You spend all spring, summer and fall making sure your landscape looks perfect. So when winter arrives, you can finally take a break, right? Well - kind of. It's true that you don't have to do a lot of upkeep in the winter, but there are steps you need to take to make sure your plants survive the winter and come back stronger than ever in the spring. We'll break it down by plant type to help you out.
Perennials
Perennials come back every year making them the most popular type of flowers in Northeast Ohio. They require very little pre-winter-prep as they hibernate until spring and wake up brighter than ever. To prep your perennial flowers for winter simply cut them back and add some more mulch around the roots to protect them from the cold.
Annuals
Annual flowers and plants are not resilient enough to stand up to Ohio winters. That said—you can do a few things to make sure the annuals you plant next spring are strong and beautiful.
- Collect seeds from your annuals before they die to plant next year
- Pull up annuals after a killing frost and compost them
- Make notes of your favorite annuals so you know what to buy next year
- Store clay pots indoors so they don’t crack during the winter
Trees and Shrubs
We tend to think of trees and shrubs and tough and able to survive the winter without aid. However, some younger plants need a little love prior to the first snow.
- Deeply water trees and shrubs before the ground freezes
- Fertilize young trees and shrubs
- Transplant young trees and shrubs in early fall
Winter weather can be tough on plants, but most Ohio flowers, trees and shrubs can survive with a little bit of care. Need help winterizing your landscape? Contact the experts at Grass Master.
