Preventing Damage to the Garden in Winter:

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Preventing Damage to the Garden in Winter:

Winter brings with it a host of problems for the gardeners, with the cold, wet windy climate causing major damage to numerous species of plants and structures in the garden, at a time when gardeners themselves don’t enjoy venturing out into the garden to freeze! The most likely areas for damage are trees, shrubs and garden fencing and trellis. A few simple steps, however, can prevent this damage becoming too costly or time consuming by preventing the chaos occurring in the first place. These strategies include sheltering, staking plants, mulching, wrapping plants that cannot be moved and placing delicate pots under cover or in the greenhouse. In many areas, horticultural fleece can be used to prevent frost damage to many species of plants and shrub and is used by carefully collecting any straggling leaves into the plant, then wrapping carefully with the fleece to act like a blanket against the cold ad wind. These wrappings should be applied at the first sign of the frosts as a preventative measure.

Other preventative measures centre on groundwork before the big freeze. Ideally you should avoid applying rich fertilizers late in the season as this stimulates growth which will usually be weak, sappy and thus easily frozen and damaged. Covering the soil will prevent leaching of the nutrients already in the soil. Growing living compost such as mustard, will replenish the soil while allowed to rot back in where it grows and can be dug back in during the spring. Likewise, mulching the soil at this stage will assist with nutrient retention. Containers should be kept in dry, sheltered areas of the garden where they will not be as susceptible to frost. You can prevent roots and tubers from freezing in these tubs by wrapping the base in bubble wrap. As the first line of defense, however, you should think carefully about the planting situations in your garden, place delicate plants in warmer spots, such as next to house walls, warm spots in the garden and south facing walls. Any plants that are due to flower early in the season, should also not be in situations where they will receive early morning sun, as this will cause rapid freezing and thawing of the buds leading to bud damage and drop.

Structures such as fencing and trellis should be replaced if damaged and painted before the rainy season in late summer. Solid fence panels should be carefully affixed to their mounts, as they will be susceptible to gusting and high winds in this season. Drainage issues that arise in this weather will also need to be dealt with swiftly, using a fork to prong the ground and remove surface water, as soggy poorly drained soils will make trees and large plants more likely to uproot in high winds.

With such measures in place, combined with the hope for a mild winter, you should rest assured that you have taken the greatest possible steps to ensuring that your garden is not destroyed by the cold season! Good Luck.

Kindly written by Kevin Thorns