How to Look After Your Garden During Winter

Winter is officially here and there are several different tasks you can complete to keep out of the garden. This is the time to wrap your plants up warm, start clearing out dead material and plan your planting ideas for this year. We’ve got a checklist of things you can do to keep your garden in top tip shape over the colder months.

Look After Your Lawn - Remember to look after your lawn. Try and keep your grass a mid-length throughout Winter. If it’s too short it will struggle and if it’s too long the frost will make it very brittle. When the temperature drops the growth rate for your lawn will be very slow so you may be able to leave it until early Spring. 

Spruce up your Equipment - Now’s the time to have a sort out of your garden equipment to see what needs to be cleaned and what needs to be chucked away. Wipe your tools clean, sharpen and give your equipment a good spray of WD40 to help prevent corrosion. You can also service your lawn-mower. Organise shed drawers and boxes while giving them a good clean. You’ll thank yourself when Spring arrives. 

Continue to look after your Garden Plants - Clearing away debris from your plants outside will help to maintain health, cover up your delicate plants to protect them from the cold. Your plants should also be trimmed, pruned with blackened stems and foliage cleared. Doing this will help to prevent them from catching diseases. 

Herbs - Depending on the type of herb depends on its expectancy to survive the harsher weather. Herbs such as bay, sage and thyme will be able to withstand the weather however, they won’t grow. If you’re looking to harvest them it’s worth protecting them from the cold. Moving them into a colder area such as an unheated greenhouse or conservatory will be ideal. Other herbs such as mint, parsley and rosemary can survive the colder conditions even through snow. The weather will limit the growing process so be careful with how much you harvest if you choose to. Ensure all outdoor pots have good drainage as water clogged roots can often rot and die.  

Ponds -  It’s very important to regularly check-up and keep your pump running on your pumps and filters during the cold weather to ensure they don’t freeze over. Most kinds of fish are well adapted to British weather, although when the weather drops, the metabolism of fish slows down, meaning it takes longer to digest food. Feed your fish less frequently to avoid any uneaten food affecting your water quality. Change your fish food to a wheat germ-based food which are designed to aid to digestion during Winter. If your pond freezes, do not break the ice. Breaking the ice will stress the fish and could kill them. 

Visit our Gardening Department in our Cirencester store where you’ll find everything you need for your garden and outdoor space. 

Visit our Gardening and Outdoor Department in Cirencester