5 ways to manage your winter garden
Though the weather might be frightful, giving your garden some care can help you prepare for spring and keep your garden in check over winter.
Whether you want to start a new project, plant some seasonal flowers or simply keep up with general maintenance, here are five ways to tidy up your garden during the colder months.
1. Pruning
When it comes to giving plants a trim during winter, there are a few that thrive from it.
For roses, start at the top and cut back about a third of the plant to ensure you will get lots of lush blooms come spring.
Deciduous trees also benefit from pruning, allowing sunlight into the centre of the tree to help them grow all over once the weather warms up again.
2. Plant future meals now
Across New Zealand, early winter is the best time to plant members of the Brassica family, including cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and broccoli. You can also plant legumes such as peas and snow peas in winter.
To grow your own asparagus, plant the crowns in winter, leave them for the first year and reap your tasty reward during the second season.
No matter what you choose to grow, it’s important to improve the soil first with lots of organic matter before planting.
3. Add a dash of colour
Despite the cold, there are still colourful flowers that you can enjoy. Plants such as pansies, primulas, polyanthus, and violets will continue to flower through winter and into spring.
4. Start a project
Take advantage of the cooler weather to start a landscaping project or make some improvements to your garden.
Whether you’re planning to build a new garden bed, pave the courtyard, or extend the deck, it can be much easier to complete without the heat of the midday sun.
5. General upkeep
There are plenty of things you can do to manage your garden and prevent it from becoming unruly or overgrown.
If you decide to do some weeding, you can keep the pesky plants down with a fresh layer of mulch. The layer of mulch should be 5 centimetres deep at a maximum, and it should be kept away from the stems of plants.
To stay on top of lawn weeds, aerating your lawn with a garden fork will do the trick, especially as the soil is softer in winter.