Yellowknife (Aug 22/03) - The rainbow of colours in the garden is something many Yellowknifers enjoy.

But as autumn approaches, now is the time for avid green thumbs to reluctantly begin reversing all their hard work.

Landscaper Darwin Rudkevitch of Arctic Farmer Landscaping, says while many varieties of shrubs such as cedar need little preparation for the long, cold winter, other plants such as roses do require attention.

"It's not the cold that will kill them, but the rapid change in temperature," Rudkevitch says.

"Roses are sensitive to this climate." Placing potted roses inside in an area such as a crawl space will ensure they again will see another summer. And depending upon what flowers one has planted, gladiolus and dahlias should be stored in a cool, dry place and covered in sawdust or peat -- not wrapped in plastic, he says.

Marilyn Hulbert, an employee in the garden section at Canadian Tire, says gardeners should remember to adequately fertilize not only gardens but lawns.

"And the last number (of the fertilizer mix) should be the highest," Hulbert notes.

Jerry Vandenbilche of the Yellowknife Garden Centre, says dead plants should be composted for the next growing season and tender trees such as roses, junipers or mugho pine should be wrapped in burlap.

"If it is exposed to cold or wind it may die," he says of the less hardy varieties.

But while the blooms and greenery get all the attention, Louise Debogorski of Eagle North Contracting, says having a good soil base is what makes it all happen.

And if those green thumbs, new or experienced, develop their yards with the proper mix of fill and topsoil now, a good garden will surely blossom come spring.

"The difference between here and the South is that you have to work with the soil by adding lime and watering and fertilizing it," she says.