Winter is on its way

14/11/2014

Winter is definitely on its way - we've turned our heating on inside, nights and mornings are darker and everywhere you look leaves are falling rapidly. Don't neglect your plants during this period. Many tender ones need protecting from the winter gales, frost and freezing rains. Look no futher, William James have it covered.

Here are our top jobs this month (taken from the RHS website):

• Clear up all those fallen leaves - have a look at our leaf collectors, handy for collecting leaves and other garden waste

• Raise containers onto higher ground to avoid waterlogging. Consider raised beds and planters for future planting

• Plant tulip bulbs to ensure they're ready for spring next year

• Prune roses and other plants

• Plant out winter bedding - have a look at http://www.thompson-morgan.com/top-10-winter-bedding-plants for some great tips and ideas

• Protect your plants from pigeons with high quality netting - remember though, if you have a fruit cage, remove the top net during the winter months!

• Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden.

For more RHS tips & advice see below - includes links to where you can find on the William James website:

Flowers
This month is the last chance to plant out your winter bedding. You could try wallflowers, forget-me-nots, bellis, primula, viola and other spring bedding plants, ensuring they are planted into well prepared ground or pots of suitable compost. Continue cutting down faded herbaceous and any ornamental grasses and bamboos can be cut back and tied up. Make sure you bring inside any tender plants and bulbs for warmth over the winter and raise and insulate any pots that are on the floor for protection from the frost.

Read more here >> 

Trees & Shrubs

Its an ideal time now to start planting hanging plants, trees and shrubs but this needs to be done promptly before they start drying out. Its also a good time to plant roses, avoiding planting in areas where roses were previously growing to protect them from replant diseases. Protect any newly planted trees, hedges and shrubs from the wind and cold with a windbreak. You can start pruning rose bushes, climbing roses, shurbs and trees in November and enusre your plants are protected from the wind with supports.

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Lawns

Make sure you rake any fallen leaves off lawns before they block out light and moisture from the grass and mowing will help with any weeds that may have sprung up in lawns sown earlier in autumn. Avoid walking on lawns on frosty mornings as it can damage the grass and often lead to brown footprint marks.

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Stuctures

Winter is a great time to make sure your lawmowers, hedgetrimmers and any tools are clean and serviced, ready to use next year. Fix lights to sheds, greenhouses and outhouses so you can work on your garden in the evenings. Be aware that decking and slabs can become very slippery in the winter, some rabbit wire stapled down should help to improve your grip and reduce any risks.

Read more here >>