While you may not be thinking of your garden when the temp falls below 32 degrees, you should be -- particularly if you've got young trees and shrubs out in your yard.
Winter is a hard season for a lot of us (although, here in Fort Wayne so far the weather's been pretty enjoyable and mild). It's also hard on your young plants and the wildlife that visits or lives on your property.
Squirrels and other small mammals may start stripping bark from trees -- especially trees with tender bark that easily comes off. Protect your trunks with hardware mesh.
While it may not be snowing a lot here right now, it's only a matter of time. The extra weight of wet snow will easily snap young branches and stems. Tie your stems and branches together -- firmly yet gently -- with plant tape or twine. Tying them together gives less of a surface for the snow to settle on and also adds strength by combining them all together.
The salt that will surely be dumped on the roads to provide safe travel can damage your broadleaf evergreens such as arborvitae. Protect your branches from the harsh salt and other chemicals by covering them with burlap. The salt can burn the leaves and kill off branches.
Meanwhile, enjoy the winter frolicking of birds and squirrels throughout your yard while watching from a window, covered in a blanket, wearing fuzzy slippers and sipping a cup of cocoa ;)
