Our plants and winter

We don't really want to spend a fortune buying plants again next year so need advice on how to preserve our plants until spring. I think the roses will be okay as they seem to handle the cold weather okay. However not sure about the flowering plants? Advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

Hi @Surfer,
I'm not sure if my old eyes identify your plants correctly but I'll give it a try

First of all, whereabouts are you and what kind of winters do you usually have? If you are in a mild area you should be fine to leave the Dianthus and Dahlias where they are, cut them back and mulch well with something like bark chips.

Gerberas and Celosias will not survive outside but can do quite well if potted up and brought in the house. A bright, cool spot is best, and if you have a conservatory you are definitely on the winning side

Personally I dig Dahlias up and overwinter the tubers in the garage, pot them up in March and grow them indoors until the weather warms up. Leaving them in is risky, and slugs will eat any stems as soon as they pop up.

Best cost reduction tactic is growing plants from seeds. Supermarkets such as Lidl have good seeds for pennies and growing them on the windowsill is easy and rewarding.

 

Thanks for the reply. We are in Worcestershire and we do have a conservatory. Some winters are mild and others can be harsh with lots of snow.

 

The way the weather is its unpredictable i going to cut some of mine back protect the roots with bark or newspaper put as many as i can in the plastic green house (although it still will be cold ) but it will offer some protection and hope for the best maybe put a couple in the conservetory but like surfer said there are some seeds worth getting for next year from lidl

 

Think you have a Hydrangea just in front of that rear bush ? which like the Roses should be ok to leave outside.

You need to find the name of the other flowering plants and then look them up on the web to see if they are classed as Annual or Perennial, and if the latter, are they fully hardy types which again can stay outside.
Think the little purple ones at the front are Celosia and an Annual, so you just lift and compost such plants once the frost sees them off.

You can bring in the tender Perennials but for the few that you may have would say its easier to buy new stock next spring as conservatory temperatures can fluctuate badly, which is not ideal for overwintering such plants.