While you may be tempted to spend the season keeping warm inside, Winter is actually a great time to get outside and keep your garden thriving – especially because Mother Nature provides you with natural irrigation.
So what are the basic elements of Winter maintenance and how can you effectively care for your garden in the colder weather?
Preparing Your Garden For Winter
As the seasons change, you should also change up your garden maintenance. In order to have a blossoming Spring, you need to give your garden some love in the Winter months.
Three of the top areas you should focus on in Winter include drainage, pruning and controlling weeds.
Drainage
While the rain is a welcome addition to our gardens, some areas without adequate drainage may become waterlogged. Waterlogged soil is bad news for your garden as the excess water reduces the amount of oxygen in the soil, leading to plants being unable to breathe.
Speak to a team member at Looking Good Landscaping today to find out the best way to improve your garden design and drainage.
Pruning
Controlling Weeds
Weeds seem to thrive in Winter, growing faster than you can say, “where’d those come from?”. Controlling weeds is a year-round investment, but in Winter, you should opt to use a herbicide that eradicates your weeds without damaging your lawn.
Irrigation Tactics in Winter
Step one – turn off the sprinkler and let Mother Nature work her magic! During Winter in Perth, the Water Corporation implement a sprinkler switch-off, which applies to all scheme and bore water users in Perth, Secret Harbour and some parts of the South West, from 1 June to 31 August each year.
Thanks to the cooler temperatures, lower evaporation rates and most lawns becoming dormant, your lawn requires less water to survive over Winter, which means your usual irrigation can take a backseat.
People can still hand water their gardens during Winter, however, the Water Corporation recommend that homeowners only water if necessary, in order to save precious water supplies.
Weather-Based Irrigation
Before and after Winter, homeowners should manage their irrigation using a weather-based irrigation controller, which automatically adjusts your watering times based on external factors, such as moisture and temperature, ensuring your garden gets adequate irrigation.
Even better, with an automated irrigation controller, you can set and forget!
Let Your Lawn Breathe
We mentioned drainage before, but the common clay soil coupled with Winter rainfall is a recipe for waterlogged gardens and lawns over the wetter months.
The excess water isn’t just an eyesore, the water starves your lawn and plants from oxygen, ultimately turning your lawn yellow.
To manage a waterlogged lawn, you should first avoid walking on it, as any additional weight will compact the soil further. If the water has remained on your lawn for a few days, you can strive to remove the water with a soft bristled broom, pushing the water towards a drain or runoff area.
Lastly, you can aerate the lawn by poking holes in it, with tools such as garden forks or a hollow tine aerator, which will help to circulate air by opening the soil; the aerated holes will also assist the water to seep down into the lawn roots. Be mindful where your reticulation is so as not to damage it with a fork hole. (Also Read: Common Signs Your Reticulation Needs Repairing)
Winter Landscaping With Your Local Experts
When it comes to looking after your garden design, landscaping and irrigation, you can’t go past Looking Good Landscaping.
At Looking Good Landscaping, we have provided professional, customised landscaping services to homes across Perth for over 20 years.
Get in touch with our team today to find out how we can provide you with a tailored solution for your landscaping, irrigation and general garden care needs.