Brian Minter has tips for getting your garden ready for winter
It's important to know how hardy your plants are, says master gardener
Forget winter is coming: in some parts of B.C., it feels like the season is already in full swing.
For gardeners, that means it's time to get plants ready for the changing of the seasons.
And in a province with such climactic and geographic variation, there's no "one-size fits all" solution, according to B.C. Almanac's master gardener, Brian Minter.
"The idea is, where you live, what is the [hardiness] zoning of the plants you have?" Minter asked B.C. Almanac host Gloria Macarenko.
Knowing how hardy your plants are can help you choose which plants to bring in for the winter.
One example is tender succulents, which he says are popular with younger, millennial gardeners. They include aeoniums, echeverias and jades, to name a few.
Minter said those plants don't like to be wet or cold, which means it's time to bring them inside for the winter.
He adds that once inside, those plants need to have the right conditions. Make sure they have enough light, most importantly.
Minter says some plants — like fuchsias, hibisci, bougainvilleas — are what he considers "half-hardy" and will take a little bit of frost. But, he added: "Why wait? Let's bring them in now."
The same, he says, is true for many bulb flowers like gladioli.
Other plants, though, like dahlias, are even tougher, and can wait until November
Minter says rose owners don't need to take drastic steps: no need to prune them back, just "tidy them up," put some mulch down around the bottom.
And if you want to plant something for your spring garden, Minter suggests garlic or other hardy bulbs.
"Those are hardy and tough and take a lot of resilience."
With files from CBC Radio One's B.C. Almanac