How to protect your garden from winter weather..

Well, October certainly arrived with a bang, the so-called month of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ hit us more like a tornado of winds and rain. It could be worse, of course, we could be living in Florida – all those hurricanes, alligators and escaped pythons, no thanks!

As the winter weather settles in, and strong winds and rain, not to mention frosty mornings, become less surprising and more the norm, it’s time to take steps to protect our gardens from the worst of the effects. We spend much time, money, mental and physical effort to get our gardens looking great and providing that summer joy we all love, so to lessen the amount of damage that can be done over the next few months, and save ourselves some of that time, money, mental and physical effort, here’s our guide to protecting your garden from the worst of the winter weather.

1. Do it now!

Don’t wait until the weather gets bad, choose one of October’s golden days and crack on with weather-proofing all that’s important to you.

2. Protect your plants 

Overwinter perennials

If you have spent your summer lovingly cultivating your herbaceous borders, filling them with come-again perennials, that last thing you need is for the next storm to hit Manchester to ruin all your hard work. Strong and persistent winds can cause stems of taller plants and flowers to snap off, which can result in them dying. Now is the time to cut back those plants that die back naturally at the end of summer. Your beds may look suddenly empty and bleak, but this is the best way to give your plants a chance to come back strong next summer. Cut back all the clearly dead leaves and stems to a few inches above the base of the plant. Take the opportunity to give the bed a good weed, while you can see what’s supposed to be there and isn’t, and then spread a good mulch around all your treasured perennials, which will help protect the roots from hard frosts, and give them a good start next spring.

Protect evergreens

Don’t ignore your evergreens, either. Shrubs can be easily damaged by strong winds, too, especially young or recently planted. Pile a good mound of mulch around the base of the shrub, and give them a late prune. This will give you a chance to take out any dead wood, as well as branches that cross over other branches, which in strong winds can rub together and cause infection or breakage. Giving the plant a good shape now will also save you a task next year. If you 

Empty or bring in patio pots

Most of your patio pots will have been planted with annuals, such as petunia, begonia or fuschia, and these will no doubt have died back by now. Tip the contents of the pots into your garden bin or compost heap and store the pots in a shed, your garage or even under a hedge, where they’ll be safe from all but the hardest of frosts and gale force winds. If you planted pelargoniums in your summer pots, these will last the winter if you bring them in away from the frosts – give them a tidy, removing gangly stems and dead leaves and flowers, and put them in your porch, shed or garage if you have one. Set a calendar note to start watering them again in March, or earlier if you have put them in a sunny porch, but they won’t need any other care over the winter. For evergreen plants such as phormiums, cordylines and agapanthus, if you have space, put them in a porch or shed. If not, wrap them in special fleece and move the pot to a sheltered spot, between the shed and fence, or below the hedge, making sure the fleece is tightly fixed below the pot to stop it blowing away. Plants like hostas, where the leaves die right back, should be moved to a sheltered spot, but don’t need covering, you simply need to offer some protection against a long, deep frost, so their roots (which are less protected in a pot than in a flower bed) don’t freeze.

3. Protect outdoor furniture 

If you have a space big enough, the best way to protect your patio furniture is to put it inside, but very few of us have a space that will allow for that, so take steps to protect your furniture from the weather – and your house from flying furniture, with a few easy steps.

1. Stack your chairs and tie them together, creating an overall weight that will be too much to be lifted by even the strongest Manchester storm. 
2. Invest in a good quality, waterproof, furniture cover and tie it securely across all your furniture
3. Use camping pegs and rope, or sandbags, to tie down any trampolines or swing chairs. Having to explain to your neighbour why little Alice’s trampoline is now embedded in their greenhouse is not a fun conversation.

4. Secure your fencing 

You are likely to be responsible for at least one fence bordering your garden. Check your title deeds or land registry to find out which. Check the fence to make sure it’s not rotting, broken or leaning. If there’s a risk a panel could be lifted by a storm and cause damage to your neighbour, you will be liable. Take steps to secure or replace the fence, or just the weakened section of the fence, as soon as possible. Check all the fencing and if there are issues with boundary fences that you are not responsible for, or hold joint responsibility, have a chat with your neighbour and work out a plan.

Taking action now will lead to a more relaxed winter and an easier start to spring. A day spent overwintering your garden will pay back in many fewer days clearing up next spring!

Eddie – Friday 11th October 2024. (Image used from Clarendon Road, Whalley Range).