Clearing your garden in autumn before the really cold weather sets in can help to ensure that it looks tidy and well-tended throughout the winter months. Among the other advantages of an autumn garden clean is prevention of a build-up of slippery, fallen leaves that could turn your garden into a mushy, hazardous mess. By sorting out your garden now it gives you a head start on your spring gardening when you will want to plant your pansies dwarf irises, instead of dealing with overgrown weeds and an overdue raking job. Arguably, however, the biggest difference of Autumnal garden clearance is that you can deal with a variety of potential garden pests, weeds and diseases that can have a massive impact on your new plants in spring.
Preparing your garden for Winter
Cleaning up
When you clean up the dead leaves and debris in your garden you remove a hiding place for insects and pests that can have a devastating effect on new plants that will shoot up in spring. Dead plant material can be a breeding ground for plant diseases especially fungal spores. You will want to prune away any blackened stems and dying leaves from annual flowers and vegetables that can act as a haven for diseases and insect eggs. Prune away any dead or diseased tree branches and trim away dead wood from any shrubs and woody perennials. Fallen rose leaves should be bagged to counteract diseases like black spot.
Weeding
One weed can produce thousands of seeds so removing weeds in Autumn can prevent weeds from getting to the seed production phase, and reduce the number of weed seeds in the ground. Although it is unlikely that you will ever fully win the battle against weeds, the extra effort of weeding in fall is likely to give you the upper hand.
Tending your plants
Before moving your Dahlia and Begonia tubers for winter storage in your frost-free shed or greenhouse you will want to remove any dead foliage. Autumn is a great time to plant spring flowers like daffodil, tulip and Allium bulbs and spring bedding like wallflowers and winter pansies. You can also plant ornamental trees and shrubs in preparation for Christmas. If you have a vegetable garden, you will want to harvest any remaining peas and beans, cutting the plant at ground level and leaving the roots in the soil.
Clearing the garden waste
Undoubtedly after you have trimmed your lawn and hedges, cut back your shrubs and trees and removed the garden weeds, you will be dealing with a large amount of garden waste. A garden clearance company can remove all your garden waste at once, including your grass, dead leaves, pruned away branches, as well as, bags of soil, broken fencing, garden machinery and old garden furniture. By hiring garden clearance professionals, you can include your garden shed in your Autumn garden clean up, to make some extra space for Spring, and rest assured that not only is the job complete but that your waste has been safely disposed and recycled where possible.