How to put your garden to bed

WVXU's Cincinnati Edition spoke to a University of Cincinnati botanist about ways to prepare gardens and flower beds for winter.

UC College of Arts and Sciences biology Professor Theresa Culley said she's been tending to her flower beds to help perennials do better come spring.

“What I've been doing in my yard is just tidying it up,“ she said. “Getting rid of clover that pops up, pruning back dead leaves and also raking up leaves around my trees. I toss some of the leaves into my garden.“

Culley is an expert on invasive species who advises federal and state agencies about the economic threats posed by nonnative plants.

Together with colleagues, she has assembled a network of public gardens in Canada and the United States to share information about potentially invasive species they are finding in and around their properties. To date, the public gardens have reported nearly 1,000 examples that gardens are monitoring.

Culley recommends bringing potted plants indoors during the winter. 

“I bring potted plants into the garage and line them up,“ she said. “I prune them back and try to put them near a window.“

Culley was joined on the show by Domonique Peebles, founder of Brick Gardens, and Sarah Imbus, a horticultural agent with the Campbel County Extension Office.

Listen to the Cincinnati Edition episode.

Featured image at top: Cold frames can extend the gardening season in the fall and early spring. Photo/iStockPhoto