Is Your Garden Ready for Winter? A Few Jobs Worth Doing Now
There comes a point in autumn when the garden starts to feel a little in-between. Summer has gone, winter has not quite arrived, and everything looks as though it could do with some attention.
I had exactly that moment a few years ago when I looked out at the patio after a wet, windy night and realised I had spent the previous weekend cutting back plants that would have been perfectly happy left alone, while completely ignoring the pot by the back door that had filled with water and cracked.
That is usually how autumn gardening goes. We get distracted by the things that look untidy and miss the things that are actually going to cause trouble.
Getting the garden ready for winter is not really about making it look perfect. It is about dealing with the jobs that will make a difference when the weather turns colder, wetter and windier.
A few small things can save you trouble later.
One of the easiest places to start is with pots and containers. Check that drainage holes are clear, move anything especially vulnerable somewhere more sheltered, and raise pots slightly if they are sitting flat on paving. Waterlogged compost and freezing conditions are not a great combination, and a little attention now can prevent cracked pots and unhappy plants later.
It is also worth resisting the temptation to cut every border back to the ground. Some plants do need tidying, particularly anything diseased or collapsing badly, but plenty of stems and seed heads can be left in place. They can add structure through winter and provide useful shelter for wildlife too.
Leaves are another good example of a job that does not need to become a battle. Thick layers on lawns and slippery paths are worth clearing, but leaves tucked into borders are often doing no harm at all. In fact, they can break down naturally and add organic matter to the soil.
And then there are the genuinely vulnerable things. Tender plants, loose supports, exposed containers and anything likely to take a battering in strong wind deserve attention before the first really rough spell arrives. You do not need to protect everything. Just the things that actually need it.
These are only a few of the jobs worth thinking about before winter really sets in.
If you want a more complete guide to what to tackle now, what can safely wait, and how to get the garden through the colder months without turning autumn into one long list of chores, Kelly Kerlin’s Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter takes you through the season in much more detail.
It is practical, reassuring and focused on the things that actually matter.
Because the goal is not to make the garden perfect before winter.
It is simply to help it come through in good shape, ready for spring.