How to Prepare Aster Flowers for Winter

Prepare aster flowers for winter with a layer of mulch.

As summer ends and autumn begins, bedeck your landscape with colorful blossoms to celebrate the fall season. Consider adding some showy asters to your autumn landscape because asters put on a beautiful fall display that adds color and interest as the season progresses. While most other flowers are looking spent and tired, the hardy aster will continue blooming through late autumn. As autumn winds down and you put your garden to bed, prepare aster flowers for winter to protect them from harsh wind and temperatures.

Things You'll Need

• Shredded mulch (leaves, wood chips or bark)
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Water the soil around the asters if the autumn has been dry. Provide at least 1 to 2 inches of water for the asters before the ground freezes in late autumn to help the asters retain water throughout the winter.

2. Leave the asters standing without trimming them down in the autumn. Leaving asters intact throughout the winter months helps the asters withstand winter weather more readily and they will be stronger. Birds also eat the aster seeds throughout the winter when you leave asters standing.

3. Spread a 2-inch layer of mulch over the soil where the asters are growing in late autumn. Sprinkle the mulch evenly to cover the soil completely.

4. Remove the mulch in the spring and cut the asters down to soil level to prepare for the new growing season.

References

• University of Illlinois at Urbana-Champaign: Asters are Beautiful in Fall Gardens
• Gardenology: Aster
• Lakeside Nature Center: Asters