104 Eastern Avenue
Gloucester, MA 01930
978-281-4480 (p)
978-282-0619 (f)
60 Turnpike Road
Ipswich, MA 01938
978-356-6342 (p)
978-356-4476 (f)
www.wolfhillgardencenter.com
How to protect your gardens for WINTER!
Trees: Newly planted trees should be supported with stakes to prevent uprooting through the winter.
Tree wrap should be used on the trunk of any thin barked tree to prevent frost cracks from forming
during the winter. Remember to remove this wrap in early spring.
Shrubs: Broadleaf evergreens should be protected from high wind exposure. Applying Wilt-Pruf
thoroughly on the top and bottom leaf surfaces on December 1st and again on February 1st will help
prevent wind related damage. Wrapping shrubs in burlap is recommended, but is more work and less
aesthetically pleasing.
Hedges: Vertically branching shrubs need support so they do not open up with the weight of snow or
frozen rain. However, tying up the plant may cause suffocation. We recommend using stakes tied
together with twine along the exposed sides of upright plants for support. This will give adequate
support throughout the winter and can be removed in the spring.
Vegetable Gardens: Once your vegetable plants have died off, remove them from the ground and
dispose of in your compost pile. When the bed has been emptied, add organic material, such as cow
manure, compost, or peat. Sowing winter rye will help prevent soil erosion. In the spring, you will till
the winter rye into the soil to prepare for your new crop.
Flowering Gardens: Dispose of all dead annuals into your compost pile. Cut back perennials to 4”-6”
above ground after foliage dieback has occurred. Fertilize your perennials with a high-phosphorus
fertilizer (i.e. super phosphate or bone meal) prior to mulching your perennials for the winter. Prepare
your garden soil with cow manure, compost, peat, and granular fertilizer to get a head start on the
spring season.
Roses: When cool temperatures arrive, topsoil should be used to mulch the base of your rose and salt
marsh hay to mulch the lower branches. Pruning should be done in the spring. Dead branches should
be removed to permit new inner growth and tallest canes should be pruned to promote a fuller plant.
Lawn: Fall is the most important time to year for to fertilize your lawn. Fall fertilizers are generally high
in phosphorus to encourage root growth. Adding lime at this time is recommended also. Lime is
necessary to raise your lawns pH level to optimize growth.
Bulbs: Plant your spring flowering bulbs in the fall! You will be happy you did when you see their
beautiful color popping up in early spring.
Fall is a great time to plant! Its cool temperatures allow for less watering and lessen the chance of
transplant shock. We recommend the planting of bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs & groundcovers
throughout the late fall or until the ground freezes.