Winter Garden Maintenance Tips To Support Your Landscape
Although your garden may slow down in winter, this does not mean your work is over. Garden maintenance does not vanish because the weather gets cold, and your landscape needs support now more than ever to ensure it survives the upcoming season.
The work you do now will set the foundation for a successful, vibrant spring, which is why it cannot be ignored. As a leading gardening company, Taming Mother Nature understands the value of consistent garden maintenance and provides services year-round to outdoor spaces across the region.
In this post, we are sharing the most important winter garden maintenance tasks and how you can take care of your garden this season to ensure it not only survives, but thrives in the cold.
The Benefits Of Winter Garden Maintenance: Why It’s Essential For Your Landscape
As the temperatures begin to drop and many plants enter their dormant phase, you may not think there is much to do in your garden. As outdoor activities have slowed down or come to a complete halt, you may be ready to hang up your gardening tools until the spring.
However, this is one of the worst things you can do for your garden. As leading landscape gardeners, we know that consistent garden maintenance is the key to achieving a healthy, attractive outdoor space, and this includes the work you do in winter.
Winter garden maintenance is so important because it can offer benefits, such as:
- Protecting Your Plants And Investment: You have likely spent a lot of time and money achieving your ideal outdoor space, and winter garden maintenance will ensure that this is a worthwhile investment by protecting your plants, hardscaping and overall garden design. The work you do now will protect your garden from the harshest winter conditions and ensure it has a successful return come spring.
- Saves Time And Effort: By protecting your garden, you are getting it prepared for the new season. This will reduce the amount of work needed come spring, when the garden is ready to come back to life. Tasks such as pruning, mulching and frost protection keep plants healthy and safe during the winter, so there is less to do when the warmer weather arrives.
- Supporting Wildlife and Biodiversity: Winter garden maintenance does not just benefit you, but local wildlife too. Keeping your garden safe, clean and healthy ensures it remains a supportive environment for birds, insects and wildlife when they need it the most.
Winter Garden Maintenance Tips: What To Do To Protect Your Garden This Season
Now that you understand the benefits of winter garden maintenance, it is time to consider the ways you can support your garden this season and prioritise the most important tasks for your specific needs.
1) Frost Protection For Plants And Soil
Frost protection is one of the most important winter garden maintenance tasks because freezing temperatures can cause a lot of issues across your landscape. Frost can damage plants, ruin soil conditions, and leave your landscape in a poor condition.
Winter also poses other risks in the form of increased rainfall, leading to soaked and flooded garden spaces, as well as winds. This can lead to structural damage to plants and trees, which will be difficult to repair. Instead, you can prevent issues and damage through frost protection methods, like:
- Moving delicate plants indoors or storing them in a greenhouse or sheltered corner of the garden to prevent wind damage
- Use fleece, bubble wrap, or specialist plant covers to protect shrubs, plants, and developing roots in flower beds or outdoor spaces. When wrapping plants, ensure there is sufficient air flow while also covering the roots and soil
- Mulching and organic materials, such as compost or wood chips, can be used to protect roots, maintain soil temperature and moisture
If you want to add more plants to your garden this season, see our post on Year-Round Garden Beauty: Seasonal Planting Made Simple.
2) Lawn, Borders, And Hardscape Care
As well as caring for your plants during winter garden maintenance, the other areas of your garden need protection, too. The work you do now will ensure your garden remains healthy and attractive throughout the winter, as well as conserves energy so it can thrive come spring.
Some vital tasks to perform on your lawn and hardscape areas during this time include:
- Regular Leaf and Debris Removal: It is essential that throughout winter, you continue to remove fallen leaves, debris and other organic waste materials from your lawn and hardscape areas, such as paving and patios. These can cause mould, rot and pest issues, as well as staining hardscape areas.
- Lawn Aeration And Stress Relief: Before the first frost, aerate the lawn, paying particular attention to any compacted areas. This will help the soil breathe and ensure it can absorb hydration well before freezing. Once the frost and snow arrive, avoid walking on the lawn when it is waterlogged, as this can damage roots and soil conditions.
- Prune And Perennial Care: Shrubs, trees and plants can be lightly pruned in the winter, helping them to conserve energy and maintain a neat appearance. Avoid cutting too close to the trunks or stems, and always use clean, sharp tools when pruning. During your pruning and tidying, you may also want to consider moving perennials, spreading them out so they have enough space to grow and absorb nutrients.
3) Winter Garden Maintenance For Furniture, Equipment And Structures
Winter garden maintenance presents the ideal opportunity to check for repairs, damage and upgrades that may be required throughout your garden. Areas of concern include garden walls, fencing, and paving, all of which should be assessed for damage ahead of the worst weather.
While things are slowing down, now is a great time to consider professional repairs or upgrades for these garden structures. At Taming Mother Nature, we offer a range of services to bring your dream garden to life and can work with a variety of garden designs, budgets, and property types to install new features.
As well as assessing your garden structures, perform a final tidy-up of the landscape. This involves covering or storing garden furniture, decorations, and even lighting to protect them from the harsh winter weather, so they can be enjoyed again in spring.
Gardening tools should also be cleaned and stored at this time, ensuring you have quick access to winter garden maintenance essentials such as a brush, rake, and pruning shears. Before storing, ensure all tools are fully cleaned, sharp and protected with oils, if required.
4) Wildlife And Biodiversity Support In Cold Weather
While you may not be spending much time in your garden this winter, other creatures are still making use of the space. Local wildlife, such as birds, insects and hedgehogs, continue to rely on our gardens as habitats, and they need your support now more than ever.
As part of your winter garden maintenance, you can ensure that your garden is a supportive, sustainable environment throughout the season. If you are not using the space as much, why not make it suitable for other creatures?
To encourage wildlife into your garden this season, consider implementing the following:
- Leave Leaf Piles And Logs: While a lot of winter debris should be cleared to avoid pests and rot, organised piles of leaves, logs, and organic materials can be used as habitats for wildlife. These can attract insects, as well as hedgehogs looking for shelter during the cold weather.
- Keep Seedheads: When pruning and reorganising planting spaces, leave any remaining seedheads such as from coneflowers, sedum and some ornamental grasses. These provide food to birds, and can attract a flurry of wildlife to your garden during the winter.
- Keep Feeding Stations Stocked: If you have bird houses, bird feeders and waterbowls in your garden, ensure you continually keep these stocked with clean, accessible hydration and food. This can provide a lot of support to local wildlife and ensures your garden remains alive with colour and movement throughout the winter.
For more inspiration regarding wildlife-friendly gardens and what to plant, see our post Best Plants for Pollinators and Wildlife: A Seasonal Guide for UK Gardens.
5) Planning And Preparing For Spring
Although you do still have winter garden maintenance tasks to perform this season, this is going to be a quieter period for your garden. With fewer tasks to do, you have more free time to plan ahead and decide what you want to do in your garden next year.
Winter is the perfect time to assess your current outdoor space, determine what worked and what you want to try in the new year. Many landscaping companies, like Taming Mother Nature, are still in operation during the winter, and can provide you with quotes, assessments and advice regarding what can be done in your landscape.
You should use this quieter period to:
- Review what worked this year
- Take measurements of your garden if you are planning new garden design or landscaping projects
- Brainstorm ideas for spring planting or a complete garden redesign
- Order seeds, bulbs, and new plants early to meet your needs and ensure you get a head start
- Clean and prep containers and greenhouse so they can be used next year
The work you do now will contribute to a more successful spring and summer. Preparation is the key to success, and winter garden maintenance gives you time and opportunity to get ahead.
To help you plan your new garden design, see our post on Garden Design Costs: A Surrey Homeowner’s Guide. and How to Choose the Right Landscaping Company in Surrey: Questions To Ask
Conclusion
Despite the slower pace of winter, there is still a lot of work to be done in your garden. Winter garden maintenance tasks such as aerating the lawn, pruning shrubs, repairing fencing, and protecting plants, can go a long way in supporting the future of your landscape. The work you do now will determine whether you will have a successful spring and what kind of garden you will return to.
As a leading garden design and landscaping company, Taming Mother Nature understands the benefits that come from consistent garden maintenance. We offer our landscaping services all year round, and can help you protect your garden this winter.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about our services or to request a quote, please contact the team today.
FAQs
How often should I maintain my garden in winter?
Winter garden maintenance should be done regularly to ensure your garden is safe this season. A basic check of the landscape every 2-4 weeks is ideal. Pay attention to things like debris removal, checking covers, and ensuring no damage to hardscaping or lawn spaces. More thorough tasks, such as mulching, can be done once per season.
Can I plant anything in winter in Surrey?
Yes, certain trees, shrubs and hedges can be planted while in their dormant phase, such as silver birch, dogwood, and box shrubs. Winter flowering plants, such as winter jasmine and hellebores, can also be planted this season.
Do I really need to maintain hard-landscape features in winter?
Yes, as patios, paths, and walls can be vulnerable to frost damage, blocked drainage or lifting slabs and therefore require ongoing maintenance to prevent these issues. A timely inspection and minor repair can prevent major work later.