Garden Maintenance Tips: How to Protect Your Plants during Wintertime

The winter months may bring with them beautiful scenes of frost and snow-covered landscapes, but when it comes to your garden, the harsh weather can ruin the hard work you put in all summer long. The thought of carrying out garden maintenance in wet, cold and windy conditions may seem daunting, but it is a necessary undertaking if you want your garden to survive the winter.

The most important thing to do is protect your plants from the elements. Use protective plants such as evergreen shrubs and hedging to act as a windbreaker for your more sensitive plants. If a particularly harsh frost is forecast, water the soil. Wet soil retains heat better than dry soil and will prevent roots from suffering any injuries from the frost.

Small, newly planted trees are vulnerable to high winds, so stake them before the winter sets in. It is important to remember to stake them so they can still sway slightly, as staking them too tightly may hinder growth.

When it comes to your plant pots, not all of them will be sturdy enough to be left outside. The easiest thing to do would be to switch them over for plant pots that are more resilient and are therefore less likely to crack or break. If the now empty pots cannot be stored inside, clean them, turn them upside down and place them on bricks to avoid contact with the frozen ground. Bubblewrap the plant pots left outside to protect them and the roots of the plants from freezing.

Frost damage can affect most plants and often results in conditions such as leaf scorch and browning and may even lead to the death of the plant. Regularly but gently brush away frost from plants, especially sensitive ones, to help prevent serious damage from taking hold.

Sources:

Putting the Garden to Bed, Almanac.com

Preparing Your Garden for Winter, BHG.com

What you need to do to get your garden ready for winter, Today.com