Gardening in winter isn’t all gloom and doom – it’s a wonderful time to connect with nature, even when the temperatures dive.
Although growth may take a back seat for many, keeping up with garden maintenance and prepping for spring and summer is still crucial. Steven Walley, a seasoned garden landscaper and paving expert from London Stone, believes that the quiet winter period is an optimum time to fine-tune your garden plans. He suggests tackling six specific garden tasks right now.
Mr Walley said: “During winter, many trees are without their leaves, so it can be easier to view your garden layout and make decisions on where you would like to open up more space or perhaps where you’d like to create more privacy.”
He added: “Winter is the best time to consider creating new steps, paths, patios or flower beds in your garden.” According to the pro, with minimal greenery to get in the way, landscaping tasks are much easier. This goes double for big projects like laying down a patio, which demands plenty of foresight and groundwork, reports the Express.
Winter offers the perfect vantage point to witness the raw structure of your garden, particularly helpful for spotting wind patterns with dormant plants and naked branches – key intel for safeguarding your green babies from fierce winter gusts.
Experts say that getting the right position for garden features, like hedges, fences and plants, is key when it comes to shielding delicate greenery from the full force of strong winds.
This is why they recommend that you pay close attention to not just the orientation of your garden, but the prevailing wind direction – how it moves through your space – so that you can place the likes of hedges and fences in spots that will afford maximum protection to the parts that need it.
Testing the pH and nutrient content of the soil can be a big help, allowing you to adjust things, like the amount of compost or manure you add, to get the ideal mix. Speaking about getting the perfect mix, Mr Walley continued to explain: “Add compost, manure or grass clippings to help improve the soil structure as this can help with aeration and moisture retention.”
The expert explained that plants growing in your garden over winter will need varying levels of care depending on the amount of moisture in the soil. Incorporating plants that thrive in either wet or dry conditions can aid in regulating water flow during heavy downpours. The trick, according to Mr Walley, involves careful positioning of different garden features.
He said: “You can also help to support drainage in your garden by installing permeable patios, which use unique paving slabs to help absorb excess water rather than allowing it to pool on the surface.”
Although often viewed as a time of quiet in the garden, the winter months can in fact be a good opportunity for making changes and conducting maintenance. Moving plants and shrubs without impacting on their growth cycles during spring is a good example of this.
Mr Walley said: “It’s much better to move and relocate plants and shrubs over the winter when they aren’t growing or flowering, as this way they are disturbed less.”
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