2023-11-24 23:12:47
The trees are bare and the first frost is just around the corner. It’s high time to get the garden, balcony and terrace ready for the winter.
Read here what you should do to protect your plants from frost and get them through the cold season well.
The most important thing: the plants themselves gradually stop growing on their own and switch to the back burner. They go into hibernation. What they need now is protection from stress and possibly from too much cold.
For you this means: trees, bushes in the garden and the lawn will no longer be cut. Fertilization is also over now. Sensitive plants are removed from the ground and pots are also moved to (warmer) winter quarters.
Tip: Delicate plants such as Mediterranean plants can also be picked up from a nursery and stored for an additional charge.
Horned violets with ice crystals
Photo: Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa
Winter garden checklist
1. Plant bulbs
Before the ground freezes, you need to plant bulbs for early bloomers. The bulbs of crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, etc. grow twice as deep into the ground as they are high.
2. Spread compost
A one to two centimeter thick layer of compost is placed on the cleared beds as frost protection and fertilizer. The roses are also great!
3. Rake leaves from the lawn
It is better to remove the leaves from the lawn so that they do not rot. Leaves belong in the compost or you can use them to protect beds from the cold.
Tip: The leaves should remain under trees, where they serve as mulch.
4. Do not cut ornamental grasses
Miscanthus, pampas or pennisetum grass are not cut back because the stalks offer the plants the best winter protection. For species that are particularly sensitive to frost, such as pampas grass, tie the stalks together into a bundle.
5. Dig up frost-sensitive tubers
Dahlias, Indian cane, gladioli, begonias and montbretias are dug up, shaken off, placed in boxes with a little sand and stored in a cool but frost-free place (shed, garage, workshop) until spring.
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What else belongs to the winter check-up in the garden
Garden tools (including the lawn mower!) should now be stored dry and winter-proof. Clean well beforehand, grease if necessary and wait. The garden furniture will also be left dry for a few months.
Empty the water container: Empty permanently installed water pipes and garden hoses before frost. Rain barrels and other water containers should now be empty so that they do not suffer in severe frosts. Turn the containers over or cover them.
Leaves should be removed from the lawn to prevent it from becoming moldy
Photo: Ralf Meier
Prepare your balcony and terrace properly
Do potted plants need frost protection?
Plants that can only tolerate short-term night frosts down to minus 5 °C, such as oleander, olive, leadwort or myrtle, now have to go to winter quarters. Potted plants that can withstand night frosts down to minus 10 °C for a short time – such as pomegranates or a hemp palm – can remain outdoors for a long time in a place protected from the wind.
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Even hardy potted plants need frost protection. A few coniferous branches on the top of the bucket are enough to provide winter protection. The roots need more warmth: reed mats or Styrofoam.
How do I prepare my herbs for winter?
Perennial Mediterranean garden and culinary herbs such as oregano, sage, tarragon, lavender and thyme survive mild winters well outside. It’s better to pile some leaves around the bushes anyway.
Danger! It is better to overwinter rosemary and laurel in a frost-free but bright place.
Can geraniums overwinter?
Geraniums are perennial and can therefore be overwintered. This is how it works: Lift the plants one by one out of the flower box, shake off the soil well and shorten all shoots to ten centimeters with secateurs. Roll each plant loosely in newspaper and place next to each other in a bucket or box. Ideal temperature for winter location: 5 to 10 °C. The less light there is, the cooler it should be. There is no watering, only the shoots are sprayed occasionally to keep them moist.
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Winter paradise for animals
With a few simple tricks, wild animals in your garden can also find shelter from the winter cold. The most important thing: don’t clean up too much!
Hedgehogs, for example, need piles of leaves to shelter in. They also like dense hedges, bushes, cavities under piles of wood, gazebos, sheds or stairs for hibernation. They also like to use the warm compost heap as a winter nest.
Please do not look or feed them! Hedgehogs should never be disturbed while hibernating.
A hedgehog that doesn’t sleep is happy about water in the garden
Photo: picture alliance / blickwinkel/F. Hecker
Here’s what else you can do for the animals in the garden:
► Hang up nesting boxes now: Do not install nesting boxes until the breeding season in spring. Especially in winter, they offer a safe place for many species of birds, but also small mammals and insects. Simply leave your nesting boxes hanging in winter!
Tip: Above all, birds need protection and shelter in the garden. If you still want to support them with food later when there is frost, you should set up these feeding places in November. This way the feeding guests get used to the place better.
► Overwintering for insects: It doesn’t always have to be a perfect “insect hotel”. Simply cut off the top of spent sunflowers or hollyhocks. Then they are hollow and insects such as spiders and ladybirds and other larvae can hibernate in them in peace.
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