Winter is coming. It’s going to be cold, wet and you probably will retreat inside. But here are some winter garden care tips to help you enjoy the crisp great outdoors and ensure your garden is looking its best come spring.

Caring for your lawn

Aerate your soil: If the soil has any drainage problems, winter is the season when they’ll expose themselves. Use a garden fork to push vertical holes into heavy soils.

Increase mowing height: As daylight hours decrease so does the ability of lawns to photosynthesise, by increasing mowing heights and leaving more green leaf we increase the food supply to the grass.

Fertilise your lawn: Put down a high quality winter fertiliser in May. Winter fertilisers contain higher levels of Iron which is essential for good lawn health through Winter. The next application of Winter fertiliser should be in July.

General winter garden care

Winter is the perfect time of year to try and remove as many competitors as possible before the weather starts warming up again.

Where possible, bring tropical plants into a protected space – your patio for example. Or construct frames around the plants that are likely to be damaged by the cold or frosts.

Keeping some colour

Plant up a couple of pots with annuals. Choose pansies or polyanthus that are already in flower for an instant show. Water well after planting and keep in bloom by deadheading and watering every 10 days with a liquid plant food.

Reduce watering of potted plants and take the chill off tap water by mixing in a small amount of hot water. It shouldn’t feel warm – just slightly tepid to the touch. This means it won’t shock the roots so much.

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