15 Top Tips For Your Garden This Winter

Here are some Top Tips for your garden this winter to keep everything looking lovely and prepare for the warmer months ahead.  It may be cold outside and it doesn’t look like much is happening in the garden but there is still plenty to do.  

I have been helping friends look after their gardens in France for about 3 years and have learnt many things about the climate here and how the plants react to it.  I have also learnt that having the right tools for each job is vitally important and makes the job much easier, so investment in quality tools has been paramount for me.  So here are my top tips for your garden this winter. And if you need help with any of these ideas then do not hesitate to contact me.

1. Pruning fruit trees, deciduous trees and woody shrubs is perhaps the most important job in January.  If you prune in winter it stimulates vigorous regrowth.  However, do not prune apricots, plums or cherries in winter, save this for late spring. 

2. Hedges should also be pruned in winter to keep them under control and stimulate dense growth.  

3. Olive trees, particularly ones that have been left unpruned for a few years will benefit from a fairly hard prune in late winter which will encourage a flourish of new growth in the spring.

4. Another important job is pruning Roses.  Now is the time to shape and design your roses to produce a beautiful display this summer.  Remove all damaged and crossing stems, cut back weak stems and remove old woody ones.  Climbing roses should be pruned and tied back to maintain a lateral framework with side branches growing vertically.  Remove unwanted side branches. 

5. Winter is also the time to plant new fruit trees, roses and shrubs while they are in a dormant state, as long as the ground is not frozen.

6. Jasmine, Clematis and Wisteria can all be tidied up this time of year but avoid cutting the growth from last summer as this will bear the flowers this summer.

7. Oleanders should be pruned in winter by removing dead or damaged growth and thinning crowded growth.  Then cut back the flowering shoots by half and remove a few centimetres from non flowering shoots to encourage new bushy growth in the spring.

Here are some other jobs that can be done in the garden this winter.

8. Create a leaf mold to make a useful mulch.

9. Put mulch on beds and pots to help keep weeds at bay come springtime.

10. Order seeds for spring planting and summer bulbs.

11. Build a raised bed ready for vegetables and herbs in early spring.

12. Clean patios and decking with a pressure washer to prevent the build up of moss and slime.

13. Clear out gutters. around the house and outbuildings.

14. Service your lawn mower, chainsaw and hedge trimmer.  Clean and sharpen tools.  Tidy the shed.

15. And finally, plan ahead for the coming growing season which will be upon us sooner than you think.

Good luck, and remember, if you need any help with these ideas or anything else that you want to do in your garden then please get in touch and I will be delighted to come round and give you a quote.

All the best,

Phil

info@maisonprovence.net