Putting your garden to bed for winter

Putting your garden to bed for winter

Putting your garden to bed for winter, is, in reality preparing it for the growing season. In this article we’re looking at essential garden maintenance that is best done during the cooler months of the year.

Our ancestors believed that a day began at sunset and that the year began in autumn. And I can see their reasoning. The day/year starts off with a good long rest during which living things prepare themselves for the work to come. That is certainly true for garden and estate maintenance.

Winter strips the garden back to its bare bones and allows you to access its structure for essential maintenance. It’s the outdoor equivalent of emptying a room and stripping off the wallpaper so that you can decorate it.

For Keep It Green Garden Maintenance, winter is a busy time of year. It’s when we make repairs, re-shape structural plants and prepare the soil for the growing season.

Hedge trimming
Tree Pruning
Repairs to fences and structures
Mulching and soil care
Rose pruning
Planting bare root trees
Drainage

Of course some of these jobs can be done at any time of year, but we’ve found over the years that once spring arrives, the birds start nesting and the plants start growing, it’s difficult to fit everything into a day. So we don our woolly hats, gloves and thermals and do as much as we can while the garden is quiet.

Hedge Trimming

Hedges are some of the most important plants in a garden. Not only do they frame a space visually, they shelter the garden against cruel winds. Added to that, a hedge is also home to beneficial creatures.

Depending on the species, some hedges may need trimming a couple of times of year, but the most important cut happens in winter time – while the sap is flowing slower and there are no birds trying to nest in it.

Trimming a tall hedge requires a careful approach with the right equipment and with health and safety in mind. The team at KIG are well trained and are very comfortable working with ladders and scaffold towers. So if you need any help with hedging, you know who to call.

Tree Pruning

Tree pruning is something that gardeners find quite daunting. It’s tempting to leave things be, but remember that pruning serve a purpose. It ensures that each tree is safe, has a beautiful shape and, in the case of fruit trees, is productive too.

While the KIG team prune a clients trees, we also check that stakes and ties are doing their job and adjust them if necessary. We can also clear any unwanted vegetation from the base of the tree and add a layer of mulch to improve the soil.

Tree planting

Trees can be planted at any time of year but winter has traditionally been the time to plant woodland, orchards and specimen trees. There’s a good reason for it too.

Bare root trees are available between November and February and they are considerably less pricey than potted trees. Partly because you are not paying for pots and growing medium, and partly because they weigh less and therefore cost less to deliver.

I love planting bare root trees. The naked branches allow you to see the exact structure of the plant and mean that you can easily manoeuvre them so that their “best side” is towards the main viewing angle. Staking bare root trees is more efficient – you work with the roots not with the shape of a pot. Best of all though, at this time of year, all the roots need to think about is settling themselves in. They’re not actively supporting leaves, blossoms, fruits etc. What you get with bare root planting is a stronger, healthier, more sustainable tree.

Hedge planting

Everything that applies to bare root trees, applies to hedging plants too. You can save an absolute fortune by planting hedges during the winter months. True – it will take a while for the plants to establish into a dense barrier but it will be worth waiting for. If, however, you want an instant hedge, modern growing methods have made that possible. Planting it does involve men and machinery but the end result is absolutely stunning.

Mulching and soil care

Your soil is the very heart of your garden. Whether it is in raised veggie beds, rose borders, shrubberies or beneath your lawn, without good soil your garden cannot thrives.

Good soil is a whole eco-system – except it’s in miniature. In every teaspoonful of healthy soil there are billions of good bacteria that ensure your plants are properly nourished. Serving the bacteria are a host of minibeasts such as beetles and worms who also aerate the soil and help to improve natural drainage. Mulching supports that ecosystem.

I like to lay mulch in the winter. This is one of those jobs that can be done in any season but is best got out of the way before the garden springs into life.

Coping with mud in the garden

At the time of writing (November 2019) the whole of the UK is experiencing the wettest autumn since – well probably since before I was born.

Gardens and paddocks are awash with mud and now is the time that any weak spots in drainage systems will show up.

It’s worth calling someone in to help get those drains flowing freely again. Waterlogged soil is not great for plant roots and it does restrict the use of your space until the excess water has dispersed.

When drains are less of an issue than unsuitable surfaces, there is an option to install ground reinforcement grids. These are commonly used in overflow carparks but are also invaluable in gateways and on roadways that are in frequent use. I’m thinking around livestock and for equestrian premises. The interlocking grids simply sit on a permeable sub-base and can be backfilled with soil or gravel. They can be seeded with grass to help them blend in to the surroundings and still be available for grazing.

Need help putting your garden to bed?

Dark evenings can make it more difficult to find time for all of those essential gardening jobs. If you need some help and you are in the Horsham area, you need the KIG team. We’re a local grounds maintenance company with a wide range of skills and a solid reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.

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