According to an old farmer's rule, the garden will be winterized by October 21st at the latest. Depending on the weather, however, the corresponding work may have to be brought forward - for example, when it comes to clearing frost-sensitive plants into their winter quarters in good time or planting the bulbs of spring-flowering bulbs.
Plants sensitive to cold can be covered
The most important work in autumn
There is a lot to do in the garden in autumn, and the flower bed is no exception. If the perennials and shrubs in it are hardy, you should definitely do the following work between September and October:
- Cut back shrubs and trees
- Remove faded blooms and, if necessary, seed pods
- pull out annual flowers
- pile up roses
- Pack standard roses
- dig up frost-sensitive flower bulbs (e.g. dahlias)
- overwinter them frost-free (e.g. in the basement)
- Bury bulbs of spring bloomers (e.g. tulips)
Early autumn is also the right time to put new perennials and shrubs in the flower bed.
cover the flower bed
Once this work is done, at best loosen the soil in the flower bed a little again. However, be careful not to damage roots. Then cover the ground to protect the roots of the plants from frost. Leaves are particularly suitable for this, but brushwood, lawn clippings, straw or bark mulch are also suitable. In particular, you should not remove autumn leaves that have fallen into the bed - for example from neighboring trees - as they are a natural winter protection. Pack plants that are not one hundred percent hardy, for example in garden fleece or in a jute sack filled with straw. (€10.99)
Put frost-sensitive plants into their winter quarters
You can now dig up non-hardy and frost-sensitive plants and pot them in a planter. These plants usually overwinter better cool, but frost-free. In any case, a pot culture is more recommended here, where you can simply save yourself and the plants the stress of transplanting. If you don't want to place planters in your flower bed, you can dig the pots into the ground during the summer and simply dig them out again in the fall without damaging the roots.
tips
You should not cut back withered perennials, because the old foliage protects the plants from frost and helps them better through the cold season. The necessary pruning takes place before the sprouting in the spring.