Wondering which perennials to cut back in fall—and which ones are better left standing? Here’s a practical guide to cleaning up daylilies, hostas, peonies, irises and more while leaving beneficial winter interest behind.
Once the first few hard frosts arrive, my perennial garden starts looking a little less like the garden I enjoyed all summer and a little more like… well, a garden that has officially given up for the year. 😂
Leaves turn yellow, stems flop over, and suddenly I’m standing outside with pruning shears wondering:
Do I cut all of this down?
Continue reading “How to Cut Back Perennials in Fall: What to Cut and What to Leave Standing”Get your raised garden beds ready for a long northern winter with simple tips for fall cleanup, improving soil, protecting your beds, and making spring gardening easier.
By the end of a short northern growing season, the garden can look a little… tired.
Plants are past their prime, weeds have somehow found one last burst of energy, and after spending all summer watering, weeding, harvesting, and trying to keep everything alive, it’s tempting to simply walk away and let the snow take care of it.
And technically, the snow will cover everything eventually. 😂
But spending a little time preparing your raised beds for winter can protect your soil, make spring cleanup easier, and give next year’s garden a much better start.
Continue reading “How to Prepare Raised Garden Beds for Winter in a Cold Climate”Learn how to prepare your perennial garden for a long northern winter with simple tips for fall cleanup, watering, mulching, dividing plants, and protecting your garden until spring.
By late fall, a northern perennial garden can look a little alarming.
The flowers are gone. Leaves are turning brown. Plants that were enormous a few weeks ago are suddenly collapsing onto the ground.
After spending all summer taking care of them, it’s easy to look at the garden and think:
Well. That doesn’t look promising.
Continue reading “How to Prepare Your Perennial Garden for Winter in a Cold Climate”Wondering what actually grows in Zone 2? From hardy perennials and cool-season vegetables to berries and annual flowers, this beginner-friendly guide covers what thrives in a cold climate—and how to make the most of a short northern growing season.
If you’ve ever looked at a beautiful garden online and immediately wondered…
Yeah, but will that grow HERE?
Welcome to northern gardening. 😂
Gardening in Zone 2 can feel intimidating at first. Winters are long. Temperatures can get extremely cold. The growing season is short, and frost always seems to arrive just when the garden is finally looking its best.
But here’s the good news:
You can grow an absolutely beautiful garden in Zone 2.
Continue reading “What Actually Grows in Zone 2? A Beginner’s Guide to Cold-Climate Gardening”First frost can arrive quickly in a northern garden. This practical checklist covers what to harvest, what to protect, what can handle the cold, and the simple fall garden tasks to tackle before temperatures drop.
There comes a point every northern summer when we all start doing the same thing.
Checking the nighttime forecast.
Every. Single. Day.
At first, the lows are comfortably above freezing.
Then you see 40°F.
Then 37°F.
Then one evening you check again and there it is:
32°F.
And suddenly you’re standing in the garden wondering whether you need to harvest everything you own before bedtime. 😂
The first frost doesn’t necessarily mean gardening season is completely over, but it does mean it’s time to make a few decisions.
Here’s a simple first-frost checklist to help you figure out what needs attention—and what can stay right where it is.
Continue reading “First Frost Garden Checklist: What to Do Before the Temperature Drops”Growing raspberries in a cold climate is easier than you might think! Learn how to choose hardy varieties, support and prune your plants, keep your patch healthy, and prepare raspberries for a long northern winter.
Raspberries are one of those plants that make cold-climate gardening feel a little more rewarding. With the right varieties and a little care, they can handle surprisingly cold winters and come back year after year.
The good news? Raspberries don’t need a perfectly manicured garden to thrive. Give them plenty of sun, good soil, consistent moisture, and a little support, and they’ll do much of the growing on their own.
Here are some simple ways to help a raspberry patch thrive in a northern garden.
Continue reading “How to Grow Raspberries in a Cold Climate: A Simple Guide for Northern Gardens”Starting seeds indoors can make all the difference in a short growing season. Learn what to start, when to start it, and how to grow strong seedlings ready for the garden.
When your summers are short, starting seeds indoors can make the difference between harvesting ripe tomatoes and staring at a beautiful collection of green ones when the first frost arrives.
But starting everything ridiculously early isn’t the answer either.
The trick is knowing what to start indoors, when to start it, and how to grow sturdy seedlings that are actually ready for life outside.
Continue reading “Seed Starting in a Cold Climate: A Simple Guide for Short Growing Seasons”Discover 15 beautiful cold-hardy perennials that can thrive in Zone 2 gardens, with growing tips for creating a colorful northern garden that returns year after year.
Gardening in Zone 2 requires a little stubbornness.
Our winters are long, the growing season is short, and plenty of plants labeled “cold hardy” elsewhere simply aren’t hardy enough here. But that doesn’t mean a cold-climate garden has to be boring.
With the right plants—and the right varieties—you can grow a perennial garden filled with color, texture and flowers that return after a seriously cold winter.
Continue reading “15 Beautiful Perennials for Zone 2 Gardens”
