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Getting Your Garden Back In Shape After Winter's Wrath

WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – The winter has been a tyrant this season so you might be surprised to hear the tulips are expected to be beautiful this year.

"The perennials actually thrive under the snow. It's an insulating cover for them so they come back better than ever," Doug Akerley of Hicks Nurseries told CBS2's Meg Baker.

At the 25th anniversary of Hicks Nurseries Flower and Garden Show, owner Stephen Hicks says plants do much better than humans in the winter weather.

"Mother Nature plants have been around forever and they know how to deal with the snow," he said.

If you're concerned about small trees and shrubs bouncing back after being toppled by heavy snow and ice, Akerley has methods for survival.

snowy garden
(Credit: Meg Baker/CBS2)

"If they are bent down at the end of the snow season, then you have to either tie them up or prune out branches that are arched over and they will sprout right up and come through the middle again," he said.

Although you may still have a foot of snow in your yard, with 40-degree temperatures ahead this weekend, you can start thinking about potted plants.

"We recommend this time of  year looking at planting things like pansies, ranunculus, that type of things that like the cold," Akerley said.

Looking ahead, hicks said you can start planting annuals anytime after the last freeze, between April 10 and May 1. You also want to make sure the ground has completely thawed.

"Really you might look at your lawn, at certain spring bulbs, plants that like cool weather, cool weather vegetables, soon as the ground thaws up that will be right ready to go in," Hicks said.

If you want to bring a pop of color in your home, look for plants you can transfer outside, like tulips or daffodils.

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