After a local meteorologist last month predicted several nights of close-to-freezing temperatures, I decided to err on the side of caution and winterize our two water features.

Both are freestanding fountains with fragile components that tend to crack when the mercury drops precipitously. After gently cleaning the breakable sections and then wrapping them in a towel for storage, I hauled a pail of warm, soapy water outside and gave the body of each fountain a good scrub.

Both typically go into our garden shed over the winter, but two weeks passed without any movement on my part. And then came the third week of October, with seven days of glorious Indian summer weather. Our outdoor thermometer registered a balmy 70 degrees F. on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 26. We happened to have about 60 friends and family at our house for a pumpkin-carving extravaganza. Part of the fun is eating copious quantities of food and, this year, marveling at temperatures that allowed everyone to actually sit and eat outside — a feat that has never, ever happened in the 16 years we’ve held this event.

Knowing that everyone would likely want to be outdoors, I reassembled our fountains and got them up and running in time for the festivities. I still can’t believe our good fortune. Last year’s weather was so nasty that a tent we normally put up for overflow seating was lifted during a freak windstorm and carried 25 feet into our neighbor’s yard, decorations and all!

This year we were able to skip the tent altogether. After carving, jacket-free kids played flashlight tag in the deepening twilight and adults sat in lawn chairs for perhaps the last time this season, drinking coffee and admiring the softly glowing pumpkins.

As we gear up for the return of “normal” weather, readers have some questions about winterizing both plants and ponds:

Q&A

Question: “I’m moving several tender perennials (salvias, agaves, a lemon tree, some begonias) into our garden shed to overwinter. It stays above freezing most of the time, but natural light is at a premium. How much do I water to insure continued good health for these plants?”

Answer: For plants moving into dormancy, they’ll need less water. Quite a bit less, actually. Barely moist soil is fine most — but not all — of the time. A bit of drought is actually preferable, and light really isn’t an issue.

Plants that don’t die down, such as lemons and begonias, are a bit different. They would probably prefer a cool but sunnier location indoors. Tender tropicals and certain perennials can continue to grow over the winter, albeit slowly. Such plants need a bit more water in order to thrive, but not so much that the roots rot.

You may find that you’ll need to water once every two weeks, once a month or, in some cases, just once every two months. It all depends on the plant, its location and the surrounding environment.

Q: “We inherited a pond when we moved into our current home. I’ve heard that ponds need to be winterized, but what, exactly, does that mean?”

A: A water garden is pretty darn carefree — right up until it’s time to clean and winterize it!

Fortunately, it’s a fairly straightforward process:

n Tackle the debris on the bottom of the pond. If the accumulation is less than an inch or two, just scoop it out. Slow, steady movements are best, as you don’t want to cloud the water any more than necessary, or scare any resident fish. Deposit the nutrient-rich gunk on garden beds (top with chopped leaves) or mix into your compost pile.

If there’s more than two inches, you’ll need to drain and clean your pond. Overwintered pond debris depletes oxygen levels and can release harmful gases that aren’t good for fish and really cloud the water.

If you do have fish, scoop some of the existing water into a five-gallon bucket. Drain the remaining water until the level gets fairly low, then scoop out the fish with a net. Cover the bucket with a screen to prevent hyperactive fish from jumping out.

Scrub away algae with a stiff pole brush (saves your back and knees). Avoid caustic cleaning compounds. The residue is hard to remove and could kill both fish and plants.

Trim back hardy water plants and sink them into the deepest part of the pool once it is refilled. They’ll survive even freezing temperatures without missing a beat.

Set aside tropical water lilies and other non-hardy plants such as dwarf papyrus, canna and taro. Check and clean filters so the pump runs more efficiently.

Refill the pond within 24 hours, especially if freezing weather threatens. Flexible and fiberglass pond liners can heave and crack if they’re left high-and-dry over the winter, says author and horticulturist Lindsay Bond Totten. The same goes for submersible pumps. If you choose not to run the pump during the winter, store it indoors in a tub of water so the parts won’t “freeze up” next spring when it’s plugged in.

In general, says Totten, waterfalls and bubblers can operate continuously in all but the coldest weather. Just a few notes of caution:

n Ice formations are beautiful, but they can cause leaking at the edges of a pond. Ice buildups can also shift and loosen rocks, even if they’re mortared.

n Fish usually migrate to the warmest layer of water near the bottom of the pond. Be careful not to disturb that layer too much, or fish might perish.

n If you turn off the pump, drain the hoses. Freezing water in the lines can loosen fittings and cause pipes to burst.

When the pond is refilled, here’s a simple way to keep the last leaves of autumn from clogging the filter: Stretch lightweight netting above the surface of the water and anchor it securely with rocks. Shake off the leaves every few days.

Many gardeners leave the netting in place all winter, but there’s really no need, especially if you enjoy looking at the surface of the water in winter. Once the leaves are all down, and plants around the pond have been cut back, accumulation of debris will decrease significantly. You can remove the netting.

Totten recommends moving tender plants indoors for the winter. Put tropical water lilies in shallow tubs of water and provide cool temperatures and light from a window. Store canna and taro tubers in boxes of slightly damp peat moss.

-88-