Winter-proofing Your Garden


Shutterstock / Floki © winter

One look outside will confirm that winter is well and truly on the way. 

So how can we protect our gardens from the worsening weather?

Ben Dyer is CEO of Powered Now, a mobile-based billing, invoicing and quotation application which specialises in trades.

Here, he offers some top tips for our green-fingered fans:

  • Replace your summer pots and baskets with evergreens and winter bedding plants. Heathers and pansies are particularly versatile during winter.
  • Clean up. Make sure to deadhead and prune any summer and autumn flowering shrubs before the first winter frost. Make sure to remove any delicate plants or bulbs that might be susceptible to frost damage and place them in a cool, dry place.
  • Rake the lawn. Getting rid of any moss and waste will aid ventilation and drainage, which will help your grass establish firm roots during the colder months.
  • Add nutrients. Add compost or nutrient-rich manure to your beds now to make sure that your plants are healthier next year. Winter months are the perfect time to spread this around your garden to make sure your plants are happy, come spring.

For more gardening advice from “The People’s Friend”, click here — or pick up your copy of the weekly magazine, where our advice comes from the great Alexandra Campbell.

Iain McDonald

Iain is Digital Content Editor at the "Friend", making him responsible for managing flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine's website and social media channels.