4 all-important tips to prepare your garden for winter
When the temperature drops so does our motivation to get green-fingered. Show your outdoor space some love over the coolest months of the year with these simple ways to get your garden ready for winter.
Image: Pixabay
As the winter months draw in the temptation to avoid preening your plants to perfection dramatically hightens. A survey conducted by outdoor building manufacturer, Tiger Sheds revealed that 40% of Brits don’t take precautions to prepare their garden or garden buildings for the cooler weather, with 52% completely abandon their gardens during winter.
The survey also discovered that 9% of participants don’t care for their garden in winter because they think that their plants will die regardless. 8% claimed they would just replace anything that is damaged by bad weather.
It seems the frosty weather is quick to discourage even the most avid gardeners from pottering around their outdoor space, with the cold temperature coming out as the number one reason to avoid gardening in the winter.
Abandoning our gardens while we spend less time in them may seem inevitable, however, experts from Tiger Sheds offer four top tips for homeowners to ensure their garden is fully prepared survive the frosty weather.
Protect your garden buildings
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Make sure to weatherproof your building before the cold weather hits to reduce the risk of rot in the damp environment. You can also help protect your outdoor building with a simple lick of paint.
As well as giving your garden a new lease of life, applying a fresh coat of paint gives your building some extra protection for the winter.
Another tip is to check that the windows and doors of your building are well-sealed to ensure that water can’t get in and cause further unwanted damage.
Don’t abandon your plants
There’s still life in them yet! Keeping your plants warm and dry is key for their survival. If you can, move plants indoors to keep them out of the cold and rain. If this isn’t possible, try to keep your plants near fences and other sheltered areas. To shield your plants from frost, use a protective cover overnight.
Grouping your potted plants together and/or wrapping them in bubble wrap will also help to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing or getting blown over in the bleak conditions. It’s also good to keep your plants in pots with drainage holes so excess moisture from heavy rainfall can drain out.
Store away garden furniture
Image: Pixabay
Garden furniture can easily get damaged in the winter weather so it’s a good idea to store it away, ideally in a garden shed, where it can be sheltered from the snow and rain.
Despite being designed to be outside, the wet weather makes furniture susceptible to damage so it’s good practice to pack it away before winter kicks in.
Don’t forget to maintain
Maintenance matters – more than half of the nation tend to forget to look after their gardens during the colder seasons. Gardening in the winter doesn’t have to be strenuous but taking some time to look after your green space will make all the difference. One key tip is to keep trimming away problematic branches to reduce the risk of damage that could be caused in harsher weather.
Although it may not be the first area you think of when it comes to looking after your garden, the winter can have harsh effects on your lawn, so it’s important to stay on top of maintenance. Make sure you clear up any dead leaves as these prevent the grass from getting sunlight and water. It’s also a good idea to fertilize your lawn to restore any nutrients lost as a result of the frosty weather.
For more tips and tricks on how to look after your garden in winter, check out Tiger Sheds ‘Winter Garden Care‘ blog post.
Do you have any tips for preparing a garden for winter? Let us know by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.