As the UK braces for cooler temperatures and frost, many people will be wondering what this means for their gardens.
While our gardens may be winding down for winter, many people will still have flowers, shrubs and crops in flower beds and containers.
Unfortunately, not all plants can cope with frost. Some plants can cope with a light frost while others won’t last if temperatures drop below zero.
Nicole Burke, the founder of Rooted Garden, shared on Gardenary which plants need to be removed from gardens before the first frost arrives.
Flowers that need to be removed
Some annual flowers are extremely cold-sensitive and will die at the first sign of frost.
READ MORE: Gardeners urged to prune roses before hard frosts to prevent damage
Marigolds
Marigolds are known for their pretty orange and yellow flowers. While they are attractive, they cannot withstand frost.
Even once frost is enough to kill off these plants. Before the first frost hits, be sure to save the plant’s seeds for next year.
Zinnias
Nicola said these plants “will not survive even a little bit of frost”.
The gardening expert suggested a few weeks before the first frost, gardeners should allow the blooms on the plants to dry put and save the seeds for next season.
Nasturtiums
These delicious edible plants look great in the summer months, however, they “hate frost”.
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If there’s a hard frost overnight, this is usually enough to “kill” these plants.
Fruiting plants and crops that need to be removed
Certain crops are extremely sensitive to frost so need to be harvested and removed before temperatures plummet.
When removing them, cut the plants at the base rather than pulling them up.
Beans
Harvest as many beans as possible before the first frost hits as they won’t survive the cold.
Cucumbers, squash and courgettes
These crops are all sensitive to frost so they need to be harvested before any cold spells hit.
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Nicola said her courgette plants usually slow down their production of fruits before temperatures drop.
She added: “I’ve found it’s better to harvest any small fruits I can find and remove the plants from the garden before frost turns them wet and brown.”
Tomatoes
Tomatoes should be harvested by now but if they’re not, they need to be picked before any frosts.
Tomato plants won’t survive frosts and will turn brown and soggy after really cold weather so it’s best to remove the plants when they’re still green and firm.
Peppers
Pepper plants can be dug up, put into a pot and overwintered indoors.
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