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Preparing Your Garden for Winter – Five things to do this month

In the UK we are very lucky in that when preparing the garden for winter we do not have to put the garden ‘to bed’.  Often plants in mild winters will continue to grow well into December. I have been gardening professionally for over 40 years and, in my early years, one of the first jobs I was given to do when working at Wisley garden was to cut the lawns on Christmas eve!

1. Although a good tidy up in the garden will make it look smart and neat, often wildlife especially birds appreciate it if we leave seed heads on plants for them to eat during the winter and indeed some plants, even when dormant, look spectacular.  The soil at this time of the year is still warm so finish off planting evergreens such as conifers. It is also the perfect time to get soil prepared for planting deciduous trees and shrubs. Dig in lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure. In permanent borders, weed and top dress between the plants with any type of mulch. This can be compost, bark or any organic material that will suppress the weeds and keep the moisture in the ground. If you have a “dry” garden you could use a gravel mulch.

2. Do rake up leaves from the lawn and borders and compost them. Leaves make  one of the best composts (called leaf mould) If you don’t have enough leaves, ask your neighbours for theirs, compost them in a separate heap and you will be rewarded next year with a brown golden material suitable for digging into the ground or top dressing borders. Don’t use a normal garden rake but invest in either a springbok rake or one of my favourites from Fiskars is their XL Leaf rake, an impressive 65 cm across which allows you to rake up huge quantities of leaves!

3. Protect those tender plants with Fleece. Yes you can buy horticultural fleece that comes in rolls and you just wrap up the plant, like using a blanket. This does require a bit of dexterity especially on a windy autumn day when you have to wrestle with the fleece and at the same time use string to tie it around the plant.  Better still why don’t you use a fleece jacket that is simply pulled down over the plant and has a draw string at the base to tie it up? It’s a wrap!

4. Plant bulbs for a spring display. By the time spring comes around you will have forgotten about them and will be so surprised when they flower and brighten up the garden in spring.  I plant my bulbs then cover the ground around them with a layer of gravel or grit. This stops me digging them up or just forgetting where I have planted them. Eventually the grit will disappear into the soil but just top it up as needed.

5. Grass areas need a bit of care at this time of the year if you want them to look their best next year. Rake off leaves from the lawn. Keep cutting if needed but raise the blades so you do not scalp the grass. Lawn roots like the soil to be free draining so aerate your lawn either with a machine or, if you have a small lawn, with a garden fork pushed in as far as you can. You can fill in the holes with a gritty compost to aid drainage.

 

Leave Seedheads for the birds

Leave Seedheads for the birds

 

Preparing Your Garden for Winter – Five things to do this month

In the UK we are very lucky in that when preparing the garden for winter we do not have to put the garden ‘to bed’.  Often plants in mild winters will continue to grow well into December. I have been gardening professionally for over 40 years and, in my early years, one of the first jobs I was given to do when working at Wisley garden was to cut the lawns on Christmas eve!

1. Although a good tidy up in the garden will make it look smart and neat, often wildlife especially birds appreciate it if we leave seed heads on plants for them to eat during the winter and indeed some plants, even when dormant, look spectacular.  The soil at this time of the year is still warm so finish off planting evergreens such as conifers. It is also the perfect time to get soil prepared for planting deciduous trees and shrubs. Dig in lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure. In permanent borders, weed and top dress between the plants with any type of mulch. This can be compost, bark or any organic material that will suppress the weeds and keep the moisture in the ground. If you have a “dry” garden you could use a gravel mulch.

2. Do rake up leaves from the lawn and borders and compost them. Leaves make  one of the best composts (called leaf mould) If you don’t have enough leaves, ask your neighbours for theirs, compost them in a separate heap and you will be rewarded next year with a brown golden material suitable for digging into the ground or top dressing borders. Don’t use a normal garden rake but invest in either a springbok rake or one of my favourites from Fiskars is their XL Leaf rake, an impressive 65 cm across which allows you to rake up huge quantities of leaves!

3. Protect those tender plants with Fleece. Yes you can buy horticultural fleece that comes in rolls and you just wrap up the plant, like using a blanket. This does require a bit of dexterity especially on a windy autumn day when you have to wrestle with the fleece and at the same time use string to tie it around the plant.  Better still why don’t you use a fleece jacket that is simply pulled down over the plant and has a draw string at the base to tie it up? It’s a wrap!

4. Plant bulbs for a spring display. By the time spring comes around you will have forgotten about them and will be so surprised when they flower and brighten up the garden in spring.  I plant my bulbs then cover the ground around them with a layer of gravel or grit. This stops me digging them up or just forgetting where I have planted them. Eventually the grit will disappear into the soil but just top it up as needed.

5. Grass areas need a bit of care at this time of the year if you want them to look their best next year. Rake off leaves from the lawn. Keep cutting if needed but raise the blades so you do not scalp the grass. Lawn roots like the soil to be free draining so aerate your lawn either with a machine or, if you have a small lawn, with a garden fork pushed in as far as you can. You can fill in the holes with a gritty compost to aid drainage.

 

Leave Seedheads for the birds

Leave Seedheads for the birds

 

Preparing Your Garden for Winter – Five things to do this month

In the UK we are very lucky in that when preparing the garden for winter we do not have to put the garden ‘to bed’.  Often plants in mild winters will continue to grow well into December. I have been gardening professionally for over 40 years and, in my early years, one of the first jobs I was given to do when working at Wisley garden was to cut the lawns on Christmas eve!

1. Although a good tidy up in the garden will make it look smart and neat, often wildlife especially birds appreciate it if we leave seed heads on plants for them to eat during the winter and indeed some plants, even when dormant, look spectacular.  The soil at this time of the year is still warm so finish off planting evergreens such as conifers. It is also the perfect time to get soil prepared for planting deciduous trees and shrubs. Dig in lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure. In permanent borders, weed and top dress between the plants with any type of mulch. This can be compost, bark or any organic material that will suppress the weeds and keep the moisture in the ground. If you have a “dry” garden you could use a gravel mulch.

2. Do rake up leaves from the lawn and borders and compost them. Leaves make  one of the best composts (called leaf mould) If you don’t have enough leaves, ask your neighbours for theirs, compost them in a separate heap and you will be rewarded next year with a brown golden material suitable for digging into the ground or top dressing borders. Don’t use a normal garden rake but invest in either a springbok rake or one of my favourites from Fiskars is their XL Leaf rake, an impressive 65 cm across which allows you to rake up huge quantities of leaves!

3. Protect those tender plants with Fleece. Yes you can buy horticultural fleece that comes in rolls and you just wrap up the plant, like using a blanket. This does require a bit of dexterity especially on a windy autumn day when you have to wrestle with the fleece and at the same time use string to tie it around the plant.  Better still why don’t you use a fleece jacket that is simply pulled down over the plant and has a draw string at the base to tie it up? It’s a wrap!

4. Plant bulbs for a spring display. By the time spring comes around you will have forgotten about them and will be so surprised when they flower and brighten up the garden in spring.  I plant my bulbs then cover the ground around them with a layer of gravel or grit. This stops me digging them up or just forgetting where I have planted them. Eventually the grit will disappear into the soil but just top it up as needed.

5. Grass areas need a bit of care at this time of the year if you want them to look their best next year. Rake off leaves from the lawn. Keep cutting if needed but raise the blades so you do not scalp the grass. Lawn roots like the soil to be free draining so aerate your lawn either with a machine or, if you have a small lawn, with a garden fork pushed in as far as you can. You can fill in the holes with a gritty compost to aid drainage.

 

Leave Seedheads for the birds

Leave Seedheads for the birds

 

Preparing Your Garden for Winter – Five things to do this month

In the UK we are very lucky in that when preparing the garden for winter we do not have to put the garden ‘to bed’.  Often plants in mild winters will continue to grow well into December. I have been gardening professionally for over 40 years and, in my early years, one of the first jobs I was given to do when working at Wisley garden was to cut the lawns on Christmas eve!

1. Although a good tidy up in the garden will make it look smart and neat, often wildlife especially birds appreciate it if we leave seed heads on plants for them to eat during the winter and indeed some plants, even when dormant, look spectacular.  The soil at this time of the year is still warm so finish off planting evergreens such as conifers. It is also the perfect time to get soil prepared for planting deciduous trees and shrubs. Dig in lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure. In permanent borders, weed and top dress between the plants with any type of mulch. This can be compost, bark or any organic material that will suppress the weeds and keep the moisture in the ground. If you have a “dry” garden you could use a gravel mulch.

2. Do rake up leaves from the lawn and borders and compost them. Leaves make  one of the best composts (called leaf mould) If you don’t have enough leaves, ask your neighbours for theirs, compost them in a separate heap and you will be rewarded next year with a brown golden material suitable for digging into the ground or top dressing borders. Don’t use a normal garden rake but invest in either a springbok rake or one of my favourites from Fiskars is their XL Leaf rake, an impressive 65 cm across which allows you to rake up huge quantities of leaves!

3. Protect those tender plants with Fleece. Yes you can buy horticultural fleece that comes in rolls and you just wrap up the plant, like using a blanket. This does require a bit of dexterity especially on a windy autumn day when you have to wrestle with the fleece and at the same time use string to tie it around the plant.  Better still why don’t you use a fleece jacket that is simply pulled down over the plant and has a draw string at the base to tie it up? It’s a wrap!

4. Plant bulbs for a spring display. By the time spring comes around you will have forgotten about them and will be so surprised when they flower and brighten up the garden in spring.  I plant my bulbs then cover the ground around them with a layer of gravel or grit. This stops me digging them up or just forgetting where I have planted them. Eventually the grit will disappear into the soil but just top it up as needed.

5. Grass areas need a bit of care at this time of the year if you want them to look their best next year. Rake off leaves from the lawn. Keep cutting if needed but raise the blades so you do not scalp the grass. Lawn roots like the soil to be free draining so aerate your lawn either with a machine or, if you have a small lawn, with a garden fork pushed in as far as you can. You can fill in the holes with a gritty compost to aid drainage.

 

Leave Seedheads for the birds

Leave Seedheads for the birds

 

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