Get Your Garden Winter-Ready: Prune, Plant, Protect
Autumn is here, and it's time to prepare your garden for the cold months ahead. From pruning hedges to protecting plants, here's how to keep your garden thriving until spring.
Start by pruning hedges and shrubs. Remove only dead wood to prevent damage from snow and maintain nutrient uptake. Continue mowing the lawn until early November, ensuring the grass isn't cut shorter than five centimeters for the last cut to increase resistance. This will help protect the grass roots during winter.
Now is also the time to plant cold-hardy seeds like tulips, hyacinths, or daffodils. Planting them before the first frost ensures they'll bloom in the spring. For frost-tolerant plants, consider hardy perennials such as cranesbill geraniums, asters, heath, chrysanthemums, cyclamen, heather, and ornamental kale. Evergreen shrubs like boxwood and ivy can also be planted. Protect less hardy plants with mulch or leaves.
Fertilize your lawn with an autumn fertilizer. This has a lower nitrogen and higher potassium content, promoting frost resistance. After harvesting, apply mulch, straw, or fleece to protect vegetable beds from frost.
Regularly remove leaves from the lawn to prevent grass from yellowing and root rot, and to reduce pest breeding. Move potted plants that can't withstand freezing temperatures into a winter shelter. Use fleece to protect sensitive plants from frost.
By following these steps, you'll ensure your garden is well-prepared for the winter months. With a little effort now, you'll be rewarded with a thriving garden come spring.
