Which plants should be removed from the garden for colder months?

If you don’t remove delicate plants from the garden before the winter season kicks in, it can double your workload and maintenance costs once the extreme weather is over. Therefore, uprooting delicate plants and moving garden ornaments to a safe spot before cold spell starts is a smart move. 

Not sure which plants are too fragile for UK’s winters? Here’s a list to help you get done with this chore: 

Tender Bulb Flowers 

Tender bulb flowers can rot during the cold season, and you must ensure they’re safe deep in the ground until the weather is nice again. Garden plants like canna, calla, elephant ear, caladium, ranunculus, dahlia, gladiolus, and tuberous begonia cannot bear extreme cold spells and get mushy if left unattended. 

Sure, hard bulb flowers like hyacinth, allium, and daffodils require several cold weeks before their dormancy is over; the same rule doesn’t apply to tender bulbs. If you have already planted some tender bulb flowers, dig them up and cover the ground with some mulch unless cold months are over. But if their flowers have blossomed, they won’t survive winter chills.

Delicate Trees

Whether you have been growing citrus fruit trees or some decorative ones surrounding your garden ornaments, their fragile stems cannot bear freezing nights. You should properly cover young orange, apple, maples, magnolias, and peaches during snowfall and freezing seasons. 

When you leave these dainty trees unattended, their stems can break and force you to uproot the entire plant instead of trimming some of its parts. Therefore, take care of fragile trees (and garden ornaments like statues, bird baths, and sprinklers) by covering them during winter nights and unbearable cold snaps to reserve their strength. 

Tropical Plants

Tropical plants are meant for warm and breezy temperatures; you should definitely remove them from your garden before cold months. Rose mellow, hibiscus, dahlia, and angel’s trumpets are some most popular tropical garden plants that require special care during the winter season. If these plants are growing in pots sitting beside your garden ornaments, move them toward sunlight during the day. 

If you don’t want to remove tropical plants from your garden, trim their edges and provide sufficient sunlight to strengthen their stems and leaves. Covering tropical plants with plastic sheets is another quick fix to strengthen them during snowfalls and bone-chilling winters.

Annual Plants 

Annual plants that require heat and humid conditions to germinate and grow are doubtlessly misfit for cold months. If you have annual plants like petunia, verbena, geranium, zinnia, foss flower, and summer snapdragon in your beautiful garden, timely remove them to prevent any mess later on. Seasonal vegetables and herbs should also be uprooted or properly stored before unfavourable weather conditions hit. 

Summing It Up!

Preparing for the winter season is essential if you wish to see your garden as beautiful as ever. So, buckle up and remove all dainty plants and fragile garden ornaments from your garden before the nights get long and chilly to keep it breathing and fresh. You got this!