Selected Winter Garden Tips

The Home and Garden Information Center of the University of Maryland puts out a great e-newsletter. Here are a few of the gardening tips that they list for January in the home landscape.

Lawns
• Hand pull winter annual weeds to keep them from going to seed this spring. Some common annual weeds include chickweed , henbit , and dead nettle . Here are more tips for eco-friendly weed control.
• Avoid excessive walking on your grass when it is frozen to avoid damaging the crowns of your grass plants.  

Woody Ornamental Tips
• Protect shrubs from winter winds by surrounding them with burlap or cardboard, or constructing small, solid windbreaks located 18 inches from the plant on the windward side.
• Try to prevent snow and ice from building up on gutters and eaves above shrubs. Gently sweep snow loads off of shrubs to prevent breakage.
• Prune damaged branches.  


Fruit
• Fall bearing raspberries can be cut down to the ground. The spent fruiting canes of June bearers can also be removed now.
• Consider covering your strawberry patch with a piece of floating row cover. This material can help prevent winter injury and promote early growth in the spring.  

Vegetables and Herbs
• Plan for spring seeding now. Check the germination rate of old, questionable seed (see newsletter to learn how)  

Fertilizer
• Keep all ice melting materials away from landscape plants. Do not attempt to melt ice with granular garden fertilizers.

Mulch
• If you have not mulched your garden, apply mulch now to perennial beds, trees and shrubs. This will help to protect plant crowns and shallow root systems from severe cold weather.

Wildlife
• Keep bird feeders and baths cleaned and replenished throughout the winter months.

For more tips from this excellent newsletter, download the winter edition here.