Winter Garden Magic: Unveiling the Key Secrets to Nurturing Your Garden with Care…
In the winter months, the weather can vary on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s freezing cold, then it snows and a day later the temperatures rise again and it rains. Some plants need different care depending on the weather. In this article, you can find out what to look out for when caring for your garden in winter.
There’s not much to do in the garden during the colder months of the year. But that doesn’t mean you should leave nature to its own devices. Winter can bring a wide variety of weather conditions: From icy cold to mild and wet, it’s all there. None of this necessarily harms the garden, as many plants are attuned to changing winter weather. Nevertheless, hobby gardeners can help with garden maintenance in winter, depending on the weather.
Garden care on mild winter days
Double-digit temperatures also occur in winter. This can be a problem for some plants: If they are well wrapped under fleece or insulating material, the plants sweat on particularly warm days. Even worse: the warmth also tricks them into thinking it is spring and the plants sprout if the warm spell lasts longer. In the event of another frost, this can lead to frostbite on the new shoots, explains the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu).
The following therefore applies on warm days: free frost-proof wrapped plants from their warm clothing quickly, but keep the fleece ready. Because when it gets cold again, they will need the protection all the more.
Garden care in frost-free periods
When the thermometer rises after frosty days, evergreen plants need water. Even in winter, they evaporate the liquid through their leaves. If the ground is frozen, however, they are unable to replenish their supply – the plants are in danger of drying out. For this reason, amateur gardeners should water evergreens on all frost-free days as a precaution, advises the American Federal Association of Gardening and Landscaping (BGL). This applies in particular to potted plants; evergreens in the garden soil can still absorb water from deeper layers of soil.
Frosty nights, mild days
This situation is particularly common at the end of winter. While the thermometer slips below zero degrees at night, it is balmy during the day. This is when most winter damage to plants occurs: rapid freezing and thawing in the sun causes the cell walls to crack. Plants must now be protected not only from frost at night, but also from sunlight during the day: They are best placed in a shady location or protected from the sun’s rays with mats and sheets.
Frost without snow
Days without snow but with frost can result in a dangerous situation for many garden plants. The so-called bare frost – i.e. sub-zero temperatures without a protective snow cover for the plants – is particularly intense. Only those that are truly hardy survive this. All other plants now need a warm cover, for example a brushwood blanket or a jute blanket. You should therefore react on such days and especially nights and wrap up the more cold-sensitive plants at least temporarily.
Snow on the plants
Especially in times when it snows a lot, you should keep a watchful eye on the plants in your garden. Snow can be an immense burden. If it lies on branches, they may not be able to hold the snow and break off. On days when it has snowed a lot, you should carefully remove the snow from the branches with a broom.
