Our gardens need to be cared for all through the year, especially during the winter period.
When conditions are icy, windy and wet, your hedges and shrubs can be damaged, taking months to recover. They therefore need to be given due care and attention over the colder months of the year.
In this post, we will provide you our top tips for protecting your plants from winter conditions and give them every chance to look healthy come spring and also give some advice on best practices for planting in winter..
Guide for caring for your garden in winter
1. Mulch your garden beds
Applying a thick layer of mulch to your beds, so that it thoroughly covers the soil around your hedges, shrubs and the crowns of dormant perennials acts as an insulator which will protect your plants from the cold, frost and snow. Adding mulch will also help to retain moisture in the soil, improve the health and fertility of your soil and also keep weeds at bay.
Ideal materials for mulching are bark chippings, rotted down leaves or a good quality compost or farmyard manure.
2. Prune and trim your shrubs and hedges
Late autumn and early winter are the ideal times for pruning. Many hedging plants are dormant during the winter. Deciduous varieties would have dropped their leaves and this is the easiest time to shape them as you desire.
Whilst it may appear that there is very little development in the garden during winter, generally speaking, deciduous plants grow rapidly in the very early part of the the year, which just happens to be the peak of the winter months. Trimming these varieties back is essential so they don’t become out of control – naturally, take care not to prune them back too much or they will be in in danger of becoming sparse.
All shrubs and hedging plants have different rates of growth. It is extremely important to check when and how is the best pruning method for the particular species you have. Indicatively, most deciduous hedging plants, for example Beech and Hazel, can be pruned during the winter. However, evergreens such as Laurels are more prone to winter damage and should only be cut back in spring.
3. Winter watering
Whilst hedges and shrubs may be dormant during winter, the roots of your plants are still vulnerable to drying out, especially in extremely cold periods. It is therefore important to check the soil every two weeks or so, and if it is dry, give it a light water with a watering can or hose directly at the base of the plant so that it can absorb the water quickly and easily into the roots.
However, make sure not to over water as this could cause waterlogging. The water essentially sits on top of the soil and can’t be absorbed. The effects of the soil becoming waterlogged can be damage to the roots of the plant, bacterial disease, and a loss of the nutrients essential for the health of your plants.
4. Stop fertilising
As the majority of hedging plants are dormant during the winter, you should refrain from fertilising during this time. Fertilising in winter conditions will have no benefit for the plant and actually may even cause damage and do more harm than good. In early spring, once the temperature begins to rise, you can resume using fertiliser again when it will help promote healthy growth. Naturally, applying fertiliser in the autumn will help to strengthen your plants in preparation for the winter weather conditions.
5. Cover or move potted plants inside
Shrubs and plants grown in pots are much more vulnerable to to the cold weather than those planted in the soil; principally because the roots are above the ground and they are far more susceptible to freezing.
Whenever possible, when there is the chance of frost, move your potted plants into the greenhouse or indoors during extremely cold conditions to keep them warm. or alternatively, you can temporarily move them inside overnight to protect them from extreme drops in the temperature.
If you do not have the option to bring your potted plants inside, you can put a fleece bag over your plant. This acts as a jacket for your shrub, keeping them warm and protected from frost. Alternatively, you can simply tie a piece of fabric around your plant to act as an insulator; ensure that the material you use is breathable to prevent suffocation and remove it as soon as the temperatures begin to rise.
Tips for Winter Planting
Bare-root and root-ball hedging plants and shrubs are available from autumn to spring, during the period when they are dormant – by planting throughout the colder months of the year when they are dormant allows plants time to establish their roots, ensuring they are strong and healthy enough to support leaf and stem growth when spring arrives.
Bare-root hedging plants – These are field grown plants, typically native varieties such as hawthorn, wild cherry and hornbeam. They are dug up once they are dormant from early autumn onwards and supplied in bundles with no soil around the roots.
Root-ball shrubs and hedging – Commonly evergreen plants such as photinia and laurel. These are field grown plants which are lifted once dormant in autumn and supplied with roots in soil wrapped in bio-degradable hessian sacking.
Caring for new hedging plants in the winter
It is extremely important to take appropriate care for your newly planted hedging and shrubs in order to give the plants roots the best chance to establish themselves in the soil. This is especially true during the harsh winter conditions when they are susceptible to damage. Here we outline a few tips to care for your bare-root and root-ball plants in winter.
Avoid planting in adverse weather conditions
Whilst planting straight away will give your plants the best chance to grow on to being healthy throughout their life, planting during harsh weather conditions can increase the possibility of them becoming damaged.
In order to ensure the plants roots are healthy and establish quickly, we recommend you avoid planting in:
- Wet weather – Extremely wet and rainy conditions can cause the soil to become compacted, leading to waterlogging (when the water sits on top of the ground), this can potentially result in hindered growth of your plants.
- Snow and frosty weather – Planting during these conditions can lead to snow or frost being buried with your plants, which could potentially stay frozen for several months, leading to slow establishment or ultimately death of the roots.
- Windy conditions – Heavy winds can potentially rock your newly planted shrubs and hedges which can cause air holes in the soil. In this instance, frost or drying winds can reach the roots of the plants and limit their growth.
Rooted plants can be kept in sheltered spaces such as a shed or garage for a week or so to protect them in the event of bad weather conditions. Alternatively, if it isn’t possible to plant out for a longer period, you can dig a small trench and store them outside with the roots covered for protection.
Keep moist until you can plant
In the event that you can’t plant straight away, for instance if the weather conditions do not allow, ensure that you keep your plants moist.
For root-ball stock you can simply give them a light watering to prevent them from drying out, bare-root plants can be kept in a bucket with damp compost covering the roots.
Compact the soil in heavy winds
Extreme heavy winds can potentially rock your plants, which as mentioned, can result in air holes in the soil. As a result, this can potentially let in drying winds and frost during icy days. In order to avoid damage to the plants roots, gently compact the soil with the heel of your foot or the back of a spade to remove any air holes.
You can also take the measure of putting up a windbreak around your plants if conditions are extremely windy, spiral rabbit guards and canes can also help protect young bare-root plants.
Understanding how to care for your hedging plants and shrubs during winter will give you the very best chance of preventing damage, ensuring they thrive when spring arrives.