There’s a trend here in Australia where people use winter rolling in as an excuse to neglect their garden. Quick tip: Don’t do this!
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or not, it’s important to look after your garden all year round. Here’s a quick guide on what you can do to take care of your plants in the chilly winter weather!
Pruning your plants
Don’t be afraid to prune your plants in the winter! Many plants benefit a lot from heavy pruning during winter, especially roses. Many types of trees and shrubs benefit from late winter pruning, helping them regrow quickly when spring hits. Late pruning can help with plants laying dormant, leaving it easier to see what needs to be pruned. Make sure your secateurs are sharpened! This part isn’t necessarily a winter tip – just sharpen your secateurs!
Soak in the rain
Be careful if your soil has been dry for while! Dry soil in the winter can become resistant to water, even after heavy rainfall. Keep an eye out for water pooling on the surface – this is a telltale sign of your soil being rendered hydrophobic. Be sure to aerate your soil when this happens, as well as investing in a good soil wetting agent or additive if it becomes a recurring issue.
If your soil is covered in a layer of fresh autumn leaf, this can stop the rain penetrating into the soil as well. Make sure to tidy these leaves up, they make for good compost!
Time to weed!
With winter comes rain, and with rain comes weeds. Make sure you get rid of any weed growths at the start of winter, before they spread throughout your garden! Weeding by hand can be effective albeit time consuming, but be careful to remove the roots and not just the surface weed.
If you’ve left it a little late and your garden already has a weed infestation, go for a larger weeding tool to help get it done, then hand-pick any remaining weeds.
Winter-ify the garden
To save your plants from cold weather temperatures, be sure to water the garden thoroughly before the cold hits hard. If the ground begins to get a bit frosty, mulch around the base of your plants with some of those leaves you collected earlier! Your newer plants or trees can be wrapped up to protect them, but be mindful of the material you use.
Protect your tropical plants!
If you have any plants that thrive in a warmer climate, it might be a good idea to think about moving them into more protected areas. If the plants themselves are too big to move, you can always spray them with a protective agent used to guard against the bite of winter – check your local gardening store for something like this! Winter also often means holding off on the watering of your potted plants, especially outdoors ones, as they need quite a bit less water than they usually do.