By LORRIE RUGG
University of Minnesota Extension
As I look outside this morning, it is raining leaves. Since we had a hard freeze last night, even had a bit of the white stuff on the street, the leaves that were left on the trees are falling. My locust tree and linden tree are finally dropping.
Last month, I talked about leaving those leaves in your yard. But with the thick layer of leaves now on my lawn, I will be mulching them up and then leaving them in the yard. The layer of leaves is just too thick, and I don’t want to smother the lawn underneath. So at the end of the week, when it warms up again, I will get out with the mower, turning those leaves into fertilizer for the yard.
There are still other chores that need to be done in the yard before winter. Some of those mulched-up leaves can be added to your perennial beds for an extra layer of protection. They will decompose and also add some good things to your soil.
Remember those squirrels and bunnies that you battled all summer? Well, they will be hungry this winter. So you need to give your trees and shrubs a little protection. For those smaller trees that are a few years old, a plastic tube will fit nicely around the trunk. They can be purchased at garden centers and most Home Improvement stores. They are quite long, but remember how deep our snow can get. You might have to use 2 of them – you want to make sure they extend to the first branch of leaves. I prefer these tubes over the tree wrap that you can also use. I think it is just a tighter fit. I wouldn’t trust that those hungry creatures would leave that wrap alone.
Your evergreen shrubs would definitely benefit from a wrap of burlap. It helps with sunburn and also drying from these drying winter winds. You can use burlap bags or buy a roll of burlap. Use twine to secure the burlap and cover the shrub almost to the top.
Even though we had a hard freeze last night, the ground is still not frozen. So we still can water our trees and shrubs until that happens. We want to go into winter, giving them the best chance of winter survival.
When you think your chores are all done, it is time to clean and store your tools for the winter. Make sure they are clean; even a disinfectant treatment will make sure you don’t carry over any diseases. Sand off the rust spots with fine sandpaper or steel wool and seal with a vegetable oil. Remove sap with a spray lubricant and then wipe dry with a cloth.
Lastly, get your bird feeders ready to go. We won’t have flowers to look at, but we can watch the birds at the feeders. Black oil sunflower seeds and suet cakes are favorites of mine during the winter. There is nothing better than seeing red cardinals against a backdrop of white snow.
Then the summer of 2025 is definitely put to bed. As gardeners, we always say “next year” – so start planning!
—Lorrie Rugg is Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Rice & Steele counties. Reach her at [email protected].
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