The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.Use these techniques to help your perennials, trees, shrubs, etc. survive the cold months. Your plants will become stronger in spring.
With the temperature dropping in autumn, it's time to start preparing the garden for winter. As the weather gets colder, it seems that there is not much happening in your yard. However, before the soil freezes, many things will happen in the soil. This is especially true of newly planted trees and shrubs, ramets of perennials and hardy spring bulbs, which are busy growing roots to fix them on the ground. Earthworms and soil microbes are also working to process organic matter into nutrients needed by plants.
Although nature has ways to cope with cold months, there are things you can do to help plants prepare for winter.
1. Perennial plants covering you
Perennials come back every year, as long as they are hardy where you live. Cold hardy plants can prepare for winter without much effort. However, if your area often freezes and thaws throughout the season, please pay attention to frost heaving. This means that the soil will actually push plants out of the ground, especially new plants that do not have many roots. To prevent this, after the ground freezes, add a 6-inch thick layer of crushed leaves, straw, or other mulch around the perennials. This will help regulate the soil temperature, especially if your area is not always covered with snow throughout the winter.
Sometimes the dead leaves of plants help protect their crowns and roots from the cold, so when preparing the garden for winter, leave them in place until next spring. Many perennial plants (such as sedum, purple goldenrod and ornamental grass) look beautiful all winter long. In addition, their seeds help feed birds and other wild animals.
If you prefer a cleaner garden, you can cut perennial plants to the ground after the frost leaves wither. Just make sure you add a layer of mulch to help protect them.
2. Protect annual plants from frost
Unlike perennial plants that return each year, annual plants can only live in the garden for one season and cannot survive in freezing temperatures. Some are called cold season annuals, which means they prefer to grow and bloom at lower temperatures. These include ornamental kale, blue lobelia and goldfish grass. On the other hand, annual plants like hot weather in warm season. Zinnia, marigold and balsamine belong to this category.
You can extend the life of these two annuals by keeping old sheets or floating covers handy to cover them during light frost. Continue to water annual plants until freezing temperatures kill them. If your annual plants are stored in containers, move them to a garage or other protected space when the temperature is expected to drop to 40 degrees overnight. You can do this until the daytime temperature no longer exceeds this threshold.
3. Dig out tender bulbs
Autumn is the time to plant hardy bulbs that bloom in spring, but there are other types of plants called tender bulbs. These include popular summer knickerbockers, such as gladiolus, canna and dahlia. If you live where the ground freezes, these tropical plants will not survive the winter. But if you want to keep these plants for another year, you can take them indoors.
Wait until the frost turns the leaves brown, and gently dig out the bulbs or tubers. Cut the leaves and brush away as much soil as possible. Avoid washing with water, as humidity may cause bulbs to rot during storage. Instead, let them dry in the open air in a cool place for about a week.
Label them so you can remember what they are. One technique is to use a permanent marker to write your name on it, as shown in the picture. They are then packaged in breathable containers, such as cardboard boxes. Cover them with wood chips or old newspapers so that the bulbs do not touch, and then place them in a garage, basement, or other place where the temperature is below 45 ° F but no ice can form.
4. Protect trees and shrubs
If you make sure that trees and shrubs are in good condition, they will be easier to survive the winter. For evergreen and deciduous trees, one of the most important things is to give them enough water before the ground freezes, especially when it is dry in autumn. When the ground freezes, sprinkle organic materials, such as chopped leaves, up to 6 inches thick. This helps to keep water in the soil (plants need it even in winter) and protects the roots from freezing and thawing. Trim damaged or diseased limbs to prevent snow and wind from making these problems worse. For young evergreen trees in exposed locations, use a burlap screen or sunshade to protect them from the dry winter wind.
5. Bind your roses
Roses are so beautiful that it's hard to envy the attention they need during the growing season. As the cool weather enters their dormancy period, you have one last thing to do: prepare them for winter. Some types of roses are more hardy than others, so it's important to know what type of roses you have. As a population, hybrid tea roses are most vulnerable to the cold in winter and need the most preparation work; The easiest roses to plant and care for are bush roses.
Make sure to water all roses before the ground freezes, but do not fertilize or cut them. In order to protect the root ball from frost heaving, additional soil is piled around the root. In Zone 6 and colder areas, add a 6 to 12 inch thick layer of straw, leaves, or other mulch to the top of the mound and secure it with a loop of wire mesh.
