5 Ways to Protect Your Garden During the Winter Months

Don't Let Winter Undo Your Hard Work

The cold months can be tough on gardens. Frost, heavy rain, and strong winds can damage plants, erode soil, and leave hard landscaping looking worse for wear. But with a few simple steps, you can keep your garden in good shape and ready for spring.

1. Protect Vulnerable Plants

Tender plants and newly planted shrubs are most at risk from frost. Use horticultural fleece to wrap vulnerable specimens, and move potted plants to sheltered spots near the house. Mulching around the base of plants with bark or compost also helps insulate roots from freezing temperatures.

2. Keep On Top of Fallen Leaves

It's easy to let leaves pile up over winter, but leaving them sitting on your lawn or borders for weeks can cause problems. Wet leaves smother grass, blocking light and encouraging moss and disease. On paths and patios, they create a slippery layer that's a real hazard. Try to clear leaves regularly — rake them off the lawn, sweep paths, and clear them from around the base of plants. If you've got a lot, bag them up or pile them in a corner to rot down into leaf mould. It makes a brilliant free soil conditioner by next autumn.

3. Look After Your Lawn

Your lawn doesn't need much attention over winter, but there are a couple of things worth knowing. First, try to stay off it when it's frosty — walking on frozen grass damages the blades and leaves brown footprints that take weeks to recover. Second, keep an eye out for waterlogging. If you've got areas where water sits after rain, that's a drainage issue worth addressing before spring. Poor drainage is one of the most common lawn problems we see across Northamptonshire, especially on heavier clay soils.

4. Check Fencing and Boundaries

Winter storms can loosen fence panels, crack gravel boards, and even bring down whole sections. After any spell of bad weather, it's worth walking the boundary and checking for damage. Loose panels can usually be re-fixed fairly easily, but leaning or rotten posts often mean a bigger job. Catching problems early stops them getting worse — a loose panel left swinging in the wind will eventually take out its neighbours.

5. Prepare Your Tools and Tidy the Shed

Winter is a good time to sort out the shed and get your tools ready for the busy months ahead. Clean mud off spades and forks, oil any moving parts, and sharpen secateurs and shears. Check your lawnmower — does it need a service or a new blade? It's much easier to deal with this now than in March when you suddenly need everything working. A tidy shed also means you can actually find what you need when the weather picks up.

Need a Hand?

If your garden has taken a battering this winter — or you'd like help getting it ready for spring — we're happy to take a look. We offer free, no-obligation quotes for all types of garden work across Northamptonshire. Give us a call or drop us a message through our contact page.