Ideas For Winter In The Garden

IN THE GARDEN  

Still a good me to plant roses, trees and shrubs, provided the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Don’t forget bonemeal – ideal food for most new plantings – and a stake and flexible tie if you’re planting a tree or large shrub.

Prune trees and shrubs as required, using sharp secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw, and disinfecting tools after use.

Continue to protect tender plants with horticultural fleece, and prevent planted pots from freezing solid by wrapping them in bubble wrap.

Brighten your patio with a planted winter containers. We stock a range of ready-planted baskets, tubs and troughs – as well as the materials to plant your own if you prefer.

Why not liven up a bed near the house with plants for winter interest? Among your choices are winter-flowering viburnum, jasmine, honeysuckle or witch hazel, evergreen holly or bright stemmed dogwood (cornus), with Christmas rose (helleborus), skimmia and snowdrops* for the foreground. (*available at Gordon Rigg’s after Christmas, growing in pots).

Winter is the ideal me for those construction jobs you didn’t have time for in the growing season. Why not make use of that problem slope – buy random stone and grit, and build a rockery? Or perhaps you need a patio or some decking – or a new fence? Check out our landscape materials.

IN THE GREENHOUSE & SHED  

Ventilate your greenhouse when the weather is warm – make life easier with an autovent.

Clean pots, cold frames & cloches with Jeyes fluid to reduce disease next year.

Tidy your shed and make a “wish list” of replacement tools, plus plants and seeds, for Christmas or birthday

IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN

Now is a good me to plant fruit trees and bushes, any me the ground is not waterlogged or frozen, to give you a delicious harvest for years to come.

Prune apple and pear trees now, using clean, sharp secateurs and loppers, to keep them a manageable size and increase fruiting.

Do not prune plums and cherries until the buds begin to break in early spring, to avoid silver leaf disease & bacterial canker.

Apply sulphate of potash in January to strawberries, raspberries, apples & pears, and in February to gooseberries and currants.

Apply balanced fertiliser such as Growmore to cherries, grapes, plums, blackberries, gooseberries and currants in February.

Apply sulphate of ammonia to apple and pear trees in February.

THE LAWN  

Continue to remove fallen leaves with a leaf rake or besom, collecting them into sacks to rot down into leaf mould, as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.

Still me to spike your lawn if you have problems with moss or bad drainage – use an aerator or garden fork.

Don’t forget to have your mower overhauled before you need it in the spring!

WILDLIFE

In cold weather a well-stocked bird table or feeder may make the difference between life and death for small birds. Keep feeding areas clean with bird-safe disinfectant, and fill them regularly with a good range of high energy food such as nuts, sunflower hearts, bird seed or fat balls.

Still me to install bird nesting boxes before next Spring.

IN THE HOUSE

Buy ready-planted bulb bowls for colour and scent at Christmas and beyond.

Treat yourself or your friends to planted arrangements, azaleas, cyclamen or other houseplants – the perfect gift.

Brighten up someone’s life with a beautiful fresh floral bouquet.