainfall.
Proper watering helps plants, shrubs, and other garden favorites prepare for winter without getting their roots too soggy.
2. Clean-Up
A thorough garden clean-up preserves your hard work from the previous seasons. The clean-up process varies depending on the type of plant:
- Annuals: Remove plants that don’t return annually and add them to your compost pile. If you have bulbs on hand, plant a few in the holes left behind.
- Ornamental grasses: You have two options here: either cut them back at the end of the year or leave them for winter texture. If you choose to leave them, be sure to cut them back in late February or early March before new growth begins.
- Perennials: Cut back plants that return year after year to within 2 inches of the soil when they start to brown at the end of the season.
3. Protection
Once you’ve watered and cleaned up, the final step is to protect your plants from the winter elements. There are several materials you can use to safeguard your garden:
- Anti-desiccants: These spray products are helpful for broadleaf evergreens or plants near salted walkways. Anti-desiccants coat the leaves, trapping moisture inside and preventing winter winds from drying out the plant.
- Burlap: In high-traffic areas or areas prone to strong winds and heavy snow, wrapping plants in burlap can provide excellent protection. Secure the burlap with twine, allowing the plant to keep its shape while still permitting airflow and moisture penetration.
- Mulching: Apply 2–4 inches of bark mulch, hay, or shredded leaves around plants to protect roots, retain moisture, and insulate against cold.
- Twine: For some shrubs and plants, simply wrapping them with twine can help maintain their structure under heavy snow loads.
Protecting Specific Plant Types from Cold Weather
Different plants need different approaches to winter protection. Here’s how to care for some common garden plants:
- Bulbs: Plant spring-flowering bulbs like tulips in the fall before the ground freezes. Cover the area with mulch to protect the bulbs from temperature swings.
- Evergreens: Evergreens, especially broadleaf varieties like boxwoods, are prone to drying out in the winter. As Nawada explains, applying an anti-desiccant spray can seal in moisture and keep the plant from drying out in cold, windy weather.
- Ground covers: Hardy ground covers like juniper rarely require much winter protection. However, a light layer of mulch can help insulate the roots and retain soil moisture.
- Ornamental grasses: You have flexibility with ornamental grasses. You can either cut them back in late fall or leave them standing for winter interest. If you leave them, remember to cut them back in late winter before the new growth emerges.
- Perennials: Perennials like echinacea and mums benefit from being cut back to about 2 inches above the soil line once they’ve browned. This prevents disease and pest issues over the winter.
Advanced Winter Protection Techniques
If you live in a harsh winter climate or have more delicate plants, try these additional protection methods:
- Cold frames: Cold frames are like mini-greenhouses that can extend your growing season and provide extra protection for tender plants. They’re great for winter vegetable gardening.
- Frost cloth: For tender plants or early-blooming species, keep a frost cloth on hand. You can drape this lightweight fabric over your plants when you expect frost for a few extra degrees of warmth.
- Raised beds: If you have a vegetable garden, use raised beds. They warm up faster in spring and provide better drainage, which helps some plants survive winter more easily.
- Windbreaks: Create temporary windbreaks using burlap screens or snow fencing to protect plants in exposed areas from strong winter winds.
Maintaining Your Garden Through Winter
Even after you’ve winterized your garden, it’s important to check in throughout the winter months. We recommend these maintenance tasks:
- Avoid walking on frozen grass to prevent damage.
- Brush off heavy snow loads from shrubs and trees to keep the branches from breaking.
- Check your plants regularly for signs of damage from animals or heavy snow.
- Water plants during dry spells if the ground isn’t frozen.