How To Prepare Garden For Winter?
When winter starts to approach, the last thing anyone is thinking of is doing any gardening. As soon as the clocks go back at the end of October, we all get lazy and prepare to stay in the house for longer periods of time. Everyone who has a garden should take up this opportunity to tidy up the garden and prepare it for winter and even better, plan so you don’t have to do gardening until spring. If you’re clever and good at organising you could go for more than 7 months with none or little gardening effort.
Below are some tips to make tidying up your garden for winter easier:
- Firstly check to see what trees, plants and flowers can be pruned. Some of them can only be pruned at certain times of the year so the sooner you do it, the healthier they will be.
- Use weed killer to kill any weeds growing in between flowers or in flowerbeds
- Cut grass as short as you can to prevent it from overgrowing; during winter the lack of sun and rain reduces growth time for grass. If you get frost and snow, this will also slow down the re-growth period.
- Put away garden furniture or cover to make it last longer and prevent rust.
- If you have herbs growing in the garden, take a small cutting and transfer all of them into a large pot. You can then store it on the kitchen windowsill and use when needed.
- In October most bulbs and seeds can be planted to enable germination by spring; so benefit from summer sales by stocking up on loads of different coloured tulips and spring bulbs.
- Wash and scrub down patio before it starts to get cold; it should stay nice and clean until March/April.
By doing all this in the months leading up to winter, you can save yourself the hassle of having to do it when it gets too cold. Remember that when the clocks go back in October the days are shorter. You may not be able to get as many things done as you would during the longer days of sunshine; this is good to know for people who work weekdays. By doing the maximum amount possible, you can save your weekends for family time and catching up with friends.
Save yourself unnecessary lost time by preparing ahead and preserving flowers and trees in the garden. Some councils also stop or reduce garden waste collection in the winter so do it now before you’re left with 6 months worth of garden waste to get rid of.
