Cold Weather Gardening – Questions and Answers

The largely mild weather before Christmas lulled many of us into a false sense of security about this winter’s weather. Now we have the reality of snow and frost as well as stormy winds and rain, we are being asked questions about cold weather gardening. So I thought a blog answering some of the most common concerns might be useful.

Conifers are used to cold weather so my real Christmas tree in its pot doesn’t need protecting from the frost – right?

Not quite. The roots of all trees and shrubs in pots are at risk of being frozen when the temperature drops and stays below freezing. Conifers and evergreens are in some ways more at risk as they are still growing, if slowly, over the winter. Deciduous trees and shrubs are dormant.

Lift the pot or tub off the ground with bricks or pot feet
Wrap bubble wrap around the sides of the plant pot
Use horticultural fleece around the base of the pot and to cover the soil and lower stem of your tree or shrub; fleece will allow water and air to pass through
Place pots and tubs together in a sheltered area of the garden. This helps to create a micro climate and reduce the frost damage
If the soil has already frozen, you will need to slowly thaw out the soil and roots. Pouring boiling water directly onto the soil may kill your tree

How do I best feed the birds my winter garden?

A year-long feeding of garden birds will give you a host of feathered helpers in the fight against many garden pests. It is difficult to generalise as each garden is different, but providing a range of bird feeders in different parts of the garden will increase the range of bird species who may visits.

Where space in your garden is tight, then a single feeder with a general seed and suet mix will be fine.

Remember to also have fresh water available. This may be from your garden pond or a designated bird bath. Cold weather gardening includes de-icing bird baths and water trays on birdfeeders as well as thawing out ponds.

Can I feed garden birds left over Christmas cake?

Left over Christmas cake crumbs will be eaten, and are a tasty addition to the bird table. However, leftover turkey fat should not be put out, as this stays semi liquid and can get stuck on the birds’ feathers, affecting their waterproof ability.

The RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch takes place over the last weekend of January. This is a nationwide tally. A snapshot of the birds in our parks and gardens, as observed by us, the public.

Will my garden statues crack in the frost?

You may have wrapped up your plants to protect from frost but have you wrapped up any stone statues or ornaments too? If water has caused hairline cracks the frost may make these wider, damaging your statue. Using left over bubble wrap from Christmas to wrap around precious garden ornaments should do the trick.

Cold Weather Gardening – flower borders

If your Christmas tree is still lying abandoned on the lawn, you can put it to good use in your cold weather gardening preparations.

If you have a shredder, apply it to your Christmas tree and use as mulch.
Or cut off the branches and lay these on tender plants to give frost protection

Are my plants are safe from frost in the plastic greenhouse?

Temporary plastic greenhouses are better than no protection at all, but do not give the same degree of defence against frost as a ‘proper’ greenhouse will.
Line the inside of the frame with horticultural fleece to add that extra layer of warmth for your plants.

You should check regularly on plants in unheated greenhouses and cold frames, as part of your cold weather gardening tasks. They should generally be frost free areas but plants touching the window panes of the greenhouse risk being damaged by frost.

You can give individual plants extra protection by standing them on a layer of newspaper or cardboard. If it is a tender plant, then swathe the plant pot in fleece, as suggested for the outdoor pots.

Can I still prune my fruit trees?

Pruning shrubs and trees should not be carried out when the daytime temperature stays near or below freezing. The open would resulting from pruning combined with the low temperatures can damage the tree.

Where there is a ground frost rather than an air frost you should be able to prune. The tree or shrub, if deciduous, will be dormant so there shouldn’t be any sap rising that could lead to infection.

If you’re not sure, then just prune out dead and diseased wood.

Neither should you walk across a frozen lawn to prune your trees as then you’d be damaging your lawn!

And if all this cold weather gardening is too cold for you, why not head for the heated inside delights of a Winter Garden?

One definition of Winter Gardens is large glass houses filled with tropical plants that offer shelter from the frost outside. Scotland and Northern England have some wonderful examples that will keep you warm when the weather is foul.