Just because the nights are drawing in and temperatures are dropping doesn’t mean you need to hang up your gardening gloves.
From protecting tender perennials and planting bare-root trees and shrubs to planning for spring, there’s plenty to keep anyone with a green finger busy during the frosty season.
So whether you like growing vibrant flowers, fruit and vegetables, or you’re looking for ways to make your green space more wildlife-friendly, we’ve pulled together some essential gardening jobs for winter.
1. Plant bare-root trees and shrubs
It may not be the busiest planting season, but you can still add interest to your garden during the colder months. For example, late autumn and winter are the best times to plant bare-root trees and shrubs.
Bare-root trees and shrubs (as opposed to potted ones) have been taken out of the ground during their dormant period – i.e. they’re sold without soil around their roots. They’re typically cheaper than plants sold in containers and can be bought and planted from November to March.
The choice of bare-root plants is broad– from roses and fruit trees to hedging and perennials like peonies and hardy geraniums.
While you can add bare-root plants to your garden throughout winter, there are some things you need to be aware of for best results. For example, be sure to soak the roots for three-six hours before planting and avoid icy, windy, snowy, or very wet conditions.
This article from Homes and Garden has some great advice for planting bare-root plants.
2. Make your garden winter wildlife-friendly
With bare trees, short days, and biting temperatures, winter can be a challenging time for wildlife. So why not make your garden as animal-friendly as possible?
You could start by creating a few places for critters to shelter from wintry conditions. This could be as simple as making a log pile for insects to hide in or – if you fancy a project – as complicated as crafting a bug hotel or bird box. These guides from the Woodland Trust and the RSBP will help you get started.
Even leaving out-of-the-way spots (like under shrubs or behind sheds) alone to collect leaves and twigs can provide warm hidey-holes for animals.
Another thing to think about is water. Gardens Illustrated recommends providing water at ‘bird height’ and ‘hedgehog height’ using bird baths and shallow dishes during winter. And if you have a pond that freezes over, try gently melting the ice by placing a pan of boiling water on its surface so that animals can reach the water below.
You’ll find more tips for curating an animal-friendly garden this winter on the Discover Wildlife website.
3. Protect young and tender plants from wintry weather
We all know that UK winters can get pretty brisk, so certain outdoor plants may need protection from frost and frigid temperatures. These include young and tender plants (i.e. those from balmier foreign climates that aren’t suited to sub-zero temperatures).
There are plenty of ways you can protect plants from wintry weather. Gardeners’ World recommends covering winter crops like spinach, Swiss chard, and broad beans with cloches. They also suggest placing young hardy plants, hardy shrub cuttings, and seed-raised perennials in cold frames (essentially mini greenhouses) over winter.
However, there are some even simpler ways to give young and tender plants the best chance of survival – for example, bringing potted ones inside or wrapping them in horticultural fleece or bubble wrap when frost is forecast. You can see when frost is predicted in your area using this handy tool from GardenAction.
For more information on preventing winter damage in your garden, take a look at this guide from the RHS. This article from Gardeners’ World will also give you a better idea of what plants might need protecting.
4. Give tools some TCL
Whether it’s blowing a gale or there’s a blanket of snow on the ground, the chances are, on some winter days, you won’t want to put your gardening gloves on and head outside. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some jobs you can get on with inside – such as giving your tools some TCL.
To keep our gardening tools in tip-top shape, it’s best to clean them after every use. Not only will this make them more effective and safer to use but help keep plants healthy too. This is because dried sap on cutting tools can spread diseases around.
However, your tools might spend more time in the shed during winter, so it’s an ideal time to give them a deep clean and get on with some other maintenance jobs – from sharpening blades and oiling wooden handles to washing your gardening gloves. The video below from the RHS will help you get started.
5. Prune trees and shrubs
Winter is a great time to prune some of the trees and shrubs in your garden. These include roses, apple and pear trees, wisteria (which should also be pruned again in summer), fruit bushes (like blackcurrants and gooseberries), and any clematis that flower in mid-late summer (also known as group three clematis).
Winter pruning is ideal for many species because they’re dormant and their leaves have fallen off, making it easier to see the branches and identify dead parts. However, not all trees and shrubs benefit from winter pruning. For example, cutting back stone fruit trees during the colder months increases their risk of catching a fungal disease called silver leaf.
With this in mind, it’s important to check the specific month (and method) best for pruning individual species – for example, group three clematis are best pruned in February, while experts recommend cutting back wisteria in December.
For more help with pruning your trees and shrubs during winter, check out this guide from Gardeners’ World.
6. Disconnect your hosepipe and protect outside taps and pipes
While it’s not the most glamorous gardening job, protecting outside taps and pipes from wintery conditions is important.
On sub-zero days, water freezing in our outdoor taps and pipes can expand to the point where it can cause cracks and bursts.
To reduce the risk of this happening, it’s best to shut off the outside water supply and drain outside taps completely if you can. However, we can give our outdoor taps some extra protection with covers like this one from B&Q and insulate pipes with a material called lagging. This article from Severn Trent Water has more information on how to do this.
It’s also worth taking a moment to disconnect your hosepipe, as expanding, frozen water left inside can damage this too.
7. Repurpose your Christmas tree in January
While some people replant their Christmas trees, many of us drop ours off at recycling centres or leave them on the street for collection. However, if you’re looking for green-fingered jobs to get on with in the new year, there’s another option: repurposing it for your garden.
There are several ways gardeners can repurpose their Christmas trees to help their green space flourish. Firstly, you can chop it up and leave it in an out-of-the-way corner of your garden to rot. This will enrich your soil and provide shelter for wildlife. Putting your Christmas tree through a garden shredder will also give you some great mulch.
Alternatively, you could consider creating a ‘dead hedge’. These are essentially fences made from tightly packed woody cuttings. As well as dividing your outdoor space and providing shelter for young plants, dead hedges make great animal habitats. Check out this guide from the RSPB to find out how to make one.
If you don’t have the space in your garden for either of these options but you’d still like to use your Christmas tree to help animals, you could see if a farm or animal sanctuary nearby would like it. Christmas trees make nutritious snacks for animals like goats, donkeys, and alpacas – so many places (like Potsford Farm Suffolk) will be happy to take them off your hands.
8. Start sowing seeds indoors
Sowing seeds indoors during late winter is a great way to get a headstart on the growing season. Starting seedlings indoors can protect them from wintry conditions, giving them the perfect atmosphere to thrive so they’re ready to plant out when temperatures rise.
According to the RHS, seeds to sow indoors during late winter include “tender and half-hardy flowers and vegetables that need a long growing season, such as chillies.” Always check the individual seeds packet for more information about the best indoor sowing month.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need lots of pricey equipment to start sowing seeds indoors. Pots and a seed tray will do just fine. You can even use yoghurt pots – just remember to make a few holes in the bottom. Check out this guide from the RHS to learn how to get started.
9. Chit potatoes
Sowing seeds isn’t the only indoor growing activity you can get on with during winter. If you’re planting potatoes this year, February is the perfect time to start chitting.
‘Chitting’ is the process of placing seed potatoes (those intended for replanting) in an indoor space that’s light and cool but free from frost (such as window sills) to help them sprout before planting them outside just before Easter.
Chitting is quick and easy to do and can produce a greater, earlier yield. You’ll usually need to leave your potatoes to sit for around four to six weeks.
The video below from Crocus offers more information and explains how to start chitting.
10. Plan for spring
Winter – especially at the end of the year – is a great time for gardeners to look ahead, particularly to spring, which is usually the busiest time for green-fingered growers. We can use this period to take stock of all the amazing things we’ve done in our garden this year and consider what to do differently next year.
You might want to spend some time going through your seed collection and ordering any you need for the coming year. There are sometimes off-season sales that you can take advantage of. Or, why not spend some time organising your garden shed? You’ll find plenty of tips and inspiration in these articles from Ideal Home and Better Homes & Gardens.
Another great thing to consider is starting a gardening journal. You can use a simple notepad or buy a purpose-designed one like this desk diary from the RHS. Use it to pencil in key dates for sowing, planting, and harvesting. If you rotate your crops, you can plan this out, too. This guide from the RHS will help you get the most out of your gardening journal.
Final thoughts…
While we couldn’t cover all the possible winter gardening jobs in this article, we hope we’ve given you some inspiration for how you can help your green space flourish throughout the cold season.
For more tips, why not head over to our gardening section? Here, you’ll find month-to-month gardening guides, as well as handy tool recommendations and advice on what to plant when.
Do you have any more ideas for winter gardening jobs? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.