Blog Contributed by David West
Now that fall is officially here, it’s time to start preparing your gardens for winter. As the frost slowly sets in, your plants are going to need some extra care to help them survive. A great way to prep your garden for the chilly weather is through mulching. Mulching is simply using organic or inorganic material as a protective top layer over your existing soil. And, mulching has a ton of great benefits for your plants, besides protection from the cold.
Organic mulches, like pine straw or bark mulch are excellent choices to use around your garden. As they decompose, these mulches will add valuable nutrients to your soil, allowing your plants to grow and thrive even in winter. Our favorite option is good old Georgia pine straw. It looks great in both your garden and flower beds and it’s readily available! It’s also a cost effective mulch option.
Inorganic options, like stones or brick chips, are best around ornamental gardens or your flower beds. They’ll help maintain an even soil temperature. Why is this important? Because seeds are fussy. If the soil becomes too cold, the seed won’t germinate and flower come spring.
Mulch which helps retain soil moisture and conserve water, which is important during the sometimes drier months of winter. It does this by reducing evaporation, which usually translates into reduced irrigation needs.
Both inorganic mulches and organic ones will save your garden from erosion, conserve water, and prevent weed growth. All hugely important in making sure your garden grows strong and maintains health during the winter. Whichever option you choose, whether organic or non-organic, you’ll be sure that your plants will have a toasty home for the holidays!
David West is not only a manager on the landscape maintenance, installation and turf management team of Great Estates Landscaping, he is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible.