How To Care For Your Winter Garden By Chris Emmerson

It is that time of year again folks winter is just around the corner, are you and your garden prepared for it.

As usual the tips I pass on to people, they take up and use, long before me, why is it I never have time.

But I promised myself I am going to do better this year.

1. I have already switched off the water to my outside tap, and I have made sure all of the water is drained out of the pipes, (I don't want any more burst pipes thank you)

2. I have dug my vegetable garden and applied plenty of manure, so it will be in good stead for the start of next year.

3. I do not turn the garden over, and leave the soil in big clumps for the frost to break up. Simply because we do not seem to get heavy enough frosts any longer.

I ordered my polyanthus plug plants, they got delivered to me a month ago ( the beginning of October). I always pot them on into larger pots and feed them well, they have established themselves pretty well in their new homes.

I like to plant them out in the garden about the middle of November, the garden experts on TV will probably disagree with me about my timing, but so what it is my garden and anyway everything catches up.

If you have an outside pond keep taking dead leafs out of it, you do not want them settling to the bottom, this will cause you and your fish a lot of problems as they start to break down.

If there is a danger of frost put a ball in the pond, this will stop the water freezing over completely, if it does freeze right over gases will pollute the water, you will have spent a lot of time getting the conditions correct for your fish, you do not want to upset the balance.

1. It is a good time of year to plant roses as the soil is still reasonably warm.

2. You still have time to get your daffodils and crocus bulbs in.

3. I know people will complain to me, but I find in my garden I have to use slug pellets. If I don't my polyanthus and winter flowering pansies would not last a night.

4. I make a point of going out at first light to collect dead slugs and snails, hopefully I am protecting the birds to an extent.

5. The hedgehogs are still out and about, so I like to leave a bit of food and a drink out for them. If you are going to have a garden fire make sure none of our spiny friends have made a home in there.

My worst job in the garden is collecting leaves, I absolutely detest it, the job is never ending. But you don't want them lying on your lawn as this will encourage moss, so rake them up, don't waste them though put them in black bin bags stab a few holes in the bags store them somewhere, and about a year later you will have some marvelous stuff to mulch your garden with.

I made a border near my sitting room window a few years back, and I planted it up with evergreens, so even on the coldest winters day I can stand inside with my cup of tea and enjoy a bit of greenery.

Twice during last winter I cut the grass, ( I know but you are not supposed to do that in bad weather) the grass had grown and looked a mess so out came my mower, I lifted the blades as high as they would go, it would be a bad idea to scalp the lawn at this time of year, so a light cut did the job, and it had no detrimental effect on the lawn.

Winter may seem a time of year when nothing goes on in the garden, but do not be fooled there is always something you can be getting on with, even if it is just repairing the broken gate.

Keep warm folks.

Chris Emmerson full of aches and pains folks, but still out there battling on. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Emmerson

Gardening - Late Fall Gardening By Hilary Basile

Fall brings about a new adventure in gardening. It's a time to focus on elimination and conservation. Colors will fade, allowing for other parts of the garden to shine. Proper pruning is necessary to accent seed pods, winter foliage and stems. Fall is a great time to add dimensions to your garden in the form of texture, shapes and colors. Following are gardening tips for pruning and planting in during the fall.

Fall Pruning

Following are tips for fall pruning:

• Cut most low growing perennials to the ground unless they have evergreen foliage such as Creeping Phlox, Thyme and Veronica.
• Prune plants with sloppy fall foliage like Irises, Daylilies and Shasta Daisies.
• Leave stems with interesting seed pods standing, like Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan and dried Iris seed pods.
• Remove clutter by thinning or cutting down plants that remain in clumps like Bee Balm or Obedient Plant.
• Clean up broken and bent stems.
• Strip stems of browned leaves to accent seed heads.
• Throw out annuals as they decline.
• Cut back fussy grasses like Panic Grass. Upright varieties such as Feather Reed may last until spring but may require some staking.
• Clean up and stake evergreen shrubs, grasses and perennials as needed.
• Use anti-desiccants to help plants survive the winter.
• Mulch roses with 12 inches of coarse bark. Don't prune roses too heavily until springtime.
• Do a thorough fall weeding to prevent unwanted spring surprises.
• Level your garden by filling holes, raking up dead leaves and reducing high spots.
• Apply a thin layer of compost for winter nutrients.

Fall Planting

Following are tips for planting fall annuals:

• Add Pansies and flowering kale in drifts or clumps to add extra color and interest. They will diminish in winter but will come back in the spring.
• Use a slow-release granular fertilizer when planting.
• Use a liquid fertilizer weekly until there is a killing frost.
• Water all garden plants regularly through the winter to keep them alive.

Use these gardening tips to prune and winterize your garden, and to plant flowers that will add color and interest through the fall and winter.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com - http://www.myguidesusa.com you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com Find lawn and garden tips and resources at http://www.myguidesusa.com/lawnandgarden Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hilary_Basile

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Article Submitted On: November 07, 2007