5 Ways to Winterize Your Home

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Photo: Flickr/ Debs-eye

If you’re worried about cold weather wiping out your plants, you can rest easy in most cases. Winter weather doesn’t cater toward flowers blooming, but your plants should live to see another spring. However, there are a few things you can do to maintain your garden during the winter months:

Turn yard waste from the fall into mulch, which can be applied across your lawn and soil beds to contribute nutrients during winter months. You can mulch grass clippings, leaves, wood chips and even paper products like cardboard (be sure to remove tape), and it will also provide extra layers of insulation for plants.
Limit your watering, because plants are less active in winter and therefore need less watering.
If you utilize a sprinkler system, shut it off during winter months and water plants manually. This reduces the chances of your pipes freezing, and allows you to water only during dry periods.
For potted plants, bring them inside or close to the house where weather is warmer. You can also put a tarp over planter boxes to shield them from weather.

Editor’s Note: Earth911 partners with many industries, manufacturers and organizations to support its Recycling Directory, the largest in the nation, which is provided to consumers at no cost. Lowe’s is one of these partners.