There’s something satisfying about tucking up your garden for the winter, knowing that in just a few short months, it will come alive again.
Putting in the hard work now will make your job easier in spring. Pruning perennials, covering furniture, and making room in the composter should all be on your to-do list.
In this blog post, we look at what you should be doing to prepare your garden for winter.
1. Cover your garden furniture
If you leave your garden furniture uncovered over the winter, it might not make it through the cold snap unscathed. To stop it from succumbing to rust and mould, store your garden furniture in the garage or another outbuilding if you have one.
If this isn’t an option, cover your furniture with a waterproof protector, but don’t forget to remove the cushions first. Bag them up, and keep them somewhere inside – your loft or the eaves of the garage are both great storage places for large cushions.
TOP TIP – use this time to wash your cushion covers while they’re not needed.
2. Protect your plants from the cold
The drop in temperature and wet conditions can really take its toll on vulnerable plants, but there are things you can do to protect them. Start by moving any potted plants to a sheltered place or even bringing them inside if you can spare the room.
For young trees and plants, add a thick layer of mulch (organic matter) to the soil. This will:
- help stop soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall
- reduce water loss
- regulate soil temperature and moisture levels
Make room in your composter for winter by removing what’s ready to be used and adding it to your flower beds. This will give your soil some much-needed nourishment over the winter, and by spring, your plants will be fighting fit.
3. Prune your plucky perennials
Some plants and flowers, like roses, are best pruned in the lead-up to winter, while others should be left until the warmer months.
Before you whip out the secateurs, check that your plants will benefit from being pruned at this time of year. This article from Gardeners’ World on what to prune in winter is a great resource.
Some of the plants that should be pruned in winter include:
- Deciduous shrubs
- Roses
- Apple and pear trees
- Wisteria
- Grapevines
Remember to leave something for the wildlife in your garden when you’re pruning your plants. They are an essential part of its ecosystem, and your garden offers a retreat for them even in the winter.
Leave out your bird bath and if you have a bird feeder, keep re-filling it with bird seed. You could also make an insect hotel from whatever you have left over after you’ve cleared away the rubbish in your garden.
TOP TIP: leave the seed heads on some of your plants for the birds to enjoy this winter.
4. Rid your garden of weeds
Winter is a good time to tidy up your outdoor space and finish all those little jobs that you’ve been putting off. Clear away the children’s toys, sweep away the debris, and get rid of those pesky weeds.
Weeds are just as much a problem in winter as in the warmer months, but the good news is that if you tackle them before they start to seed, you can stop them from spreading.
Try to pull them up from the root so you can guarantee they won’t grow back. This can be difficult when the weeds are growing along your garden edging or between the gaps in your patio, but it’s a job worth doing.
Before you go out and buy a bottle of weed killer, consider investing in a weeding tool. Not only will it help you get into smaller spaces, but it’s much kinder to the environment.
5. Sort out your composter
Our final step in preparing your garden for winter is to sort out your composter. Make space for the next few months by clearing out anything ready and putting it to good use.
When you’re cutting back your perennials and uprooting your annuals, add them to your composter. In fact, you can add anything you find, from fallen leaves to food scraps and other green waste.
Planning for next season
On those cold, drizzly days when you don’t feel like being outside, use the time to start planning your future garden. You may want to make tweaks (things you’ve noticed that could be done better), or you might have ambitious plans to completely re-design your outdoor space.
If you’re thinking of starting a new project, ask the experts at The Traditional Company how they can help.
Whatever the scale of the changes you want to make, use this time when you’re not working in the garden to draw up a plan of action.
There are also things you can plant in the autumn to get ahead of the game. Tulips, for example, can be planted as late as November, but most spring-flowering bulbs need to be in the ground by at least the end of September.
This article from the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) on planting bulbs is a valuable resource. Find out when, where, and how to plant bulbs in your garden.
Preparing your garden for winter
Maintaining your garden in the cold winter months is certainly not as enjoyable as pottering around it in the summer, but by putting in the extra work now, you can lighten the load in spring. Follow the five easy steps we’ve covered in this article, and you can look forward to using your garden again when the warmer months arrive.
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