After the hustle and bustle of the spring and summer months when our gardens wake up, stretch out and show off their colours, there comes the time in the year when our gardens begin to wind down and bunker in for autumn and winter.
Autumn brings its sea of rusty colours with its falling foliage and crisp fresh mornings.. It also brings a brilliant opportunity to get out into our outdoor spaces to prepare our gardens for the colder, more rainy months ahead.
It’s a time to trim back, de-weed, mulch and tidy up. We believe it’s the perfect time of year to get the more maintenance-orientated tasks done, whilst the last of the stable weather and lighter nights begin to become fewer and far between,
Our experts have 11 handy tips on how to prepare your garden for Winter.
11 expert tips on how to prepare your garden for winter
1. Up-root annual flowers
2. Protect your plants
3. Garden tidy up
4. De-weed your garden
5. Add organic materials
6. Cover up garden furniture
7. Regular maintenance of driveways and patios
8. Protect your garden from water-logging and flooding
9. Blow or sweep
10. Planting bulbs for next year
11. Look after local wildlife
1. Up-root annual flowers
Annual flowers bloom amazingly during warmer months, bringing colour and vibrancy to your garden. Although no one wants to up-root these beautiful plants at the end of the season, it’s a job worth doing and reduces the time you need to spend in your garden over winter. To get the most out of your annual plants once up-rooted, add them to your compost pile. And, if digging up your plants doesn’t come naturally to you, consider using only perennials and evergreens, which last longer.
2. Protect your plants
Tender plants need to be tucked up safe and warm for winter with a layer of protective insulation. When preparing vegetable gardens for winter, you can use horticultural fleece to wrap around delicate plants in your garden to give them better odds of surviving into the new year. Preparing your garden for winter is key for protecting your plants. If you’re worried about any particularly flimsy looking plants, now is the time to give them a bit of support with stakes. Potted plants that you think may not weather the frost can be brought indoors for a winter spent in the warmth, or closer to the house for extra shelter.
3. Garden tidy up
So when should you prepare your garden for winter? Well, as November turns into December, clearing debris and getting your garden looking as tidy as possible is important. Remove all unwanted matter to your compost heap, cut back perennial plants to soil level and ensure that your potting shed is in order. However, soil will appreciate being left alone as it needs protection from the ravages of winter – over-digging can remove all of the natural decay that will have helped form a protective top layer.
4. De-weed your garden
As most of us know, weeds can become problematic if left to go wild, and if you don’t manage them at the beginning of winter, they will become a bigger problem come springtime. Make sure weeds come out right from the root, especially where they’ve come up through your paving joints and alongside garden edging. You could go for the easy solution of a weed-killer but try to opt for something that’s less damaging to the environment, and be mindful it may impact your neighbouring plants growth if you’re spraying close to your garden border.
5. Add organic materials
Mulching can protect your plants during winter and is a good eco-friendly gardening method if you choose the right materials. Covering your garden beds with thicker organic material such as mulch or wood chippings can help prevent plants from freezing whilst reducing soil erosion from rainfall.
6. Cover up garden furniture
The colder seasons won’t treat your garden furniture so kindly as dampness and wet spells cause potential rust and mould to your furniture. As you won’t be needing them so often, it is best to store garden furniture pieces in the shed or garage. If this isn’t possible, tough waterproof sheet coverings can be securely fixed around them, and cushions can be put away in a garage or shed in waterproof bags.
7. Regular maintenance of driveways and patios
The colder months can bring snow and ice onto patios and driveways. De-icer can be used on these surfaces, however, there may be some temporary discolouration once the snow and ice have disappeared. This should only be temporary and will fade away over time.
Pressure washing your paved surface whether in the back garden or front of the house will help to remove dirt, debris, chemicals and petrol that can otherwise be carried into cracks and cause damage. There is a craft to power washing, however, and you need to make sure you don’t damage the paving. Avoid spraying the jet directly onto the surface, and instead work from a good range and at a shallow angle (no more than 30°), moving in a diagonal motion. This is to avoid parallel washing of the joints, which could damage the cement pointing.
8. Protect your garden from water-logging and flooding
Flooding and water-logging can have a detrimental impact on your garden, so it’s important to be prepared as the risk of heavy rain increases. To prevent plants from rotting and dying during heavy rain, improve your soil through year-round cultivation and consider growing them in raised beds to elevate them out of harm’s way. Raised beds themselves can also benefit from an extra layer of protection from Croft stone walling, which also adds a stylish aesthetic to your garden.
Further flooding in your garden can be prevented through the installation of permeable paving, which allows water to quickly drain away rather than pooling and collecting. If you have a prized lawn, rake the leaves off it and aerate using a garden fork pushed right into the grass at intervals.
9. Blow or sweep
Blow or sweep your driveway, patio and walkways on a regular basis throughout the autumn and winter. Condensation (dew) is caused by the temperature difference between day and night and left sitting too long mixed with colourful leaves, can stain the surface of your pavers.
10. Planting bulbs for next year
Perhaps the most pleasurable early winter job is planting bulbs for springtime. Tulips, daffodils, pansies, bluebells and snowdrops… just the thought of them will remind you why you’re out there braving the cold. Whether you’re aiming for uniformity and symmetry or simply want a blaze of springtime blooms, this task will help you think of the bright months that lie ahead.
11. Look after local wildlife
The birds, insects and mammals that call your garden home are such an important part of its well-being – that’s why it’s in your interest to take care of them throughout winter. Top up your bird table regularly with nuts or leave seed heads on plants so that birds and other wildlife can feed off them. If you’ve got a garden pond make sure there’s always a hole in the ice for wildlife to use as an entrance and exit when they fancy a drink. If you’re really dedicated, you could even make an insect hotel and place it in a sheltered spot to help chilly ladybirds live to see another year.
Johanna Elvidge, Head of Design from Marshalls says:
“People take pride in their gardens and spend a lot of time and money on their maintenance, so it’s important that we know how to take care of them as the seasons change.
Preparation is key and whilst we have plenty of time for the coming months to prepare for autumn/winter, it’s best to act on it now before cold weather makes you want to stay indoors!
This is your opportunity to get rid of any dead vegetation left over from the summer, and even clear out the drains too.
It is also important for people to remember the hard landscaped areas such as garden patios and driveways. This is our speciality at Marshalls and we would suggest giving these a good clean ahead of winter, to make sure they’re looking their best next year.”
Final Thoughts
We’ve suggested 11 expert tips on how to prepare your garden for winter. It’s clear to see that even though our gardens appear to be winding down for the colder months ahead, there are still opportunities to enjoy our outdoor spaces, even if it is focusing more on maintenance.
These simple tips will ensure your garden is ready for the eventual arrival of spring, ensuring that your garden is well nourished, tidy, and ready to bloom once again
