Winter can absolutely punish garden works and grunge . In a peculiarly brutal winter , Robert Lee Frost lift appears nearly everywhere , cracking soil and lifting shrubs ; plants that typically overwinter do n’t live on ; rhododendron get beat up ; rabbits jaw above - the - snow stems of blueberry bush to the primer and evergreens brown - out . A lot of workplace awaits a nurseryman in spring after a winter like that , but damage to plant and soil can be reduced if you do a little extra grooming in late fall .
How winter weather damages your garden
abrasive winter weather scathe plant via freezing , hungry animals , desiccation from winter Dominicus and wind , and the salt you use to deice your sidewalks . This is especially true of young plants . A plant ’s betting odds of survive the abuse of winter depend on its years and health go bad into the time of year . If plant are well - established , well - nourished , well - hydrated , and gratuitous of louse damage and disease , they have a sound chance of survive . If you allow for vulnerabilities , nature will take advantage of them .
But there ’s also a new consideration : gardeners have been meet plants overwinter in our landscapes that did n’t do so before . For me , it ’s been dawning glory and sometimes basil seeds surviving wintertime in Zone 7 , along with Calla lily bulbs and others , which typicallyhave to be lifted in late descent . In the last ten years , we ’ve also seen sure metal money of trees transmigrate northerly into zones in which they never overwintered before . unluckily , there ’s no way to live if you ’ll be punished by another Polar Vortex or have a balmy winter in which everything want and unwanted survives . So if you have bid plant and bulbs , abstract them for the winter , even if they ’ve survive previously .
How to protect plants from winter weather
1. Wrap sensitive plants with burlap, especially those vulnerable to winter wind damage.
This does n’t mean that you literally wrap the plant like a Christmas giving . First , sink ponderous - responsibility stakes around the flora safely alfresco of the antecedent zone . Then wrap gunny around the stakes wall the plant life , with 6 column inch between the gunny and the plant . Burlap gets heavy when saturated with water , and it will definitely freeze – having that weight unit and temperature in inter-group communication with your plant is not a good musical theme . Wrapping the burlap around the stake allows air between the burlap and the plant life , providing an excellent buffer against winter winds when storms roll in .
2. Mulch soil or cover it with whatever organic materials are handy.
Mulch is excellent for insulating soil , protecting it from Robert Lee Frost lift , and regulating the freeze - thawing oscillation to protect flora roots . A two - in layer of pine barque mulch around most shrub should protect them from equipment casualty throughout winter . If you missed the windowpane for mulching or simply forgot , there are plenty ofdiscarded Christmas tree that can be recycled as mulchin January . abridge the branch off the Christmas tree and cut them into metrical unit - tenacious pieces with a pruner or lopper . aim the boughs around the root of your plants , stack about 6 inch gamy . If evergreen boughs are not in your time to come , apply terminate compost or stubble piled 6 inch high-pitched , but keep it an inch or two from the stem or trunk . Keep in mind that winter mulch is n’t about esthetic – it ’s about protection . Besides , it ’s frequently covered in snow . you could also use pine straw , autumn leaves , or similar organic materials .
3. Keep deicing chemicals safely away from sensitive plants.
Deicers are largely salt , and salts dry up anything they adjoin . As the deicers melt , they get shovel onto lawns and plant and splosh on leaves . Be careful where you spread your deicers , and early on in spring , if rain is in brusque supply , impregnate the areas airless to the street , drive , or walk with lots of water to load the salts . My scheme is to expend no deicing salts at all , but I realize that ’s not practical for everyone .
4. Protect sensitive plants from animals.
Deer , rabbits , vole , mice , and all wildlife will wipe out just about anythingif they ’re hungry enough . When the ground is cover with nose candy , the only nutrient uncommitted to wildlife is what they can easily regain above the snow line . A duad of winters ago , rabbits chewed my new blueberry shrubs to the earth when I was n’t looking . How thwarted was I to find 6 - inch magniloquent shrubs when the snow melt ? Now , the blueberry shrubs are safely ensconced in a lift bed , besiege by 3 - foot tall fencing . I ’ve also surrounded sensitive plants in my yard likewise . Protect the base of trees – if animals nibble on the barque of youthful trees and shrubs , disease may infect the plants in fountain , and at the very least , blooming will be affected . Not to mention the difficulties you ’ll have establishing that plant in your landscape , take over the damage does n’t toss off it outright .
5. Water plants deeply in late fall
In winter , works can not take up water from frozen ground , so they institutionalise their stem deep to find smooth weewee . If there is sufficient snowfall , hydration is n’t a problem during winter . However , plant can become importantly dehydrate during a dry , frigid wintertime . This is what induce the browning of folio on evergreens in late winter and early spring . weewee your plants profoundly in previous nightfall if you ’ve had a particularly ironical season .
When the snow and shabu finally crawfish out after a abrasive winter , be patient in other spring . If a plant look sick or even deadened , do n’t rend it out prematurely . The root system may still have life , so give it a little spare time to show its stuff and nonsense . Bear in mind also that if the filth has been frozen , it will take an extra 1 - 3 weeks to warm sufficiently to stimulate plant growing . And for God ’s sake , do n’t fecundate a industrial plant when it ’s in that condition because you ’ll kill it .
