Winter care and Hardiness zones explained

Plant Care and Tips: It’s hard to believe that winter is closing in on us. Predictions have this winter as colder than normal. There’s still time to get that perennial mum in the ground from the pot. Cover your plants: a little straw or some leaves 3-5”. You do not need to cut back most plants. However, if you want to cut back your summer blooming shrubs. Don’t prune back your lilacs, azaleas or rhododendrons, or you will have no blooms in the spring. If you have any zone 5* perennials and hydrangeas, you may want to put a cone on, or mulch heavier. *USDA winter hardiness zone: New Richmond is listed as Zone 4 or -30 f temperature. This is real temperature not wind chill. So when we see the thermometer sink to -30 f, many zone 5 plants may be frozen out. Microclimates can be created easily, for instance, next to the foundation of your home, the temperature may not sink as low.