Perennial Plants in Winter

How do plants survive the cold winters in continental and temperate climates? Learn with me, Dr. Katia Hougaard, as I show you around my flower garden in November.

Perennial plants, which live for more than one year, protect themselves by entering a “dormant” phase in winter. Shortening day length and falling temperatures trigger physiological changes that lead to dormancy.

Herbaceous perennials are plants without woody tissues. In autumn, they conduct a carefully controlled die-off of above ground tissue such as stems and leaves while transferring nutrients to the below ground plant parts such as tubers and rhizomes. While the herbaceous perennials look “dead” during autumn and winter, their subterranean parts are alive and preparing to transfer their stored nutrients to the new above ground growth in spring.

Woody perennials’ stems and branches remain above ground in winter. Their dormancy is marked by shedding leaves that could be damaged by frost and suspending growth during winter.

As you are preparing the garden for winter, take a moment to appreciate the evolutionary adaptations of perennial plants for winter survival.

Music by Derek and Brandon Fiechter

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