Essential Winter Garden Care

Winter may be a quieter time for gardeners, but there is still work to do to help your outdoor space thrive this season. The harsh weather conditions and freezing temperatures of winter can play havoc with all of your previous landscaping if left unattended, which is why winter garden care is so important.

Learning how to provide the best winter care for your garden will support your plants, greenery and trees this season and ensure you have something beautiful to return to spring. Simple steps can go a long way in maintaining the health and beauty of your garden this season, so you can continue your work no matter the weather.

For the team at Beautiful Spaces, the changing seasons do not mean our work ends but rather adapts to meet the needs of landscapes at all times of the year. We can provide seasonal care, as well as regular landscaping, garden design and maintenance, to your outdoor space no matter the weather and offer the support you need to ensure it thrives in all conditions.

Using our experience and passion for gardening, we are sharing some of the best winter garden care techniques to help your outdoor space not just survive, but thrive this season.

1) Protect Your Plants

Winter weather can be harsh on your landscape, which is why protecting your plants from the cold is such an important part of winter garden care. Protecting your plants from the cold will keep them safe and healthy, even in the harshest weather conditions.

While smaller plants or flower pots should be brought indoors for the season, whether this is in your home or a greenhouse, we understand that this is not suitable for everything. Protective barriers are needed for the flower beds and plants that remain in your garden to help keep them insulated, and you have two main options:

• Mulch is a great tool to use in your garden all year round and is particularly useful for winter garden care because it can provide insulation to the soil. Ideal to use in flower beds and similar containers, organic mulch will continue to provide nutrients directly to the roots as the materials decompose, while also protecting soil from the soil.
• Freeze barriers can be used for the most sensitive and delicate plants in your garden, shielding them from the cold and wind. Horticultural fleece, row covers, or cloches should cover the plants to keep them dry and warm this season. Make sure you secure the barriers in place, but allow some room for ventilation as this helps the plant breathe and grow.

Protecting your plants from the cold helps prevent structural damage, which can occur in frost and snow while giving your plants enough nutrients to bloom once more come spring.

2) Winter Pruning

Pruning is an essential element of seasonal gardening and a significant part of winter garden care for landscapes with shrubs and trees. Pruning is easier to perform in the winter, as deciduous trees will have already shed their leaves so you can clearly see the branches that need most attention.

Take this time to assess the state of your trees and shrubs, looking for signs of wear, tear and damage. Brittle or diseased branches need to be removed immediately, as they are prone to breaking during wind or snow. Cutting off the damaged branches now will also give the tree a better chance at healthy regrowth in spring.

As most plants enter their dormant period during the winter, you also can use this opportunity to shape your shrubs so they will grow neatly come spring and get the look you desire in your garden ahead of time.

3) Repair And Prepare Soil

A lot of the work you do now as part of your winter garden care will help your landscape in the future. The work you do during the winter is to prepare the garden for the upcoming spring, ensuring it is healthy and suitable for new growth.

This is where soil preparation comes in and this is a key element of winter garden care if you are planning on having a fruitful new gardening season next year.

To determine what specific care your soil needs, perform a pH and nutrient test to get an accurate reading of the current levels of each. These levels can then be used to inform the work needed to prepare your garden for the spring and ensure it creates a healthy environment for new plants.

To give your soil an extra boost this winter, add a natural fertiliser – regardless of the readings you have gotten from these tests. Well-rotted manure, compost or leaf mould will add more nutrients to the soil as they break down over the season, helping your garden to repair itself ahead of the new planting season.

4) Wildlife Support

Plants are not the only things that need additional support in winter and you cna transform your garden into a haven for wildlife this season to support our furry and feathered friends. As you are likely not spending much time outdoors this season, all other creatures to take advantage of the space by providing food, water and shelter for local wildlife.

Birds, insects, pollinators and other creatures like hedgehogs can use your garden as a safe space this season and it is easier than you think to take care of them.

• Fill up bird feeders with nuts, seeds and dried fruit and make sure that the bird bath or water bowls are free from ice.
• Leave piles of logs or small piles of leaves in specific sections of the garden to create a thriving microculture for insects or a warm shelter for hedgehogs

These simple sets can go a long way in supporting the environment and you can play an active role in our ecosystem this winter, without much effort.

5) Plan For The Future

The quietness of winter presents the perfect opportunity for you to plan your spring revival. While there are no specific tasks for winter garden care here, planning for spring can make your job easier in the new year and give you a head start on the growing season.

To ensure that your garden in the new year is successful, consider the following:

• Assess the successes and challenges of your garden this year to inform future landscaping decisions, focusing on what went right for you
• Plan out a new layout or garden design that allows you to make better use of your outdoor space
• Save for the renovations you have been dreaming of, whether that’s a new garden pathway or garden room installation
• Order seeds, bulbs and compost ahead of time so you can get right back out there once the weather warms up

If you want to make bigger changes to your landscape in the new year, choose Beautiful Spaces to support you on this journey. We offer a range of solutions that can help renovate your outdoor space and allow you to make the best out of your garden.

Conclusion

While winter is a quieter time for gardeners, it is not a period of complete rest as there are some essential winter garden care tasks that need to take place. Spending time repairing, treating and preparing your garden for the upcoming season will give you a head start in spring and ensure a more successful gardening season than the last.

If you are looking to make bigger changes to your outdoor space or need support in things such as planting, maintenance and pruning, choose Beautiful Spaces.