Autumn garden care: preparing for winter month by month

Autumn is when next year's garden takes shape. Good preparation helps plants survive the frosts and start growing faster in spring. Here are the main autumn jobs month by month, from planting bulbs to protecting roses and winter decor. If you plan to move your own plant, read when to transplant peonies.

Plants for your home and garden are in our potted plants section.

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What to do and when

The timing is approximate: cold weather arrives differently in different regions of Ukraine and in different years, so go by the weather, not just the calendar.

Clearing leaves and plant debris

• Leaves showing signs of disease (leaf spot, powdery mildew) are best collected and removed from the garden.
• Healthy leaves can go on the compost heap or be used as mulch.
• Some leaves can be left under shrubs and in far corners of the garden as shelter for beneficial insects.

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Planting and dividing

• Spring bulbs — tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths — are planted in autumn once the soil cools, so they can root before the frosts.
• Perennials such as peonies, daylilies and phlox are easy to divide and replant in early autumn.
• Container-grown shrubs and trees can be planted until the ground freezes.

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What to lift for winter

Tender tubers and corms — dahlias, gladioli, cannas, begonias — are lifted after the first frosts damage their leaves. They are dried, cleaned of soil and stored in a cool, dark place.

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Watering and feeding

• Deep watering before the frosts in a dry autumn helps trees and shrubs overwinter better.
• Feeding — potassium and phosphorus fertilisers; nitrogen is not applied in autumn so as not to push new growth.

Covering and protection

• Roses are earthed up and covered once steady light frosts set in; covering too early can make them rot. More in "How to prepare roses for winter".
• Young and tender plants are covered with spruce branches or horticultural fleece.
• Tree trunks are whitewashed and protected from rodents with mesh.
• Tools are cleaned, and hoses and irrigation systems are drained.

Which plants overwinter without fuss is covered in "Frost-hardy plants for the garden".

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Making the garden beautiful in winter

• Conifers and evergreen shrubs keep their shape and colour all year.
• Plants with berries — viburnum, rowan, barberry — decorate the garden and feed birds.
• Ornamental grasses and dried hydrangea heads can be left until spring: they look lovely under frost.
• Bird feeders, lanterns and fairy lights make the garden feel cosy.

FAQ

When should I plant tulips in autumn?

When the soil has cooled but a few weeks remain before it freezes — usually September–October, depending on the region and the weather.

Should I remove all the leaves?

Diseased leaves, yes; healthy ones can be composted or used as mulch.

When should roses be covered?

After steady light frosts set in, not at the first cold snap.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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