As we approach the shortest days of the year, and the coldest, the last thing most homeowners will want to think about is getting out in the garden to do some clipping back or raking up the leaves that are rapidly falling.
Around this time of year gardens are starting to look a little tired, drab and in need of some colour to brighten them up. If you’ve just moved into a new-build home, the garden is a blank canvas, and it’s all too easy to put gardening off until the warmer weather arrives, but there are plenty of things to do to keep your garden looking good and to attract winter wildlife during the colder months.
NHBC, the UK’s leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes, is offering all homeowners some autumn tips to get your garden ready for winter and spring:
- Treat your lawn with autumn fertiliser to help strengthen the grass ahead of winter. Be careful not to use a traditional summer fertiliser because this can encourage grass to grow, making it more susceptible to frost.
- Tidy up your garden by clipping back all the summer growth. Plant some of the off-cuts in pots if you want more in your garden or to share with friends and family.
- Dig up your annual plants so you have space to plant pansies and other bedding plants that will be blooming in the spring. Bulbs need to be planted at a depth of two to three times their height so they’ll bloom in Spring.
- Regular autumnal showers mean the soil is moist and perfect for transplanting work if you need to move any of your established plants around.
- Remove dead and yellowing leaves to prevent your plants from decaying as the temperature drops. If you have a pond, make sure you cover it with a net to prevent fallen leaves from polluting the water.
- To protect your flower beds and other frost-sensitive plants, cover them in bubble wrap.
- To help garden wildlife during the lean winter months, fill bird feeders with nuts and seeds and plant berry bushes such as holly.
