The Garden Life: Get yard, garden ready for cold season

The best way to protect your garden in winter is to plant a selection of trees, shrubs and groundcovers that are classified as hardy to your local climate conditions. (ROBB ROSSER)

As long as we continue to have days of moderately warm air, warm soil and warm rain, healthy turf grass will remain lush and green. I relish the chance to tell visitors that lawns stay green through winter in the Pacific Northwest.

Grass lawns need to be mowed less often now, and not at all once winter temperatures set in, although fescue in the seed mix might continue to grow enough to need a couple more late mowings.

Late in the afternoon, before the sun sets below the horizon, sunlight reflects off the faces of newly planted winter pansies. Along with winter kale, they add new life to spent summer pots and planters.

We’re well into the season so despite any life still left in the garden, it’s time to take care of certain jobs before first frost. Bring houseplants back inside, protect potted plants that are marginally hardy and tuck tender perennials into their garden beds.

Many fuchsias, seasonal geraniums and jasmine plants will be killed by frost if left in the garden. If not killed outright, they will succumb to a series of freezes and thaws that are typical of our Washington winters. Unless you specifically bought a variety of plant for its proven hardiness in our area, they need to be in a frost-proof area during winter. A cold frame, garage or perhaps the no man’s land on the side of your home will do nicely. While you’re at it, bring in all delicate ornamental pots and seasonal decorations.

The point is to keep the plants in a state of dormancy through the winter without freezing the roots or allowing the soil to heave around the roots. Check these plants periodically for water. They should be moist but well drained, so they are not standing in water. This applies to perennials, needle-leaved evergreens, broad-leaved evergreens and trees that were planted out in the garden this fall.

If you want to try overwintering marginally hardy plants in their borders, protect the soil around the plant from freezing by covering the crown with a thick layer of straw or peat. Leave the old stems on the plant for extra protection. They will most likely die back, but not necessarily all the way into the crown.

A last addition of organic mulch will help hold moisture in the ground for the benefit of new plants.

Certain shrubs may also test the bounds of hardiness. Others, like tall slender yew and arborvitae, need to be wrapped lightly with a thin wire or heavy twine so that heavy rains and possibly snow do not split the plant apart. It’s possible that even one light snowfall will ruin the ultimate shape of a beautiful, healthy evergreen plant. This is one of those chores that few gardeners do and many wish they had done.

For frost and freeze protection on certain borders in my garden I take advantage of any of the Douglas fir branches that have come down in fall winds. I lay them out to cover whole areas of flower borders.

You can also use Douglas fir or other evergreen boughs by standing them on end and tying the tops together like a teepee. This method works to protect taller shrubs such as hydrangeas, roses, escallonias or leucothoe.

Evergreen branches can also be used to protect plants from bitter wind.

Burlap or an alternative strong, open-weave fabric is an acceptable substitute and can easily be supported in a triangle around a shrub by using three bamboo stakes and some twine.

Needle and broadleaf evergreens are inclined to suffer desiccation in severe winters, losing moisture from the foliar cells. Construct a loose, tent-like cover over new evergreen transplants.

A little protection from cold winds is all some plant need to survive their first winter.

Finish your garden cleanup and weeding on days when weather permits. Some gardeners will settle for nothing but a perfectly antiseptic garden going into winter.

For others cutting back straggly branches and raking up any yard debris are enough.

I like to leave seed heads on most plants in the flower border to encourage birds to stay and forage through winter.

Wildlife enthusiasts will include shrubs and trees with winter berries, such as holly, viburnum and barberry in their gardens.

Morning TV shows feature East Coast celebrity weather people slapping storm clouds and freezing rain placards across the entire Northwest corner of the U.S. weather map during the winter months.

Local channels feature friendly neighborhood meteorologists who are more geographically attentive but nevertheless disturbingly off-base about our seasonal weather as well.

May I suggest that before you take anyone else’s word for it, step outside and see for yourself?

If it’s nice, do a bit of fall gardening.

Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified master gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.