Garden Winter TLC

With the weather being so wet over the past month or so, most of us have had limited time to spend in our gardens . 

The rainwater just cannot drain away fast enough. This is where organic matter dug into the soil really does help as it breaks up the structure of the clay soil and thus allows water to drain away so much more easily.

Around this time of the year it’s worth putting in that last bit of effort to clear up any remaining leaf litter and leaving the garden neat, tidy and maintaining good garden hygiene for the winter months.

Also clear away any other garden debris as this could provide shelter for slugs and other pests. This job is even more important than it used to be as our winters are getting milder and many pests are now surviving the winter when they would have normally been killed off by the cold.

Winter pruning of fruit trees and shrubs can still be carried out around now and also remember to cut out any wood that is dead or diseased and thin out overcrowded branches. Most herbaceous perennials that have now been knocked back by the weather can also be pruned away to soil level and new growth will develop next spring.

This month you can continue planting trees and shrubs but avoid planting in wet or frozen soil. Keep an eye on newly planted trees or shrubs as the winter frosts can sometime loosen soil around the plants and so just re-firm the soil back around the plant.

Also if we have any snow during the winter months, remember that it’s not the snow itself that does damage to plants but the weight of the snow on branches.  So all that really needs doing is to brush any the snow off your plants, as it’s the weight of the snow that causes branches to break.

If we have any frost, then do avoid walking on the lawn, as it’ll easily be damaged and once the frost has thawed out, yellow patches will appear revealing where the foot steps were. If you do have to get across the lawn then how about considering digging in some decorative stepping stones?

If you want to relocate some of your plants then they can now be moved and replanted elsewhere, but remember to dig around the plant and take up a large root ball as possible to ensure it’s survival.

Not all outdoor pots are frost resistant, so if you have some nice pots that you would like to protect then tuck them away in a sheltered spot during the cold months, or wrap them in a layer of insulation like hessian or bubble wrap.  Alternatively simply pop them away into the shed for winter protection.

So, before the festive season starts with all the feasting that comes with it, I’m going to try and get out into the garden for a good winter clear up and burn off some calories as I know I’ll soon be putting it all back on during the Christmas season.

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