Winter Care for Outdoor Vines
Helping plants survive harsh winters is a constant challenge for many gardeners. This is especially true for vining plants, as many are perennials that take several years to get fully established.
However, winter also offers some unique opportunities for caring for these varieties. When vines lose their leaves, you can better access the plant’s overall structure and retrain it in the direction you want it. Likewise, it also allows you to assess the often hidden support structure and determine whether it needs any repair work.
Late-blooming vines should be pruned in the winter or early spring. This gives the plants plenty of time to recover and produce new growth for the next growing season.
Why You Need to Overwintering Sensitive Plants
Depending on how cold winters get where you live, some of your vines may need extra protection to survive the chilliest days. Studying your USDA plant hardiness zone before choosing varieties helps ensure you grow vines that make sense for your climate.
Tips to Winterize Vines
For your vining plants that need a little extra help to get through the winter, these tips will keep them happy.
Clean and Deadhead Spent Flowers
Once vines finish blooming for the year, it’s time to take off the dead blossoms. Use clean, sharp scissors to snip them off at the stem and rake them away from the plant base. You don’t want to create space for potential pests and pathogens to overwinter. If your vine is getting out of control, this is also an opportunity to trim it back to shape.
Train the Vine
As the leaves start to fall off, you’ll be better able to see your vine’s full structure. This creates the perfect opportunity to retrain any errant tendrils back around your support structure to ensure it throws in the direction you want. You may need to use garden twine or sections of nylon socks to secure the vines — never use metal, as it can bruise the fragile stems.
Mulch Around the Base
Protect sensitive plant roots from the worst of bad weather by putting one to two inches of mulch around their base. This works like an insulating blanket to help the roots withstand the cold and come back with a vengeance the following spring.
