Winter is coming…follow these timely tips for preparing your yard and garden for the cold months ahead – and for making spring cleanup easier!

1. Dig up annuals and summer bulbs. If you haven’t done so yet, dig up summer annuals and use them to nourish the compost heap. You should also dig up your summer bulbs and store them in peat moss for the winter.

2. Clean the vegetable patch. Done harvesting? To keep pests from using your vegetable garden as a hibernation hot spot, make sure to weed and remove all debris before winter sets in.

3. Cut back and divide perennials. Now is a good time to rearrange plants if they haven’t been flourishing in their current location.

4. Bring container plants indoors. Nurse cherished plants through the winter in the garage or basement. Remove dead leaves and break up any hardened soil before bringing them inside.

5. Provide protection for plants that are sensitive to cold. Shrubs, roses, and perennials that might succumb to blasts of cold should be protected with mulches or screens. Place these protective barriers after the first freeze.

6. Rake fallen leaves. Don’t let fallen leaves stay on your lawn all winter – left unattended, they’ll suffocate grass and other plants. You don’t need to let them go to waste, either – shredded leaves make great mulch.

7. Plant spring bulbs. To ensure colorful springtime blooms, it’s best to plant bulbs in the fall. It’s best to get your planting done before the earth freezes.

Mow the lawn and feed it. It grows more slowly in the fall, but do cut the grass before winter sets in. Be sure to lower the lawn mower and cut it short to help it dry out more quickly in the spring. Follow up that last cutting with a feeding – the extra nutrients will help it to survive the winter.