How to keep family courtyard flowers warm during winter

Water and fertilizer management

As the weather turns cooler in late autumn, flowers enter the late growth stage. At this time, the application of nitrogen fertilizer should be controlled, and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, magnesium, boron, zinc, iron micro-fertilizers, root promoters, etc. should be applied. At the same time, control the amount of watering to promote the growth of plants and enhance their cold resistance. After entering the winter dormancy period, inter-cultivation and fertilization are carried out once, mainly using manure, feces, cake fertilizer, etc., to increase the concentration of soil solution and further enhance the cold resistance of outdoor flowers.

Cover for winter

Some perennial flowers and annual herbaceous flowers that overwinter in the open air in the courtyard, such as peony, canna, dahlia, tulip, etc., are prone to frost or cold damage when they overwinter naturally in the area north of the Huaihe River.

Generally, before the arrival of a cold wave, the ground around the roots of flowers is covered with materials such as leaves, wheat straw, rice straw or plastic film to keep warm, insulate and prevent frost. Remove these coverings after the late frost in late April of the following year.

Mulching the roots

When winter comes, all the above-ground parts are dormant, but the roots are still growing slowly, such as peony, hydrangea, hibiscus, osmanthus, rose, etc. You should build up soil around the roots of these flowers, and when the plants begin to sprout in spring, dig up the soil and start watering and fertilizing.

Wrapping insulation material

For some larger ornamental flowers and trees, because their bodies are too large to be buried or covered, they can be protected from the cold by wrapping them with thin straw ropes, straw, paper, or covering them with plastic film. For some flowers and trees that are more cold-resistant but afraid of cold winds or have just been planted, you can use the method of setting up wind barriers, that is, using reed mats, tree sticks, corn stalks and other materials to build wind barriers on the west and north sides of the flowers and trees. For example, this method can be used to protect against the cold for cedars and cypresses planted and bred in the area north of the Huaihe River.