Prepare for Frosty Weather Ahead

As the days get shorter there’s definitely more than a slight chill in the air. As much of the garden goes into hibernation it’s time to think about which plants you need to protect from the oncoming frosts.

Although there are some plants and vegetables that laugh in the face of frost; more on those later, there are many that can’t withstand even the slightest sprinkling. Understanding the types of plants in your garden, and indeed understanding the lay of your garden can really help protect your blooms against winter devastation.

Understanding Your Garden and What’s in It

There will be some parts of your garden that are more sheltered and shady than others. Take some time to learn where these are, particularly where frost pockets hit. Plant hardy plants here and choose the more sheltered areas for your delicate plants. If you’re not sure which plants go where then read on:

Plant Categories

Tender: Tender perennials definitely don’t like frost, they can survive for years if they’re not frost bitten. Move them inside or protect against frost if you want to see them again next year.
Half Hardy: Half hardy plants are usually annuals and are a little, well, hardier, but they can’t take freezing temperatures either.

Frost Hardy: As you might imagine these plants can withstand frost and temperatures of approximately -5C.

Fully Hardy: Nature’s survivors. These tough plants can survive temperatures of around -15C.

Protecting Your Plants

There are many ways in which you can protect your plants from the frost.

Surround the stems of your herbaceous perennials with grit to help stop the plant’s roots becoming sodden and waterlogged. Surround the beds with mulch and bark compost too to help the soil’s drainage. The mulch will break down over the winter too and add some nutrients into the soil.

Move your tender plants inside a greenhouse or indoors and protect others with garden fleece, straw and even bubble wrap!

If you don’t have a cloche or cold frame cover plants such as alpines with a sheet of glass or plastic propped up on logs or large stones. Make sure you keep the sides open to allow air circulation to your plants.

Frost Lovers

Not all plants suffer in the frost; some positively love it! In the vegetable plot cabbages and Brussels sprouts improve with a bit of frost. Kale, parsnips and leeks thrive in this season too and provide a bit of much needed greenery and variety to our seasonal winter plates.

In the flower beds chrysanthemums, passiflora, red hot pokers and hardy fuscias are just some of the plants that seem undeterred by a visit from Jack Frost himself!

Winter proofing your garden is not as difficult as you might think and a little preparation for frost goes a long way to safeguarding your spring blooms.

Designing a Winter Garden

Garden design is all about individual taste. One person’s dream garden can be another gardener’s nightmare! But one thing on which everyone agrees is that a garden should be interesting all the year round. If your outdoor space is as dreary as the weather during the winter months here are a few ideas to brighten it up.

Shapes
Bare branches of ‘ordinary’ trees can look quite extraordinary, especially if dusted with snow. Leaves, stems and seedpods, which are hardly noticed when a plant is in full flower, become the centre of attention when outlined with a sparkle of frost. When planning to introduce new plants don’t forget to find out what different species will look like in winter.

When luxuriant summer foliage has died down, the underlying shapes of the garden can be seen more easily. Stand back and try to pick out the main shapes of both hard and soft landscaping. Taking photographs or making a simple sketch can help.

If beds, borders, lawns, hedges etc. are mostly square or rectangular consider the difference introducing a few curves might make. Likewise, a tall angular shape could give an interesting visual lift to a planting scheme of predominantly soft, rounded shapes.

Colours
Unless you live in a very mild area – or have exceptionally green fingers – you won’t be able to produce floral displays as vibrant and varied as those of summer. A window box or tub near your door planted with winter-flowering pansies is the easiest way to provide a bright welcome to visitors.

Most plants that flower in the coldest months tend to have small, paler flowers but that doesn’t make them any less attractive. Light colours show up well against dark backgrounds and seem to reflect even the weakest winter sun.

Snowdrops are an obvious choice, although choosing from the hundred or so available varieties can be confusing! The common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is one of the earliest to flower in January, while others are more likely to appear in February or March. Winter-flowering heathers, hardy cyclamens (Cyclamen coum) and hellebores can also be relied on to flower early.
In spite of its name, the Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) rarely blooms at Christmas but it is well worth waiting for its large, white flowers to appear from January to March.

But flowers are not the only sources of colour. Red, orange and yellow berries brighten up dull days – at least until the birds have feasted on them.

Tree bark also comes in a wide range of colours. Most people can recognise a silver birch (Betula pendula) by its white trunk, but it also has many attractive cousins such as the hardy river birch (Betula nigra) which has peeling, cinnamon-coloured bark. Many acers reveal colourful and patterned barks once they’ve shed their beautiful autumn leaves.

If you haven’t enough room for trees, perhaps you could find space for some dogwood. There are many varieties, all with colourful stems ranging from yellow to deep red and almost black.

Scents
What’s better than flowers in midwinter? Scented flowers! Many early-flowering shrubs bloom from December and smell wonderful! If you plant your favourites near your door or alongside your most-used paths you can enjoy them every time you go outside. Some of the most popular are Wintersweet, Mahonia, Viburnum, Winter jasmine, Witch hazel and Winter honeysuckle, all of which have several varieties.

Wildlife
Winter is the time when many people become more aware of the wildlife in their gardens. It’s easier to see birds in the branches of bare trees, and tracks left in snow give clues to unseen night visitors. A harsh winter often makes normally shy creatures venture closer to houses in search of food so this is the best time to encourage them.

A well-stocked bird table or hanging feeders placed within easy view of your windows can attract a surprising number of species. As well as entertaining you with their antics, birds will reward you for your generosity by searching the rest of your garden for overwintering insects and soil pests. Why not help them further by putting up some nest boxes in readiness for spring? It won’t be long!