With winter just beginning, now is the perfect time to prepare your garden for winter, if you haven’t done so already. This is an essential step for protecting plants, improving soil health, and ensuring a thriving garden in the spring. But what does this involve? And what are the important steps for preparing your garden for winter?
What are the important steps for preparing your garden for winter?
There are a number of steps you should consider when it comes to getting your garden space ready for winter. These include:
Tidying the garden
One of the first steps you should take is to clear away the debris, leaves and twigs that may have accumulated throughout autumn. Leaving some of the organic matter can be beneficial for wildlife, and nourishing your plants during the winter, but this should be removed from paths, walkways and lawns, where it will generally cause more problems than benefits. This debris can make paths dangerous and slippy for example, particularly when frosts and icy conditions occur.ย
As well as tidying the paths and lawns of debris, you should also be sure to tidy up your plants too. If you have perennials for example, these will need to be cut back, especially if they are prone to rot in wet weather. This can keep your borders and flowerbeds healthy for spring.ย
Finally, you should also be sure to make any repairs or replacements that are needed.whether it’s a new flagstone for the path, or your garden borders need replacing, now is the perfect time.ย
Tending to the lawn
It’s important to give your lawn some attention at this time of year, to keep your grass healthy for spring. This may involve taking up fallen leaves to prevent mould, and to let the grass aerate. To help this aeration, you could also consider using garden tools to manually prod the soil, helping to strengthen the roots and growth.
Planting for the future
Winter is the perfect time of year to plant hardy spring bulbs like daffodils, crocuses, and tulips. Plant them in well drained soil and at the appropriate depth for their species. This will bring early spring colour to your garden, fending off the winter. In addition, plants with bare roots like roses, hedges, and fruit trees, can also be planted in autumn and early winter.
Protecting your plants
It’s also essential to protect your plants, particularly in flowerbeds and borders. This is because frost and harsh weather can be detrimental to certain plants, so providing protection can help to keep your plants safe and healthy throughout the season. You may need to move tender plants, such as fuchsias and pelargoniums, into a greenhouse or conservatory. For larger specimens that cannot be moved, you can wrap the pots with bubble wrap or hessian to insulate the roots. In addition, you could also consider covering vulnerable garden plants with fleece or cloches to protect them from frost.ย
Check your garden structures
Finally, you should be sure to check your garden structures, including fences, trellises, garden borders, and garden furniture for any damage. Be sure to repair any issues so that you can protect your property, and plants, throughout any winter storms, and to avoid breakages.ย
For garden borders, it’s important to have strong borders in place for winter to deal with the heavy rains, snow and other extreme weather that winter can bring. Strong borders can help prevent flooding and ponding problems, while providing structure for your plants, helping to stop soil erosion and keeping plants in place. FlexiBorder is the perfect choice for this, as this is incredibly durable, strong, and resilient to extreme weather conditions. Made from recycled rubber, FlexiBorder can also bend easily for curved flowerbeds and paths.ย
For more information or advice about FlexiBorder for your garden, why not get in touch today?
