Protection of your garden against the cold
The winter weather is our February farm after several freezing points and even an unusual snowfall in San Marcos. In contrast to the extended freezing of February 2022, the cold of this winter has not threatened sustainable landscapes, but protection against colds is still a serious problem. A simple solution is a thick ceiling of leaves insulating plant roots and covering plant beds instead of a thin mulch plate. Blattstreu also offers a place for useful insects for wintering, so that they are continued as a garden ally when spring arrives. Even tanned hollow planting stems offer protection for insect dolls and eggs that are waiting for spring.
Some homeowners cover plants during the cold temperatures, while others rely on hard local plants to survive, or plan the spring protocol to tackle damage and promote new growth. Depending on the goals and patience of a gardener, both practices are appropriate opportunities for homemade. But yards are also part of our local environment. Every sustainable farm is also a year -round home for “plant partners” – pollinators and advantageous insects. Birds and advantageous insects control insect pests without using chemical treatments that can affect the environment.
Although some wild animals are garden partners, local plants may not need protection against visitors like Hirsch. High fences around the backyards are a common solution, but even a lower barrier can hold these browsers. Your eyesight requires a clear area to land after jumping a fence, so that large plants in this area discourage entry. Even without fencing, local plants are resistant to deer. For example, ignore deer iris, but not local flowering plants become “deer sweetness”, unless they are protected by wire cages or other barriers.
Water remains a problem for landscape systems in winter weather. Well -hydrated plants withstand much better than dried beds, and densely mul -controlled beds help to maintain the soil moisture. In view of the double challenge of floods and drought, water management is always part of the landscape design in central texas. The control of the rain with diversions or drains prevents the erosion of the soil and the damage to the structures, and collecting rainwater for plants reduces the irrigation costs. The provision of a water source for useful wildlife (birds and pollinators) can be as easy as a drip fountain or a bird bath or as ambitious as a garden pool.
Together with water management, the sun or shadow exposure to planters has an impact. Texas Summer Sunshine is intense and many plants benefit from partial shadows in a bed that surrounds a tree or a large shrub. However, succulents, grasses and shrubs can thrive from gravel or crushed stone, which can also isolate the soil from heat and cold.
In addition to the practical concerns regarding plants and water, landscapes reflect the preferences of a homeowner such as continuous ground cover, large planting areas or separate edge beds and containers. Lawn grass has long been the standard for the front courts, but is not sustainable under drought and requires regular maintenance. A mixture of local grasses and low -growing plants such as horse mints requires minimal water and covers the ground all year round. This native mixture can also cover sidewalks between planting areas, or paths can be defined with mulch (leaves or wood chips, rocks or gravel) or concrete paving stones.
