October 16th, 2020 by Amy Varley

As we move into the colder months our gardens can often get overlooked as we aren’t using them as much. The wet weather can turn our luscious green grass into mud pits (especially if you have dogs!) and as our summer flowers die out all the colour is removed from our gardens. There are plenty of things we can be doing over autumn and winter to keep our gardens in top condition, especially in preparation for next spring. Here are our top tips of how to prepare your garden for the winter.

Clean up any dead plants

Along with making your garden beds look untidy, old, dying and rotten plants can also be a breeding ground for disease, pests and funguses. During the summer months, insects can lay their eggs on plants’ stalks and leaves, so removing these spent plants prevents pests from getting a head start when spring comes! If you suspect the old plants are free from disease, you could also bury them in your garden, adding organic matter to your soil which will improve the overall health of it.

Prepare your soil for spring

While many people wait for spring to arrive to prepare their soil for planting, autumn can be a great time to feed your soil with manure, compost and rock phosphate. Adding nutrients to your soil before winter means that these additions have time to break down and start working pre-spring – meaning your soil will be more than prepared when the time comes to start working the soil. If you choose to do this, it could be beneficial to cover your garden beds with sheet plastic or some other covering to help prevent winter rainfall from washing the nutrients too low into the soil – below the active root zone.

Take care of your lawn

You may have spent all summer making sure you have a luscious green lawn to be proud of and enjoy, but what happens to it when the winter comes? We recommend feeding your lawn regularly with Pro-Kleen Iron Sulphate, which gives your grass everything it needs to grow healthy and strong – and a strong lawn will help to fend off the frost over winter, and also put up more of a fight in its constant competition with weeds and pests. This will ensure your lawn stays looking fuller and greener all throughout the winter months.

2.5kg of Pro-Kleen Iron Sulphate, Moss Killing & Turf Hardening

Price: £13.96

Buy Now

Remove fallen leaves

One issue you may find over autumn is those pesky leaves! If you have any trees in your garden, or that overhang from the neighbours, you may find yourself raking up leaves for weeks. Investing in a good leaf blower can save you time and energy when it comes to clearing your garden of leaves. Our MYLEK 4orce Cordless Leaf Blower has a high-velocity motor that moves air at up to 120kmph – perfect for shifting leaves, sawdust, woodchips and other bits of debris. With a fast charge battery that lasts up to 40 minutes on the 80kmph setting, you will have your garden clean and tidy in no time!

MYLEK 4orce Cordless Leaf Blower

Price: £85.00

Buy Now

Prune your trees and shrubs

Just before winter is the best time to prune any bushes, trees and shrubs that are in your garden. Any dead or damaged branches can be removed during this prune, along with giving your hedge its final trim of the year – making sure your garden will be looking neat and tidy over the winter months.

Make Compost

Making your own compost is a brilliant thing to do over winter, especially as we have so many fallen leaves, weeds, hedge clippings and lawn cuttings. Rotten vegetables, vegetable clippings and shredded paper can also be added into your compost heap, which should be rotated regularly to make sure all parts of it get air. When your compost is ready, spreading it into your flowerbeds will greatly improve the soil quality by helping it retain moisture and suppressing weeds.

Install a panel heater

Installing a panel heater in your garden is a brilliant way to help you enjoy sitting outside all year round, transforming your garden from being cold to being warm and inviting. Our range of panel heaters all come with a bracket to allow you to easily and safely attached your heater to any wall of your choosing. They are also designed with silent operation so there will be no irritating noises to distract you from enjoying your garden in peace and quiet over winter! Our 3KW MYLEK Remote Control Infrared Outdoor Garden Patio Heater is perfect for any outdoor space, with three heat settings and remote control for easy change of the settings without having to get up and manually adjust the heater – so you can enjoy your garden and even continue to entertain your friends and family all through the winter months!

Cover your garden furniture

If you want to continue to enjoy your garden over winter, you will need to make sure your garden furniture is protected. Keeping it covered overnight and in bad weather will ensure no dirt and debris can build upon it and will make cleaning any furniture much easier when spring comes around. If you have smaller pieces of furniture you may consider moving them into a shed or garage to protect them from the elements.

Add some winter colour

Just because it’s dull and dreary outside, doesn’t mean you can’t add some colour to your garden. Adding a few hardy shrubs into your garden that will stay green all year round, plus some winter pansies, violas and polyanthus will keep your garden looking it’s best and will stay looking inviting all winter long!