You may think that it is still a bit early to be worrying about the effects of winter on your garden, but in fact, autumn is the time to prepare. Any tender plants in the garden can suffer serious damage due to the winter weather, with cold, wind, rain and frost all taking a toll. Happily, there are things you can do to prevent the chilly months from wrecking your hard work and beautiful plants.
1 Change their location
One simple solution for any plants that are kept in pots is to move them to an area of your garden that will offer more shelter from the worst of the winter elements. If that is not possible, look to places outside of the garden that provide greater protection. Plants that are dormant during the winter months, such as tender fuchsias and begonias, can be kept in a shed. Those that stay green during the winter will be better in a cool greenhouse that lets light in.
2 Provide covering
You may not realise it, but you can cover your plants to protect them from frost in the same way that you would cover your car. If you have a proper horticultural fleece then that will be the best option for a temporary cover, but if not, then some pages from a newspaper will work just as well. More than one layer of coverage may be needed if the temperature drops really low.
3 Use some mulch
Putting some mulch over the roots of your plants ahead of the winter is another good way to help protect them from its effects. Mulching also brings the side benefits of adding nutrients to the soil and storing water, enabling plants to grow and cutting the amount of watering they will need. Ordinary garden compost works very well as mulch, but if you have a wood chipper, then the chips you take from your trees can also be used to create mulch.
Wood chippers are just one of the handy garden maintenance tools Redblade Mowers supply to people in Formby, Southport and the wider West Lancashire area. If you want to make sure your plants are ready for the winter, you can get what you need from our website.
