Prepare your garden for winter

Ready your garden for winter

When cool weather arrives, it’s the perfect time to ensure your winter garden is looking lush and ready for action come the new growing season.

Spring clean your garden in winter

Clutter and mess make gardening harder than it needs to be, so don’t wait until spring to do a big clean. “Organise pots, tidy areas, and sweep away debris from around the shed or greenhouse,” says horticulturist Tyler Howard. “Give paths and benches a good clean with a high-pressure hose or stiff brush to remove algae and help prevent slippery surfaces.”

Remove all dead, damaged, and diseased growth, fallen fruit, and leaf litter. These can be broken up and added directly to the compost heap or discarded in green waste bins. Any diseased plant material can be disposed of in green waste, as council composting facilities should reach temperatures capable of killing most pathogens.

Tip: Use a leaf rake with an extra-wide head to make short work of gathering fallen leaves.

Reassess your plant plan

The garden may be looking a little bare now, but that can be beneficial. “The bones and structure of a garden are often revealed in winter, so now is an ideal time to assess what is and isn’t working,” says Melissa King, horticulturist and Scotts Osmocote ambassador. “Pull out plants that aren’t up to scratch, fill bare spots with new and interesting plants, and introduce splashes of colour where they are needed most.” 

Improve the soil

For new plantings of deciduous trees, shrubs, and roses, enrich the soil with plenty of organic matter, like a quality compost and soil improver. “Doing this will nourish and revitalise the soil, providing a strong foundation for plant growth,” explains Melissa. “Healthy soil means healthy plants. Get bare-rooted specimens into the garden as soon as possible because they don’t like their roots drying out.” 

Even if you have no planting plans, Tyler suggests it’s still a good time to improve the soil. “Apply plenty of manure and compost, such as cow manure and mushroom compost, for general garden areas, around perennials and throughout the vegetable beds,” he adds. “This provides insulation and warmth for the soil and feeds microbes, too.” 

Frost protection in your garden

If you live in a frost-prone area, you will need to protect frost-sensitive plants, including seedlings, and trees and shrubs from subtropical or tropical climes.

“If a frosty night is forecast, move tender plants to a warm, protected spot (if they are in pots) or cover them before dark with buckets, frost cloths, upturned pots or even cardboard boxes, then remove the coverings in the morning,” says Melissa. “Also, try to water the garden well before frost – moist soil holds onto more heat than dry soil.”

Is your garden winter ready?

Check out our range of plants online or in-store.

Some products are not available at all Bunnings stores, but may be ordered.

Photo Credit: Gap Photos, Juliette Wade, Friedrich Strauss