1 week Ago
After a beautiful and vibrant display of autumnal foliage, deciduous trees and shrubs will start their winter dormancy. Perennials have died back and buried bulbs sit quietly awaiting their moment to spring to life next year. Traditional gardening practices at this time of the year often involve tidying up.
Leaf blowers are turned on and all the debris of the season is whooshed into a great big pile for the compost heap. While it’s a good idea to remove leaves from pathways where they can get slippery and be hazardous, in other areas of the garden there’s a compelling argument for leaving them in situ. A carpet of decaying leaves creates the perfect mulch to help underground roots keep cosy in winter.
It provides cover and shelter for essential garden wildlife, and as it breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil. Other bits of garden debris such as fine twigs and moss will be gathered by birds for nesting in spring. Lawn enthusiasts will probably want to clear any leaves, as full sunlight is best for lawn health.
That said, tread carefully, as marching heavily around your lawn at this time of year when it is soggy beneath can create compaction of the soil. This means the fine soil particles are crushed together, leading to a hard layer which deprives the grass root system of oxygen. The same thinking applies to the cutting back of perennials.
You don’t have to do it and some will provide interesting silhouettes over winter. I love watching the gradual demise of cynara cardunculus, the giant ornamental globe artichoke. The purple thistle-like flowers hum with bees in summer but now these have turned to fluffy, creamy seeds which will be gradually picked off by local finches over winter.
Sea holly, rudbeckias, agapanthus, sedum and fennel all look good as the seed heads retain their shapes until eventually the stems collapse into a soggy mess. Ornamental grasses are sometimes at their best when the flower heads turn silvery and glisten in the winter sunshine Before temperatures plunge any more, take the time to protect anything tender in your garden. This can mean moving them indoors altogether, into conservatories and greenhouses, or even just placing them against a wall can provide a bit of extra shelter.
It will vary depending on whether you are a coastal gardener or live in the Midlands. Maritime gardens don’t suffer as much from frost damage — sea gales are a more likely threat. However, extreme temperatures will damage dahlias, cannas, begonias, salvias, bananas and other more tender perennials, so either lift them or mulch to provide some padding.
Larger plants can be wrapped with horticultural fleece — the ones that tend to suffer in really cold weather are cordylines, tree ferns, pittosporum, echiums, bay trees, and astelias. Mulching around trees, shrubs and perennials is a great way to help them over winter. So in addition to leaving the leaves, you can start using up your mature garden compost and depositing it around the base of plants.
All the goodness and nutrients will be returned to the soil through the work of earthworms, snails and beetles. Snails are often depicted as the enemy of the gardener and we’ve all groaned at the sight of their handiwork on our ornamental plants. However, they assist in the decomposition of waste and are part of the food chain for some of our favourite feathered friends such as thrushes, robins and blackbirds.
How else can you help these birds over winter in your garden? Birdwatch Ireland recommends a diversity of foods to support a diversity of species. So food like fat balls, suet blocks, peanuts and sunflower seeds are all suitable and should be placed in different locations in different feeder types and on bird tables away from vermin. If it’s icy, put out water so the birds can have a drink and wash.
The shedding of leaves can reveal a beauty that has been cloaked all year. The naked stems of dogwood look striking in winter sunshine and this cultivar is very ornamental, as the stems are a combination of orange and yellow at the base and middle with fiery red tips. The effect is like a burning bush, creating a warm glow on a cold day.
Dogwood are easy to grow, low maintenance shrubs, but for best winter stems, coppice every other year. What a wonderful thing to do..
. taking away concrete and putting plants in its place! It is quite a job, but well worth it. The main issue will be that the ground will be very compacted if it has been buried underneath slabs.
So remove them and the foundation beneath. Improve the soil by conditioning with compost, dig it through and firm it down to create a nice seed bed..
