There are lots of nice things about autumn and winter, like celebrating Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas, getting cosy in knitwear, and enjoying your favourite soups and comfort foods.
While we might be having a lovely time enjoying the company of those closest to us, the cold, wet, and windy winter weather we're shielding ourselves from can take its toll on our gardens.
Frost, in particular, can damage outdoor spaces, affecting tender plants, lawns, paving slabs, and patio areas.
We've put together this guide to help you increase your winter protection, protect plants, and maintain your garden.
Here, we explore 14 tips for looking after your space, increasing frost protection for plants, and decreasing the chances of cold weather ruining your garden plants.
But, before we start thinking about how to protect plants from frost, let's take a look at how frost can damage your garden.
What damage can frost do to your garden?
Frost can harm lots of different elements of your garden, including your plants, furniture, paving, and sheds. Here's how the cold weather can damage various aspects of your outdoor space:
Plants
- Freezing: Frost causes the water inside plant cells to freeze, damaging and rupturing their tissue. Tender plants, like tropical flowers and annuals (those that complete their life cycle in a growing season), are especially vulnerable and can die if exposed to the frost
- Leaf burn: Freezing weather can turn leaves brown and crispy. This is known as 'frost burn', and young plants are especially prone to it
- Root damage: If you have potted plants that are not as insulated as those in the ground, freezing temperatures can harm their roots and restrict the growth of perennial plants and herbs
- Ruining blossoms: Freezing temperatures can ruin blossoms and cause fruit and vegetable crops to rot
Patio furniture
- Wood furniture: As ice thaws, its moisture is absorbed by wooden furniture. If this refreezes, it can lead to cracks of warping, making the wood more brittle and prone to breaking
- Metal furniture: If it's not treated, frost can rust and corrode metal furniture and the strain of expansion in the freeze-thaw effect can weaken joints
- Plastic furniture: Frost can make plastic more brittle, increasing the risk of cracks and breaks as the weather warms and temperatures fluctuate
Paving
- Cracking and moving: When water seeps into gaps and freezes, it expands, leading to cracks or shifting in the paving. This can loosen pavers or misalign them
- Discolouration: Frost can trap moisture in paving stones and outdoor tiles, which may cause stains or discolouration on certain types of pavers, including Indian sandstone slabs
Sheds
- Warping and splitting: When exposed to frost, wooden sheds can split if rapid thawing occurs
- Roof damage: If not properly insulated, roofs can suffer from damage like cracks and leaks, as roofing materials can become brittle in icy weather
- Rusting: Metal components, like hinges, locks and screws, can all rust and become stiff if they're not adequately maintained
Tips to protect your garden from frost
Now that we know what damage frost can do to outdoor plants, let's explore some garden frost protection measures to keep your plants, patio, outdoor furniture, and sheds safe this winter.
How to protect plants from frost
1. Bring potted plants indoors
Moving tender plants and potted flowers indoors, to a greenhouse or shed, will keep them warmer and ensure they're less susceptible to freezing.
Container plants typically freeze faster than ones in the ground because their roots are not as well insulated.
2. Cover plants with frost cloths or blankets
In the same way we all love getting warm and snug under a blanket in cold weather, so do our plants. Use a horticultural fleece or old sheets during frosty weather to trap warmth and stop your plants from freezing.
3. Water before frost
If you need to water your plants, do so in the daytime. Moist soil retains heat better than dry soil, so watering at the warmest part of the day can protect plants from cold evenings.
4. Use a cold frame
Cold frames, cloches, or mini-greenhouses can cover individual rows of plants, creating a warmer microclimate for them.
5. Plant frost-tender plants in sheltered positions
Consider how to protect plants before they go into the ground and where is most suitable for them. Frost-tender plants have a higher chance of surviving cold snaps in sheltered positions.
Meanwhile, hardy plants should be put in places that are more susceptible to frost as they'll be able to handle the chilly weather better.
How to protect outdoor furniture from frost
6. Store furniture indoors
If you have the space in your garage or shed, keeping your outdoor furniture indoors will help you avoid frost damage.
Bring cushions, rugs, and any other fabrics indoors, too. If left outside, they can harbour moisture and become discoloured, smelly, and ruined.
7. Keep it covered and elevated
If you don't have the space, don't worry. Covers can prevent frost from settling on furniture and reduce the risk of damage. Similarly, keeping furniture elevated using bricks or blocks will keep it off the cold, damp ground and minimise exposure to freezing temperatures.
8. Seal it
Give wooden furniture a coat of weatherproof sealant or varnish. This keeps moisture from being absorbed and reduces the risk of cracking.
9. Wipe it down
Before covering or storing your indoor furniture, wipe it down so it's dry. Existing moisture can still freeze, so drying it avoids this.
How to protect patios and paving from frost
10. Fix cracks and gaps
Make sure you inspect your paving and repair any cracks before frost sets in. Water can freeze in even the smallest spaces, causing cracks to widen, so keep your patio area adequately maintained.
11. Spread grit and sand
Chucking grit and sand over paved areas and driveways reduces the risk of slipping. You should try to avoid using salt, however, as this can damage stones over time.
How to protect sheds and wooden structures from frost
12. Treat it
Weatherproof or stain your shed, fence, or pergola to create a barrier against moisture. This will reduce the chances of wood splitting, warping, or rotting in freezing temperatures.
13. Inspect it
Before the cold weather starts, check your shed roof for leaks or loose panels and clear out the gutters. Fixing these issues alleviates water buildup that can damage your shed and let moisture and frost in.
14. Insulate it
Adding insulation to your shed walls and roof will protect tools, plants and furniture stored inside. Plus, if you have any jobs to do, you'll be warmer as well.
Another way of insulating your shed is with draught excluders - you can place these around doors and windows to keep warm air in and prevent cold air from entering your shed.
Get your paving frost-ready with Marshalls
The most effective way to protect your garden from the frost is by putting things in place to mitigate the damage it does.
To do this, use our premium jointing compounds, such as weatherpoint jointing and paving primer, to secure your patio ahead of the winter weather.
For more guidance, check out our inspiration hub.
Here, you’ll find garden design ideas and a wealth of expert insight on the Marshalls blog, from how to stop your garden flooding when it rains to tips on improving your home’s kerb appeal, and much more.
