Find out what to do in the garden during the cold winter months.
Protect your garden from the snow
First of all, if you want your garden to survive the winter, it’s important that you protect it from all the ice and snow. However, these two things look quite different, so make sure you get them right. To deal with ice, you must protect vulnerable plants with sheeting or bing them inside. However, if a plant or tree does get icy, it’s best to just leave it to melt on its own, rather than trying to remove it yourself, as this can cause damage.
Snow, on the other hand, needs to be cleared from plants as soon as possible, especially larger ones like shrubs and trees. Be sure to carefully and gently brush any snow away from their roots to ensure they survive the winter.
Prune
Did you know that winter is an excellent time to prune your plants? This is because plants which have fallen leaves are dormant in the winter months. This means it’s easy to prune them effectively, and it helps protect any newly pruned plants from insects and disease.
Although even in the winter, it’s best not to prune your plants on a snowy or rainy day. Instead, wait for a cold but sunny day to plant any plants outside of the warmth of the greenhouse.
Plant your bulbs in pots
You may think that winter is too late to get your bulbs for spring in the ground. However, there is a workaround for this. Of course, you won’t want to do the impossible and back-breaking work of digging through the frozen ground to plant your bulbs. Instead, use individual pots where you can replant as necessary later on. The best time to do this is January, when the weather starts to warm up a little. Until then, you can cover over the pots with the soil, but no bulbs to keep it from freezing, allowing you to be ready to go when the time comes.
Choose weather-proof resources
One way of making gardening in the winter, and in fact all seasons, easier is to choose weatherproof resources. For example, choosing furniture that is made from plastic or aluminium makes it weatherproof and easier to keep clean and rust-free, even during the cold winter months.
Similarly, choosing a composite garden fence, which is weatherproof all year around, means you won’t need to keep your eyes out for any rotting or warping in the bad weather. You won’t even need to repaint or stain it when spring comes around, either, because it will still look amazing!
Repair and maintain your tools
Last of all, when it comes to gardening tasks that are perfect in the winter, repairing and maintaining your tools should be at the top of your list. To do this, just rinse your tools with the hose, and then thoroughly dry them to stop them rusting. Wiping down and oiling the handles can help preserve the wood, and sharpening them using a whetstone or sharpening stone to keep them in tip-top condition.