Those lovely crisp, sunny and cold days, out in the fresh air, getting things sorted for winter. Gardening in winter always feels like it’s got the promise of things to come. According to Google, in the northern hemisphere, winter is defined as beginning on 21 December and ending on Saturday 20 March.
Gardening in Winter
You really need to be having a good tidy up at this time of year. Cut down the old, by now decaying stems and clear away old growth.
Removing old plant matter will allow the cold weather and frosts of winter to kill any disease that’s hanging about. If you don’t like using chemicals, it’s a good way to clear up virus and bacteria before Spring begins. In this next photo, the rose stems have black spot. It’s important to dispose of any leaves and branches which look like this – don’t compost them.
Plan for Better Weather
The winter months are also a good time to be sorting out any big changes or hard landscaping that you’re planning.
That way you can cut out any shrubs, branches or plants that you need to. Or move any plants that are in the wrong place. Do your building work and the new growth will grow in the right place this year. It’s a shame to chop (or kill) new strong growth when you start landscaping work in June!
Look after the Wildlife
We still like to leave foraging material for the wildlife which lives in our garden. While tidying up we also leave a strip of fallen leaves along the back edge of the border. The birds can forage here for food, and it’s somewhere for beneficial insects and beetles to live.
It’s also a good idea to put some food out for the garden birds over these cold months. Ideally, you should feed them regularly with seed, peanuts or suet feeders. There’s not much nutrition in white bread – it’s the avian junk food! You can even make your own wild bird cake. And remember to provide a dish of clean water too!
Tempt the birds into your garden with feeders and they’ll repay you by keeping the greenfly and aphids under control throughout the year. And they’re very entertaining to watch too!
Get ready for next year
Winter is also a good time to get cracking with a ball of string! While the branches are bare and you can see what you’re doing, prune and tie in branches to create a dense hedge. It protects long stems from snapping in the wind, and ensures a good display next year. The birds will thank you for it too, using the cover to hide, roost and nest in.
Pull this years new long rose and shrub stems down and tie them in horizontally for more flowers.
By the time you’ve finished clearing your garden in winter a lot of the plants will have ‘disappeared’, leaving a lot of soil on view! In our garden here at Visit Fylde Coast we have a mixture of shrubby plants and trees around the perimeter, with mainly perennials (and some annuals) in the borders. By January we like to have everything cleared so that the new growth can get away with the early spring sunshine.
Winter feed
January, February and early March are good times of year to apply a winter feed to the garden. There are many different ways to feed your garden plants and you probably have your own favourite. We like to use fish, blood and bone and/or rose fertiliser. In our experience, both give a good result – stimulating strong new growth and making plenty of flowers through the year.
If you haven’t already put your home made compost down, get it spread onto the borders now. It will continue to rot and feed the new spring growth.
Looking after your Lawn
Your lawn probably looks quite fed up in winter! Ours certainly does. Our garden has a lot of clay which holds a lot of water. And of course we’re at sea level so rainwater drains away quite slowly. The worms have a field day and the surface of the lawn is covered in their casts. All in all it’s not impressive by the end of January!
But don’t despair – lawns are tough old things and bounce back surprisingly well. In late February/March, when the weather starts to improve a little, it’s time to feed the grass. It supports strong growth and a multi-purpose feed also deals with the weeds.
Enjoy Gardening in Winter
If you enjoy your garden it’s very satisfying to stand back and see everything looking neat and tidy. Gardening in winter is also uplifting for your mood too. After being cooped up inside it’s a pleasure to go out into the fresh air again. Especially on bright and crisp sunny days.
It’s just as satisfying to retreat inside and put your feet up. Make a brew, put the TV on, and get roses in your cheeks when you get warm again in the central heating. Know that it’s a good job well done and will need minimum maintenance again until the spring.
Work in Progress
Much like our gardens, this page is a work in progress! I’m sure there are lots of things that I’ve forgotten, which I’ll add as I remember. Some useful pages are included below but there are more in the main gardening section. If there’s anything you want to add, just leave a comment. Happy spring gardening!
- Plants that grow at the coast
- Gardening in Spring
- Gardening in Summer
- Autumn Gardening
- Gardening in Winter
- Seaside Gardening
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