If you live in a snowy region like Hokkaido, winter can be a tough season for your plants. In Hokkaido, we sometimes start getting snow as early as mid-October. That is why we are familiar with preparing our garden for the cold months. Coming directly from our gardening experts, here is a great tip to protect your garden from the heavy snow: Fuyu-gakoi.

There are a number of different styles to Fuyu-gakoi. A popular way to accomplish this in Hokkaido is as shown in the picture above. It is simple. We first tie together the branches with a piece of rope. Then, we gather bamboo or wooden sticks twice the height of the plant. We prop up all the sticks against the plant and this creates a shelter. In extreme cold weather, we even wrap up the shelter with straw or a net.

There are many good reasons to try out Fuyu-gakoi on your plants: the shelter prevents the branches from breaking under the heavy snow; it protects the plants from the cold air and extends their lives; not to mention, it creates a uniformed look to the plants and it adds quite a bit to the landscape!

This winter, why not try Fuyu-gakoi in your garden?