Landscape Care Winter Protection

We put in 6 boxwoods this year and now would like to know how to care for them over winter. We live in the country (zone 5), they are on the west side of the house, there is a woods across the road but we still get some wind. I understand boxwoods are to be protected from the wind for the first couple of years. So what do we do? 

I planted hyacinths and tulips this fall. What can I do to insure they’ll return each spring?

I planted some bulbs in pots on my patio this fall.   I put a 2" layer of woodchips on top of the soil in the pots.  Will this offer enough winter protection?  If not, can you please suggest how we should go about doing this?

Our St. Mary, Ohio winter has been extremely mild this year. I do not trim my butterfly bush back until early spring. The problem is, it has produced new leaves that grew, wilted and died this winter.  This has happened about 3 times. It now has another batch of new leaves on. Should do anything to help it survive this winter?

I always have a fresh-cut tree for Christmas and just hate the thought of tossing it out after the holidays. Do you have any ideas how I can recycle my tree?

I have several small trees and evergreens growing in large plastic pots on my patio.  What should I do with them for the winter?

I live in Lansing, MI and am wondering how I can protect my container plantings-such as lilies, bleeding heart and astilbe during our cold winter weather?

Should I use a dormant oil spray on my trees this year?

It’s November and my daffodils are starting to grow.  I can see small green leaves peeking through the ground.  What should I do?

I planted two blue hydrangeas in pots. They are quite large and doing well. What should I do to keep them alive over our extremely cold winter?

How do I prepare my Knock Out rose for a Wisconsin winter?  I've been told to cut them back then cover with a rose cone, but I've also been told they are winter hardy and just some mulch will do.  I just planted these this summer.

How should I protect my Knock Out Roses for our cold winter? Should I prune them back, cover them with soil or just leave them alone?

Got a call today from someone who has Knock Out rose “trees,” wondering about winter protection. I know the bushes aren’t supposed to need protection, but can’t find anything about the “trees.”

Are leaves a good winter mulch for my perennials?

Do I need to cover my Meidiland roses for winter?

I had great success growing mums at my old house. In my new home both the old mums I brought with me and new ones I have purchased at the store have died. Both are in zone 5 and the only differences I can see is the old planting location was between a basement wall and concrete sidewalk with no mulch and the new location is between an unheated garage wall and service walk with stone mulch.

I never grew garden mums before. How can I keep them alive through our harsh winter?

I purchased a Dwarf Zebra Grass from a mail order catalogue. It recently arrived this fall and is very tiny! It is in a 2.25" pot and I am worried it will not survive the cold northern winter. Could I grow the grass in a planter indoors until spring? This is my first venture into gardening in general, and I know nothing about ornamental grasses.

I grew two Gaura and one perennial lobelia plants in a 1/2 oak whiskey barrel. I assume that the plants will not survive a zone 5 winter in the barrel. So how do I handle them for winter?

I have some of your Melinda’s Choice auricula primrose. Should I cut these back or do something special to care for them over winter?

We bought a rhododendron last year.  We covered it with a rose cone for the winter.  When I removed the cone in spring the leaves were falling off and the buds looked dead.  If I cut back the bush, will it come back this summer?  Or normally do you leave it in a pot and bring it in-doors over the winter?

I have a rhododendron (Zone 5) and azalea plant in pots on my 2nd floor balcony. What special things should I do for them for the upcoming winter?

I have two Rhododendron plants I need to get ready for winter.  I know that I have to cover them for winter but do I need to cut the plants back before doing that?  If so, how far back?

According to the hardiness maps we are too far north (zone 5) to grow rosemary as a perennial. So I thought putting a rose cone over it might help it make it through the winter.  Is that a good idea?  I put it on after we had some pretty cold weather, and when I put it on, it still looked green.  What do you think?

In your book, there's a mention of using Russian Sage as a vertical interest in containers. Can they stay in the containers throughout the winter, or do they need to be a) brought in or b) planted in ground before frost?

I've left the flower stalks of my Autumn Joy sedum standing, waiting to catch the first snowfall and give me something to look at during the winter. But now I can see the emerging buds of next year's flowers.  What shall I do?  Leave the old stalks standing or cut them off and mulch the new growth?

How can I prevent the snow from crushing my shrubs?

The cold weather struck so quickly that I did not have time to mulch. I wasn't worried since we had snow. Now that it has melted should I be concerned?

Can you tell me how to care for my stonecrop flowers during the winter months? Do they require special attention?

How do I care for my strawberries over the winter in a cold zone 5 garden?  

I have several newly planted trees.  Should I wrap them for the winter?

I have a Japanese tree peony with eight inch diameter silky white single and double flowers.  Are Japanese tree peonies suppose to die back? Mine die back to the ground every year. I thought it was suppose to be a tree. Am I mistaken?

As a new gardener I get confused trying to decide what to cut back in the fall and how far back to cut.  The plants I am most concerned about are the hydrangeas, hibiscus, a variegated Fallopia and a dwarf Little Henry Sweetspire.  I also have fountain grass, which for the first time I planted in the ground rather than a pot.  Can I cut this back to re-grow next year and how far down do I cut?

What should I do with my perennials for the winter?  Some people tell me to cut them down while others say to leave them standing.

I live in Wisconsin, do you recommend covering roses for the winter?

I live in the north where winter temperatures can drop below zero degrees. Should cover my roses for the winter?

When and how do I prepare my rose bushes for the winter? When do I cut them down and what do I cover them with? In the spring, how can I tell the dead canes from the live ones and what do I do with them?

It's November and my roses are still blooming.  Should I cut them back so I can start covering them for winter?

I live just north of Manitowoc, WI.  I planted several rose bushes this year. The bed is up against the house and faces straight west.  It's in an area where the roses receive plenty of sun in the summer and will be exposed to lots of wind in the winter. Should I cover them, not cover them, cut them back, or what for the winter?

I have a few bush roses that I need to get ready for winter.  I know that I have to cover the base up with a mound of mulch but do I need to cut the plants back before doing that?  If so, how far back?

What is winter mulch and what makes it different from what I do in the spring?

With our unseasonably warm winter, how are we to protect bulbs and perennials?  I've always heard we should not mulch (with evergreen boughs, for example) until the ground was frozen.  Now I'm seeing reports that gardeners should be mulching bulbs to prevent them from blooming.  Please help.

I know we shouldn't lay new mulch for winter protection until the ground freezes, how do I know when this is?

This is my second winter for my wisteria & I am not sure what I should do with it before winter.  It grew a lot this summer & I don't know whether I should let it be & go dormant or trim it back.  What type of mulch should I use?  

What, if anything, do I do as far as winter care for the plants that I bought and planted in my zone 5 garden this year in May?  They include Royal Burgundy barberry, Green Velvet boxwood, and Russian sage.