Winter-proof your garden

Hardy plants that thrive whatever the weather are returning to popularity, after the extremes of cold, drought and wet of the last couple of years saw more temperamental garden plants turning up their toes. Of course, gaps mean planting opportunities and autumn is the perfect time to put in any plants that are totally hardy, like many deciduous shrubs and trees, herbaceous perennials, hedging, roses, fruit, and bulbs. Matching plants’ growing requirements to each site in your garden is the way forward, so assess the amount of sun or shade; the soil type (eg free-draining and prone to drought or heavy and liable to stay moist); the pH (level of acidity or alkalinity); and the aspect – the way the site faces –south or west-facing (warm) or north and east-facing (cold and exposed). If the latter, then tough, hardy plants are the way forward, and here are a few of my favourites.

Starting with trees – and all except the very smallest gardens have room for at least one – there are elegant birches (Betula) with a graceful shape and gorgeous bark that looks good all year; ornamental hawthorns (Crataegus) which give triple value with flowers, autumn berries, and leaf colour, as do Sorbus (mountain ash or rowan). Tough shrubs include Buddleja or butterfly bush – in sizes from large, down to the compact ‘Buzz’ varieties, perfect for small spaces; deciduous shrubs like colourful summer-blooming Deutzia, long-flowering Potentilla, and fragrant mock orange (Philadelphus). For evergreen foliage look to berberis and holly (prickly, but great for intruder-proof boundaries); cotoneasters of many shapes and sizes, and winter-blooming Viburnum tinus. Mix in the gorgeous red, orange, or acid-green stems of dogwoods (Cornus) and you have a solid skeleton planting to infill with herbaceous perennials, ornamental grasses, and bulbs for colour through every season.

Winter’s chill does have spectacular compensations though, when frost transforms even the most mundane plants into magical beauties. Those with striking silhouettes suddenly leap from understudy into star, such as leaf-less weeping trees like crab apples, cherries, and Japanese maples, or crazily contorted stems of twisted hazel and corkscrew willow. Frozen catkins dangle like decorative icicles and berries gleam like jewels.

Many ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennials have died back now but leaving the dead stems standing over winter makes for massive payback when they become silvered with frost or backlit by low winter sun. The standing stems protect the rootstocks if harsh winter weather strikes, and dry, dead growth is perfect to shelter many hibernating insects, most of which are beneficial to the gardener or even if not, will provide food for birds. Wait until the very end of winter to cut growth back, and either shred stems to add to the compost heap, stack into habitat piles, or cover with nitrogen-rich material and earth to make ‘hugelkultur’ (hill culture) mounds for growing vegetables.

Seasonal jobs

Garlic is an easy crop to grow so long as it gets a good spell of cold weather – planting by Christmas is best for most varieties. Buy cultivated seed garlic which is bred for our climate.

Pressure wash decking, paths and paving which otherwise tends to become dangerously slippery. For a longer lasting safe solution for wooden decking, fix gripper strips at regular intervals. Another option, to be done in dry conditions, is to treat with a non-slip decking paint.

Finish planting spring bulbs, prioritising early flowering types as well as summer flowering ones like alliums and camassias. Tulips can wait until the end of the month though as they do better if planted late.

Plant up pots for winter colour to cheer patios, entrances, and any soil-less spots on view from indoors. Choose from many decorative plants including winter flowering heathers, bronze or gold-leaved ornamental grasses, Christmas roses, Heucheras with leaves in many colours, and berried skimmias.

Watch out for signs of disease when pruning fruit and ornamental trees or shrubs. Cut out damaged or diseased parts to prevent the problem spreading. Infected material can go in with municipal green waste which is composted at temperatures high enough to kill diseases, but don’t put in your own compost heap where spores proliferate. 

While previous mild winters lulled us into leaving borderline hardy plants outside, it’s certainly not something we can take for granted. Anything growing in containers is vulnerable, simply because the whole of the rootball is above ground and could freeze completely if temperatures really plummet. Protect container plants from hard frosts and icy winds by moving right against house walls, ideally south or west facing, away from the coldest north and east winds. Raise pots just off the ground or stand on gravel to avoid waterlogging too.