When autumn arrives, it's high time to winterize the graves. That doesn't just mean you have to cover them. There is still a lot more to do.
Autumn and winter need not be marked by waste on the grave. With the right selection when planting graves, you create the conditions for the lively play of colors to continue uninterruptedly until spring after the summer flowers. To do this, however, you must first properly prepare the grave for the cold season. This is the only way to keep it attractive throughout the fall and winter.There is everything to do in autumn
Remove leaves and dead plants:
First you need to prepare the tomb for the seasonal makeover. To do this, rake all the leaves from the grave and also pick up acorns, beechnuts or similar tree fruits that could take root on the grave. Now remove all annual flowers that have already bloomed in the summer, including the roots. You can use the resulting holes immediately to bring the new plants into the ground. If you don't want to use the holes, rake the soil well.
Plant autumn flowers
If you do it cleverly, with the selection of plants for the grave design in autumn, you can ensure that the beauty of the flowers adorns the grave well into spring. First, choose classic autumn bloomers such as the autumn crocus, chrysanthemums or autumn daisies. In addition, attractive optical loosening can be created with heather or shrubs such as juniper and dogwood. Add a winter bloomer or two. The Christmas rose and the cyclamen are very popular. The Chinese winter blossom is one of those plants that only open their petals at the end of winter.
But don't overdo it. Winter bloomers should decorate the grave with splashes of color during the cold season. Finally, you can also plant spring flowering plants such as frost-resistant horned violets or pansies in autumn.
Cover Plants
If you don't want to winter frost-hardy plants on the grave, the difficult question arises: should youcover the sensitive plants or not? On the one hand, the cover offers protection against frost, on the other hand, in warm winters it can quickly lead to signs of rot in ground covers.
Choose a cover if your location is more likely to experience severe frost and against it if you tend to have mild winters. If you choose a cover, a measured approach makes sense. Limit yourself to a single layer of fir or spruce branches under which air circulation does not completely stop. This is the best way to protect your plants underneath.
Decorate Grave
If the grave is planted or covered, you can decorate it with winter decorations. Here you can, for example, rely on grave candles, dried jewelry or a grave arrangement for All Saints' Day. But don't overdo it with the decoration. Always attach the decorative elements to the grave so that they cannot be damaged by autumn or winter storms.