CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A local expert on flowering plants offers some tips to help protect them from our recent temperature swings.

Lisa Hilgenberg of the Chicago Botanic Garden WBBM’s Gardening Tips podcast.

She says the warm weather has prompted some flowering plants such as bulbs and perennials to start emerging earlier than they normally would, and that increases the risk that they could be damaged by below-freezing temperatures or heavy snow.

She says there’s a simple way to protect the plants.

“Leave the debris and garden mulch around the perennials now,” Higlenberg says. “It’s too early to clean up the garden until a couple of weeks from now when temperatures moderate. As far as bulbs go, a light layer of mulch around any foliage that has come up is a good thing to do.”

Hilgenberg also recommends choosing a variety of flowering plants that are suitable for a wide range of weather conditions.

She says that increases the chances that you’ll have plenty of flowers, regardless of how warm or cold it gets.

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Source: audacy.com