Well this is my first blog on the new website and I was thinking what I could write that would be interesting. I’ve now owned Seasonal landscapes for over 21 years but been involved with gardens since the age of 6 which was in the early 80’s!
Sometimes it’s easy to think that there is not much that can be done during winter, but that is most definitely not the case. If you look outside there are things that can be done in preparation for the spring and in doing so will give you and the garden a head start.
Sweeping and cleaning
Why not sweep and rake any leaves that are still lying in the garden? These can be thrown or made into leaf mould by filling bags with them. Put some holes in the bag and by next year they will be ready to mulch the garden. Your paved areas and driveway would benefit from cleaning with a stiff brush, or even better with a rotary pressure washer. We use a powerful machine fitted with high-speed rotary nozzles.
Pruning and Trimming
This is a good time to trim the dead leaves from your herbaceous perennials. You can use hedging shears or secateurs but a springbok rake might be easy enough as they will have rotted. Deciduous shrubs are good to prune but not all of them! There are some that will be flowering soon and to prune them now would deny you the flowers. Such examples are Magnolias and Forsythia species.
Pots and Greenhouses
If you have a greenhouse and used pots now is a good time to clean them. For pots fill a bucket or an old washing up bowl with warm water and some “Jays fluid” being careful to keep to the instructed ratio on the packaging. Using a small hand brush and wearing rubber gloves dip the pots in the water and brush all around the pot. After you have done this the pots should be ready to use again without the worry of diseases or other nasties present. With the greenhouse use the brush to clean the glass inside and out taking care to get into all the crevices. You can use an old towel to take the excess and then polish the glass after a couple of days. Don’t forget to clean the floor and any benches whilst you are at it!
Birds and Wildlife
It’s always good to feed our little feathered friends. And with the vast array of feeders there is something suitable for every situation and bird. Especially if the feeders are plastic it is wise to clean the feeders periodically as you would with plant pots. Maybe you could use this time of year to look at other areas in the garden that support wildlife. Had you thought of putting in areas for bugs and butterflies to live in? Bug hotels, as they’re known can be good for this and an extra feeding device for the birds!
Machinery
It is likely that your garden machinery will have been stored away at the end of the last season. It is wise to oil any tool that has moving parts. You can use a light lubricant like “WD40” or using a rag use a light oil to coat. Lawnmowers will be ready for a service which can range from just sharpening the blades and checking the cables and moving parts to an engine service for those with petrol models. If your machinery is old, now can be a good time to replace. We’ve invested in battery models to replace some of the devices that previously were petrol powered. We now use Hedge trimmer, leaf blower, and strimmer that happily run with batteries. These have the advantages of been environmentally friendly. They are also quieter, no fumes and less hand vibration