Garden centre unveils what you can do in your garden this winter
With winter just around the corner, Dobbies Garden Centres has outlined its tips on what you should be doing in your garden at this time of year to prepare it for 2025.
Whether you’ve got a small container display on your balcony, a compact but colourful patio, or a large flower garden, Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton, says there are steps you can take in winter to protect your plants from harsh weather, plus set your plants in good stead for next year.
Find out what gardening jobs you should be doing in winter and how to enjoy your garden during the colder seasons.
Tidy up
Nigel says one of the most important jobs you can do in your garden in winter is tidying up. Regularly raking dead leaves from your lawn will prevent diseases from spreading and will help you bulk out your compost at this time of year. Nigel notes keeping your lawn free from debris is also important to allow for access to air and sunlight – two things grass needs to survive. If the weather allows, you can still mow your lawn but avoid walking on your lawn when frosty as this could damage the blades of grass and leave yellow footprint marks.
Nigel says winter is also the perfect time to clean up your greenhouse and get it ready for spring planting. Wash the glass and the benches with horticultural disinfectant to kill any overwintering pests and diseases
Protect plants
Nigel says that protection is one of the most important parts of your winter gardening checklist to ensure plants and trees survive the season. Trees with stakes should be checked and straps tightened to help give support from strong winter winds.
When colder weather sets in, Nigel advises using frost protection fleece to shield young and delicate plants from snow and ice. Exotic plants like Cordylines will benefit from frost protection but tropical plants like Citrus trees should be brought indoors over the winter months and placed in sunrooms or conservatories until the risk of frost has passed.
Nigel notes that another good way to safeguard plants’ roots from frost is to mulch flower beds with peat-free compost or bark. This will provide a layer of protection and also help keep weeds at bay over the winter months.
To avoid container plants getting waterlogged during heavy rainfall, Nigel says you should raise these up on pot feet now to promote drainage.
Prune plants
An important job in the garden over winter is pruning Roses and other plants to ensure the harsh weather doesn’t damage them. Nigel recommends pruning Roses and Buddleja by half in winter to protect from wind-rock and then giving them a final prune in spring. Not only will this take the weight off the plant, but it will also encourage new growth next summer.
While some plants require pruning just now, Nigel advises not to prune early flowering lines such as Forsythia, Lilac and Flowering Currants which flower on previous years’ growth.
Instant winter colour
Refreshing your containers and hanging baskets is a good way to give your winter garden a burst of colour and Nigel says that Skimmia Rubella and winter flowering Hellebores will produce a beautiful display and stand up to cold weather. In addition to these, dwarf Conifers, Leucothoe and Nandina are great to add structure to winter pots and frame your doorway all season long.
Nigel says that Sarcococca, commonly known as Christmas Box, is a great choice to bring fragrance to your garden at this time of year thanks to its sweet winter perfume. This evergreen plant is low maintenance and shade tolerant, making it ideal for doorsteps, and works well in containers.
For a vibrant display during warmer spells through winter until early spring, Nigel advises planting winter-flowering Violas and Pansies now in pots or flower beds.
Water storage
When it comes to being more sustainable in the garden, Nigel says that winter is a fantastic time to collect rainfall in water butts for use in the summer months. Any shed, greenhouse or garage can be used to collect water and conserve it for next summer as long as it has gutters and a down pipe to a drain at ground level. Doing this will help you reduce water usage in the event of a long dry spell next summer and Nigel notes that rainwater is actually better for your plants as it is rich in nutrients.
Nigel's winter gardening toolkit:
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