People assume that winter weather causes all plants to die, but don’t fool yourself. There are plenty of things that you can do to nurture your plants so that come springtime they are refreshed and ready to grow and bloom again. Freezes can affect plant life and in some cases might cause the plant to prematurely die, but follow a few of our quick tips to ensure your garden or flower bed comes back stronger than ever when we hit the warmer months.

Shear back your Liriope tomake room for new spring growth. Cutting back your Liriope is important so that when the spring comes it doesn’t overrun your garden. Cutting back in the winter allows the plant to lay dormant for a few months and grow fresh in the spring. Additionally, cutting back your Liriope rids the plant of dying leaves.

Make sure you are taking care of your more temperamental plants such as your bulbs. These types of plants are unable to withstand the winter temperatures and must be treated with care and brought indoors for the winter months. If you are pulling your bulbs out of the ground to store them make sure you pat off any excess dirt, but do not wash with water as that could cause the bulb to ultimately rot. When storing your bulbs you will want to find a cool, dry environment such as a closet or a basement and an easy storage container is a cardboard box, as you don’t want anything like a plastic bag that could trap moisture around your bulbs and cause them to rot. If your bulbs are already bloomed they can add a nice splash of color in your home during the dreary winter months.

Cut back your ornament grass six to eight inches divide large clumps and replace. Your ornamental grass can be cut back in the late winter or very early spring, as soon as temperatures stay consistently above freezing. This is something that can be kept in mind throughout the winter, as it will not be a pressing gardening need until the weather starts to warm up, but it’s never too soon to start planning! A method to cut the grass is called clumping. When you clump large sections of your ornamental grass you tie a rope or bungee cord around the clump of grass before cutting off the dead foliage.

Barefoot roses should be planted after the last hard frost in your area. Since we are in the mountains that might be a little bit later as the weather isn’t always predictable. The availability to buy barefoot roses, however, spans from the fall through the winter, so the buying period might end before the last frost comes. If you wanted to plan ahead for an upcoming rose garden, you can store your barefoot roses in moist soil.