Every gardener has heard the expression, “Put the garden to bed.” In late summer, gardeners don't want think about it – not when the garden is still favoring them with the last rose blooms of the season, tomatoes sit on the vine and the apples have yet to be plucked in the orchard. But the sun will get lower on the horizon and the leaves will turn red and fall from the trees. Winter is inevitable. It's time to plan and prepare before that first frost.
Most gardeners begin preparing the garden for winter about two weeks before the average first frost in their areas.
Protect
Gardens need protection in the winter. In the north, the snow cover acts as a thermal blanket. But it isn't the cold that kills the plant or shrub. It's the drying winds and the freezing and thawing that takes place throughout the season. Those variations in winter temperatures and moisture levels can hurt some of the more temperamental plants in a garden. These plants need to be protected from this inconsistency.
Protecting the Roses
Some roses will withstand just about anything. The Explorer roses, the rugosas and many of the antique roses like the gallica and centifolia, will withstand an average winter in the north without protection. Tea roses, floribundas and other modern hybrids including English roses, will need protection.
Many gardeners use Styrofoam rose cones and build up a mulch around the base of the cone. This acts as a wind-shield and the temperature inside the cone, remains fairly static. If the gardener doesn't want to use a rose cone, she could simply build a pyramid of soil over the rose about a foot high. This thoroughly protects the most important parts of those hybrids.
Climbing roses have fairly flexible long stems and should be carefully bent to the soil, pegged in and wrapped. This way, the gardener will have less to cut back in the spring. If it's a rose that flowers on the previous year's stem growth, the gardener will want as much of that stem protected as possible.
Bulbs and Tender Plants to Winter Over
Bring in any tender herbs, like rosemary for example, or anything kept out in pots other than annuals. Dig up those bulbs that need to be wintered over. Store them in a cool dark place in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper.
Evergreens
Some ornamental evergreens may need wrapping with burlap (not plastic) to protect them against those drying winds. Winter burn on evergreens is very unattractive and the rusty-colored branches will sadly need to be removed in spring. With evergreens that don't need protection, it's a good Idea to tie them. Heavy snow on ornamental evergreens can damage the branches.
Perennials
Most perennials are not considered tender, but some are. If the label indicates it's a tender perennial, the gardener will need to thoroughly mulch it or pot it up and winter it over in a dimly lit, cool environment. It still needs to have a dormant period, so the basement or garage would be perfect.
Cleaning and tidying the garden will also make less work for the gardener in spring.
References
- Practical Home Landscaping, Reader's Digest, 1972
- The author's own knowledge and experience.
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