How to Prepare Your Flower Bed for Winter Weather

Flower beds require special attention when it comes time to prepare them for winter weather, and because they are usually directly in front of your home you want to make sure they look good. If you need help preparing your flower bed for winter, here is a checklist of the most important things you need to do to keep your flower bed healthy through the winter months.

Remove Dead Flowers and Debris
Both for the health and the appearance of your flower garden, all dead flowers and garden debris should be removed from the beds before winter arrives. Annuals that have spent themselves can be removed entirely and composted, perennial plants should be trimmed as far down as possible and any garden debris should be cleared.

Winterize Flowers
All plants that are going to stay in your garden over the winter months need to be prepared for the cold and wind, this is called winterizing your flowers. Bushes and shrubs that benefit from pruning should be pruned after their flowers have been spent and before the first frost of the season. Young and tender trees and vines that are in pots or planted in the soil benefit from having their trunk wrapped to protect them from wind burn. If you decide not to leave potted or planted annuals or perennials outside, steps must be take to wrap them for cold weather and move them indoors.

Mulch Flower Beds
Flower beds that will be home to wintering bulbs and perennials should be spread with a thick layer of mulch. The mulch protects both bulbs and roots from cold weather, ice and damage that animals digging in the soil might cause. The mulch also helps to deter weeds when Spring comes around and weeds are prevalent.

Water Well
Considering winter is just around the corner, and flowers are beginning to die back, most people do not consider it necessary to water their flower beds anymore. But, if you have planted bulbs in your bed or have perennials that are going to winter, it is necessary to water them well to ensure that they are going to survive the long summer months. If a plant does not have enough water taken up into its root system before frost arrives, there is the chance that it will not be able to survive through the winter months and bloom in Spring.

Gardens that are wintered well really do a lot better when spring and summer arrive because the plants and soil will be healthy. Also, any work you do to maintain your garden in the fall will cut down on the work you need to perform in the Spring.