Growing Plants in a Cold Climate

Those who live in frosty or snowy climates will know that growing an attractive garden in the cold is no easy feat. It takes a lot of care and maintenance at the time of year when you feel like going outside the least!

Cold weather is particularly bad for plants, it can cause the water in the plant to freeze and damage the plant internally, as well as cause the soil to freeze and prevent the plant form receiving any water. Even hardy plants will struggle in these cold conditions. There are several things you can do to help protect your garden against the cold.

When planning your garden, choose hardy plants that will withstand the cold. Your local garden centre should be able to advise you of plants that will grow well in your local conditions, however, a there are quite few plants that traditionally grow well in the cold. Trees and shrubs such as magnolias, junipers, dogwood, daphne, hydrangea, and hebe will all grow well in the cold. Some bulbs and perennials with also survive these conditions well, including tulips, cyclamen, crocus, gereniums, delphinium, and violas. Several climbers such as clematis, wisteria and ivy will also do well in these conditions.

Before planting, analyze which areas of your garden sit at the lowest point. These are areas to particularly aware of, planting only the hardiest plants, as frost, snow, and cold air will always collect in these areas. Likewise, analyze which areas of your garden sit the highest from the ground, as these are the best areas for planting plants that don't like too much water and may struggle with melting snow. If you are wishing to plant less hardy varieties of plants, plant them under trees or close to walls or fences that will help to provide them with some shelter and warmth. If you less hardy plants are particularly rare or important to you, it could also be a good idea to take cuttings of them and plants them in containers inside just in case they get irreversibly damaged by the cold.

Never plant when the ground is frozen or wet as this is not only bad for your new plant but can also cause damage to the soil structure that will take years to repair.

There are several ways you can protect your plants from the cold. Often plants can be protected from contact with frost or snow using a wire frame covered in fleece or a large sheet of thick black plastic, held in place by metal clips. Most plants will also benefit from a thick layer of mulch as it helps prevent the soil from freezing and preventing the plants getting water. More tender plants should be grown in pots. This way when snow or frost is predicted (or when a weather station predicts a dew point of below 32°F) you can move them indoors.

An extra layer of foliage can also help to protect your plants from the frost. This is easily achieved by holding off your pruning in autumn. Even if some of this top growth is dead it can still provide necessary protection, just remember to keep a close eye on it to make sure it is not promoting fungal growth.

If you do wake up to find your plants appearing limp and blackened it means the cold has got to them, however, this does not always mean they're dead. They're just like people with frostbite, with a bit of nurturing and time they'll be right as rain! Feed them plenty of fertilizer to encourage growth and protect them from the sun using a layer of thick black plastic.

Snow can actually be beneficial for your plants because it provides some insulation for them, however, a heavy layer can easily break or permanently damage them. The cold also helps to kills of some of the gardens nasty pests. Try to shake excess snow off trees and shrubs to reduce the strain put on them by the weight.

The cold, frosty weather certainly does pose a challenge to the keen gardener, but the reward of seeing your gorgeous garden on a clear crisp day is well worth it. After all the effort you definitely deserve a nice big warm cup of hot chocolate!