David Domoney shares the simple steps to winterproof your garden
Winter weather is unpredictable with unexpected cold snaps and constantly shifting temperatures taking their toll on our gardens. David Domoney shares his top tips in the form of a few easy tasks to help you protect plants and minimise winter damage.
What jobs should we be doing in the garden now?
Whilst we are still having the odd sunny day, it’s a great time to prepare your garden for the new season. Before the frost sets in, it's important to protect the plants that won’t survive outside during the winter. Although this doesn’t need to mean empty beddings, there’s plenty of autumn flowers, showing colour now that can be planted to replace them.
What's the best way to protect plants that won't survive the cold?
Summer bedding plants such as Geraniums, Fushias and Idalias won’t survive outside during the cold weather. These plants should be dug up and repotted into a planter that can be stored inside - Ideally in a porch with natural light or a greenhouse. This way the plants will survive until next year and can be repotted in the garden again when the weather starts to get warmer.
Is now the best time to plant bulbs?
Bulbs such as Daffodils, Tulips, Snowdrops and Crocus can be planted now in order for them to flower in the spring.
TOP TIP: When planting a bulb, use the light bulb technique: Twist the bulb into the soil without leaving an air bubble in between. If you leave a gap between the bulb and the soil, water will get in and cause the bulb to rot.
Protecting your bulbs from squirrels
Squirrels have an excellent sense of smell and can detect freshly dug up soil and the smell of bulbs. To stop squirrels from feasting on your bulbs, grate a soap bar with a cheese grater and add a small pinch of grated soap on top of your bulb, before covering it with soil. This doesn’t harm the squirrels but the perfumed scent will stop them from discovering the bulbs.
The change in season doesn't mean we have to miss out on colour in our garden...
There are plenty of colourful winter plants and autumnal beddings that can be planted now to add a splash of colour to your garden. When you’ve removed the summer beddings, renovate them with plants such as Violas, Chrysanthemums and ornamental Chillies, which will be bursting with colour all through the winter.