Winter is coming - how to you prepare?

I mostly leave them in the ground. As much as I love some plants, I prefer to let them be and see if they make it. And if they don't I plant something a little hardier the next time.
I also think plants get more beautiful if they remain in the soil.

 

The gardener across the road from here just puts a thick layer of used horse bedding over them each year and they are fine through winter and he has been doing that for a good while now. I think there was a piece about them on Gardeners World a while back and they said if they were planted deep enough then a good layer of mulch was sufficient to protect them over winter in most places. It did not work for the couple I tried to leave in the ground but the garden here is more on the north side of the hill and I could not plant them very deep as the soil was fairly thin where I planted them.

Happy gardening!

 

Okay. Yes. They certainly seem very floriferous. They are quite sheltered though but I was really more worried about a gorgeous orange one I bought this year as it’s a bit more exposed. It is south facing though. I shall leave well alone. Thank you for your reply.

 

Ooh, thank you for that. I have horses so I can do that no probs!

 

@Tara Jane Leaving dahlias in the ground over winter. THe important thing is that the soil must not get waterlogged. I have dahlias in pots, mainly, that get dried off and stored in dry compost in a cold greenhouse. This is because of young shoots getting munched by slugs and snails. I have two dahlias in the ground, both are species dahlia one was left by accident last year and the other was deliberate about 4 years ago and yes they do grow better than the reserves kept in pots.

 

That great. thank you. we are very chalky but pretty fertile here so thats probably why they were ok. can I ask one other thing? do you cut the ones in the ground back? we have had a couple of frosts and they're starting to look bit withered. I was told to leave them for the bugs to sleep in and cut it back in the spring.
thank you again!

 

I dread to think what some gardens look like with fabric, fleece. blankets, bubble wrao and all sorts covering the plants!

 

him an upholsterer so I can do that too!

 

*I'm. thanks to you too!

 

Blimey, that suggests they're a fair bit hardier than most people think!

Nick

 

guess what I'm doing this weekend! these are my last pickings from the garden. this autumn has been spectacular. I'm really loving these gardening malarky!

 

Wow, well done @Tara Jane, some lovely colour combinations in that display, I particularly like the purple and orange!

Nick