If you're like me, it can be hard to find the motivation to go outside and work on your garden when the weather turns cold. But by the time spring rolls around, this winter neglect often means that I have a badly damaged garden and must start work from scratch, sometimes even replanting large sections of outside areas.
But this could be totally unnecessary by taking some simple steps to prepare your garden for the cooler months. Not only will this allow you to have a minimal-maintenance garden that looks good all year around, it also means that, should you decide to put your property on the market during the year, a reduced amount of time will be required to prepare your garden for the sale.
Another advantage of maintaining your garden during winter is that you ensure its continued health throughout the year. This will help your plants to thrive in all conditions and live for longer.
I have found that a good way to start preparations is often to do some general cleaning and clearing. Pulling out weeds and raking up fallen leaves will rid your garden of any harmful insects and diseases that these sometimes carry.
In my search for the best ways to ready my garden for winter, I came across what I thought to be quite an informative article on the Yates Australia website, entitled 'Preparing the garden for winter'. The piece contained a checklist of tips, some of which I've included as follows:
- Move potted tropical plants and others that like warmth to more protected spots – such as a verandah or porch. For those that are planted, or just too heavy to move, consider spraying them with products that are designed to provide a layer of protection.
- Reduce your watering of potted plants as they require much less water when the weather is cooler.
- Before winter, feed plants with a product that is high in potash so as to build up their strength.
If you like to have a bit of colour in your garden during winter, now is also a good time to start looking into the various varieties that are suited to cooler temperatures. According to Yates Australia there are plenty of suitable varieties that will live through winter, such as polyanthus which bloom in a wide range of colours – blues, pinks, yellows, cream and white. If cared for these flowers will re-bloom next winter as well.
Preparing your garden for winter doesn't have to be a hugely involved process. And by taking a few simple measures you will be able to enjoy an attractive garden all year round.