While we think of winter as a time when your garden lays dormant, there are things you can do in winter to help your garden flourish when spring comes.
Fertilise your lawn
Prepare your lawn for the harsh cold of winter by keeping it well fed in Autumn. Fertilising your lawn will help grass maintain its vibrant green colour throughout winter and keep it healthy. You can also improve the resilience of your garden by using products such as a hose on seaweed or by mixing in compost. Compost is a great way to add nutrients to your soil.
Remove weeds
While your lawn remains dormant, weeds will continue to grow and crowd your lawn. Remove weeds and dead plants before spring comes. You can manually remove weeds or use chemicals, but keep in mind that even high quality herbicides can cause stress to your garden during the winter months.
Mow the lawn
It’s best to give you lawn an occasional mow with a catcher during winter and pick up stray branches and fallen leaves that could be blocking bits of sunlight. Leaves in winter can become slip hazards when wet and cause rotting on decking when left to sit on timber. Mulch mowing in winter is not recommended as mulched materials break down very slowly in cold weather and this can cause fungal issues.
Prune Plants
Late winter is a great time to prune deciduous plants and trees. It will be easier to see what needs cutting while they are dormant. Give trees with congested branches and foliage a pruning and once cleared up, issues like dead and damaged branches can become visible. Pruning in winter promotes faster growth in spring. Be careful of pruning certain trees as birch and maple as they can bleed sap heavily.
