How do I protect my plants from the cold weather?

[Lovemygarden]

Fall is fast approaching, and I have a array of differnt type of plants in my garden, whats the best way to protect a plant from the cold weather. I ask this knowing there is not one way to protect all types of plants but I have my fingers crossed someone will give me a good tip .

P.s I have several vines so any tips on protecting them would be great!

< me freaking about last years snow totals lol

[Fig3825]

Build a greenhouse over them or dig them up, transfer them to a container, and move them inside.

I suppose if your vines are flexible, you could perhaps coil them and bag them - but since you are in NY, I think you're going to need to heat them somehow if you want them to survive - unless they are cold tolerant varieties...

Aside from that, I'm no expert and I've killed my fair share of plants...

[rainbowgardener]

In general, water things well before frost comes, mulch heavily. For things like rose bushes that you really want to protect, build a chicken wire cage around them and fill it with leaves.

The vines are harder. If they are tender perennials, best thing is to gently unhook them from whatever they are growing on, pot them up and bring them indoors. If they are cold hardy, just mulch the soil heavily and don't worry about the rest. Annuals just cut them down. What kind of vines?

[Lovemygarden]

Thanks guys. I love this site everyone is so helpful. Gonna use leaves over mulch since my mulch always washes away. I live near a forest so leaves are everywhere

[Green Mantis]

You can also put leaves around them and then wrap with burlap sacking, all the way up the vines, or bend them over if possible, and wrap really well with sacking. They make that sort of thing and sell, in the garden dept. at Wal-Mart, etc. Good luck.

[tomc]

P.s I have several vines so any tips on protecting them would be great!

"Vines" covers a lot of plants. How tender they are makes a NY difference.

A concord grape will probably sail through a NY winter unfazed. A maypop will have to come indoors or to a heated green house.

[cynthia_h]

What about row covers? If the vines sprawl on the ground, that's one thing; if they're vertical...maybe not.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Lovemygarden]

Thanks guys ( sorry it took so long to respond) I actually pulled one vine out of the ground because ti started to die due to another over powering it, I'll bring that one in and hope for the best. The rest I'm going to wrap in burlap ( thanks for that tip).

[Lovemygarden]

Remember that you are protecting roots, not necessarily the top growth. We lived in upstate NY (oh, my, the snow!) for 25 years and rarely lost a plant to cold. First, plant things that will survive in your zone, and secondly, protect the roots from freeze/thaw heaving. Lots and lots of mulch. Leaves, chopped up, make a great winter mulch, and can just be scratched into the earth in spring.
Roses, if they are grafted, need to be protected up to and past the graft knob, which is usually about 2-3" above the soil line. If they are own-root roses, just mulch them as described with leaves and a wire cage, and be sure to pull off the cage and remove the leaves as soon as you see the little red nubs that will become leaves.

I've learned so much from this site, definitely going to get some chicken wire and I have decided I am going to use leaves since I live near a forest and the amount of leaves that fall around here are astronomical and free

[Lovemygarden]

Hello everyone I hope the Winter is treating you well. I thank you all for helping me figure a way to cover my pants without spending a fortune. I went with using leaves and it has worked wonderfully.

I have a new question now, my bulbs are coming up.. planted them last year with my niece, does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the old leaves with out damaging the new growth?