Winter Ideas For Your Backyard

If you leave in the Northern Hemisphere you have probably noticed that the winter is coming quickly. The weather becomes colder, it smells of snow and the days become shorter and shorter.

What happens with your garden now? Here is what you can and need to do for it:

1. The plants. If you exclude the evergreen trees and bushes, all other plants need to be prepared for the winter. The late autumn vegetables must be picked up and put in safe dry and cool place. If you have roses and other long living flowers, check what special requirements are there for keeping them in the winter. The fruit-trees don't need special care, but if you see too much snow piled up on some branch, clean it up because it can break the tree.

2. The Buildings
You need to pay special attention to wooden and metal sheds, pergolas and alcoves. If the wood is not threated well it may rot during the long rains. If there are cracks in the wood, the water that goes inside may freeze and break it up.

Check the metal buildings for rust and threat them with stainless preparations. The little rust spots can turn into huge ones in the spring if you don't threat them now.

Visit this sheds and barns blog for more info about these buildings.

3. The Outdoor Furnishing
Pick up everything that you can keep in the house. Outdoor chairs, tables, lounges better stay in dry place. Most people leave their benches outside, but you need to follow the same logic as with the buildings - keep them from rust and rot.

One very simple and cheap method to protect benches and swing sets is to cover them with something - nylon, polythene or canvas.

4. The Pathways
Most pathways have no problem to survive the winter, but there are some things to consider. Concrete pathways which have cracks can be object of severe damages when the water in the cracts turns into ice.

The patways that are made of stones and gravel don't have this problem. You need only to clean the snow and to make sure the surface doesn't become slippery.

And don't be upset by the upcoming winter. The snow and the cold weather can give a different charm of you garden that can't be seen only at that time of the year. Just enjoy it!