Gardening in Winter

It’s been proved by scientists that a spot of gardening, even on the coldest and greyest of days, will lift your spirits, and warm you up!

Jennifer Stackhouse

Are you tired of your garden looking depressing over the winter? Does the gloominess and coldness not appeal to you to approach and manhandle your bushes? Are there not enough bright colours to still make your house look appealing from the outside? Worry no more! Within this blog, you will learn how to mould your garden into the best physical state throughout the wintery blues.

Checking the physical structure of your garden is key in order to make sure it’s super strong during minus degrees’ temperature. If you have sheds, fences or parts protected by gates, check over these before winter arrives to ensure that they are stable enough to handle strong winds, rain and potential snowfall. If you have patches of grass, the best advice is to not mow the lawn over winter, as it needs to breathe. By all means, please do remove large weeds, moss and leaves – you still need to keep the grass maintained.

Having a vegetable patch could cause you some concern over the winter. But do not worry! The best bet is to cover root vegetables (such as parsnips and carrots) with 15cm of leaves or straw so they can be harvested throughout the cold temperatures. If snow is forecasted, cover the root with an old piece of carpet. This just ensures heat to be secured. Behead autumn-flowering plants and prune summer-flowering shrubs before any frosts arrive. Brush off any heavy snow from shrubs and trees. This prevents any branches to be broken.

If you don’t already have a compost heap or bin at hand (or anything in general that stores the compost) then this would be the right season to purchase one or set one up yourself. With all the leaves and cuttings, you’ll be doing throughout winter, this enables them to stay in one place and avoids mess. For those who already do have one, a good stir will help the composting process to hurry along. You can also help keep animals safe by putting out food blocks. Helping your local wildlife survive the winter conditions means favours will be repaid throughout all seasons.

If you’re a fish lover and have a pond in your garden helping to keep them safe over winter is vital. Apply a net over the pond to keep them safe from any fallen leaves that are decomposing. By not applying a net this could turn the pond water foul and block filters on the pumps. A fine meshed net placed across the pond and then to secure, pin it down with bricks will do the trick. The leaves can then be added straight to the compost heap.

When the winter season approaches, look out for the best winter plants. Different plants are able to cope with better seasons. Below are a few of my favourite examples of good winter plants that are bound to survive the coldness and keep your garden looking like a creative haven during difficult gardening seasons:

• Sweet box – dark green and glossy that last all year round.
• Rosebud Cherry – Pale pink blossom that grows on branches. Perfect from November to December.

By all means, I am no Alan Titchmarsh and no-one’s garden is in tiptop condition all year round. But once in a while, showing your garden some TLC will work wonders for your garden along with your winter well being!