Winter can be a quieter time in your garden, and even the most enthusiastic of gardeners may want to stay indoors when the colder weather strikes. However, especially in a country where winter can go on for a while, it seems a shame not to use your outdoor space for months on end.
So how can you continue to enjoy your garden over winter, and keep those green fingers green?
Here are some ways in which you can use your garden in the colder months:
Help wildlife survive
As lovely as it is to stay warm and cosy indoors over winter, it is important to remember that not everyone has the option! Feel good about yourself by helping the birds, and the bees have an easier time by leaving out seeds and water for birds as well as bird boxes if they need a place to shelter. You can also keep your garden bee-friendly by keeping your compost heap going, growing ivy which provides handy cover as well as nectar, growing winter flowers and creating twig and leaf piles for protection too.
Appreciate winter plants
Just because you might not want to spend hours sitting out in your garden over winter, doesn’t mean you can’t keep it looking good. Pretty plants such as Cyclamen coum, hellebores, snowdrops, crocus, and aconites all provide colour and interest over the winter months. So stock up on these seasonal plants and flowers, and then you can still admire the garden even if it’s from the comfort of indoors!
Have a good old tidy up
Winter is the perfect time to get your garden in ship shape before the warmer weather arrives. When the sun comes out you’ll no doubt want to spend more time gardening and just relaxing in your outside space so bite the bullet, put on a thick jumper and some good gloves and get out there to tackle all those slightly less glamorous jobs such as pruning, sweeping, sharpening your tools and organising your garden shed.
Utilise your greenhouse
If you are pining to plant or desperate to dig you can try to keep those winter blues at bay by heading to your greenhouse where you can grow citrus plants or start sowing seeds ready to transfer to the garden come spring. If the weather gets particularly severe rather than moving more vulnerable seedlings into your home, you can provide extra insulation by wrapping with bubble wrap.
Pay attention to your veg plot
While winter isn’t an ideal time for many plants, the great news is that many vegetables do well over winter and you can enjoy homegrown parsnips, leeks, winter cabbages, kale, and winter salad varieties too. Winter is also a great time to plant fruit bushes, raspberries, rhubarb and garlic which should come good later in the year.
Have a winter garden party!
Now that you’ve got your garden looking great why not celebrate by inviting your nearest and dearest over for a winter garden party? Wrap up warm, invest in a fire pit or chimenea, get some outdoor lights, mull some cider and enjoy your outside space despite the cold.
These top tips mean you can enjoy your garden all year round! For more gardening tips and advice why not check out the rest of our blog? And if your garden needs some TLC to give it a boost after winter frosts take a look at our range of topsoils, soil conditioner, compost and mulches, and lawn turf to help get it back to its very best?