As the days get cooler and the nights get downright chilly, it is time to think about winterizing your garden. Some bulbs need to be planted, some should be dug up and stored, pruning needs to be done, and mulch needs to be laid, among other chores. Let’s walk through some of the steps needed to complete this task so that your flowerbeds will be ready to burst with blooms come springtime.

The US Department of Agriculture zones determine many of the actions you should take in regards to your garden; from what type of plants to put in to when to place them in the ground. Zones 3 – 7 encompass the state of Colorado with Colorado Springs falling into zone 5. What does this mean and why is it important in determining how to winterize your garden?

Once you know your zone it is possible to look up the average frost and freeze dates; to help in this I found a handy little website called davesgarden.com. Knowing the average dates in your area lets you set a timeline for the winterization. So let’s get down to business.

First you should plant all of the bulbs that are hardy enough to overwinter in your area. If you have plants in the ground that don’t tend to hold up very well then now is the time to dig them up and store them for the winter. 

Secondly, you should prune the plants this will remove the dead pieces and allow the new growth a chance to strengthen the plant. It is not possible for new life to grow where death is residing; this is true not only in gardening but can be applied to many areas of our lives.

To insulate the remaining beds you want to lay down a nice, thick layer of mulch. This will give the newly planted bulbs extra protection during the coming months. It is not recommended that whole fallen leaves be used as mulch since they can become heavy and matted down. If you would like to use the fallen leaves, they should be shredded first to prevent the matting.

As a last step, it is wise to take the time to clean all of your gardening equipment before putting it away. Cleaning the equipment will prevent rust and destruction of your tools as well as make your future gardening attempts easier and more pleasant. A dirty, dull or broken tool doesn’t perform the way a clean and sharp tool does.  This maintenance will make the spring planting much more pleasant since you will be able to immediately get into the garden without first having to scrap the rust off of tools or replace ones that no longer work properly.

So winterize the garden and then have fun browsing through seed catalogs over the long winter months!