Northants, Leics &amp; Rutland

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="662" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-009.jpg" alt="Winter gardening tips autumn leaves" class="wp-image-52768" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-009.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-009-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-009-768x508.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Bit of a lazy gardener? Same. You might be pleased to know, then, that award winning Garden Designer Hannah Phillips, owner of <a href="https://www.hpgardendesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HP Garden Design</a>, is all about keeping it low key in terms of maintenance in the winter months. Read on for her tips on how to keep your garden easy to maintain and eco-friendly in one fell swoop. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-don-t-make-your-bed">Don’t make your bed</h2>



The nights are drawing in and it’s getting harder by the day to avoid the C word. If like me, you’ve had a fairly loose hand on the reins of your garden for most of the year it can be tempting to use the deluge of falling autumn leaves as your cue to sharpen things up, cut things back and address the traditional ritual of ‘putting the garden to bed’ for the winter.



But, how about not doing it?



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDENS-001.jpg" alt="Autumn winter leaves gardening" class="wp-image-52770" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDENS-001.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDENS-001-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDENS-001-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



It does seem a little counter-intuitive to cultivate a wild-around-the-edges, welcoming-to-wildlife type garden for the majority of the year only to raze it to the ground as soon as the clocks go back.



I am the first to admit there are lots of things that it’s sensible to do at this point in the year (store wooden garden furniture is usually top of my list having lost several, lovely bits of furniture to one-too-many-winters-outside) but, allowing the majority of the garden to just be for a bit longer or, even all winter if you can manage it, can be of great benefit. Not just to your local wildlife, whose habitats and food sources are being squeezed by human activity and climate change, but also to give you something a little more interesting to look at and things to do during the winter months. And, who doesn’t like a bit of garden pottering?!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-to-do-list">To-do list</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-005.jpg" alt="Clean the greenhouse" class="wp-image-52772" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-005.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-005-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-005-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



If you’re keen to get gardening without losing what&#8217;s still around in the garden at this time of year, here’s what’s on my autumn to do list:



• Brush down and store wooden garden furniture



• Clean the greenhouse (if you’re lucky enough to have one – I used natural based product like Citrox)



• Clean and oil tools. My favourite products for cleaning secateurs and the like are the Niwaki Crean Mate and Ballistol mineral oil (which is more reasonable on the pocket than their camelia oil)



• Tidy the shed. If, like me, you have an excess of plastic plant pots knocking around at any given time, pass them on or, find somewhere to recycle them. Your local B&amp;Q usually has a collection point



• Check your borders for any plants that are dying back and have gone mushy. Clear these bits out as they can damage the rest of the plant. This is mostly likely to happen with leafy, herbaceous type plants



• If you’ve got a neat and tidy structure holding it all together, trim any hedging that needs it before winter sets in. Pruning sparks new growth and later in the season this will be more susceptible to frost damage



• Plant bulbs if you’re planning to. I have a chequered history with bulbs! (Or, more accurately, the squirrels who like digging them up and eating them). So, this year, I am storing my planted-up pots (otherwise known as ‘the buffet’) in the greenhouse until they get going and are less likely to be disturbed. A bit of chicken wire secured over the top of the pots should also be enough to deter them if you don’t have a greenhouse. I’ve mostly planted a cute little Narcissus called Minnow this year with a view to bringing them into the house for some Christmas cheer



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-to-do-list">Not-to-do list:</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-006.jpg" alt="Rake in shed with leaves" class="wp-image-52774" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-006.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-006-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/11/HP-WINTER-GARDEN-006-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



• Don&#8217;t sweep up all the leaves. Leave them (see what I did there?) in the nooks, crannies and corners as they’re a great habitat for invertebrates. They (and the birds and such that feed on them) will thank you for it. If you’re a gardener with a less than harmonious relationship with the local slugs and snails, you’ll be creating 5* accommodation for predators such as beetles, centipedes and toads.



Last weekend, I raked up about half the leaves in my garden from paths and a dense patch on the grass that was going slimy and bagged up for leaf mulch which, if you have some going spare is another way of creating a circular garden economy*.



• Step away from the borders…. The majority of plants can be left for the time being and into spring, when you can easily cut all the herbaceous stuff down as the new growth starts to appear. Especially leave any seed heads as you get structure and interest in the garden and a reason to potter around out there on those perfect, sunny winter days to see what’s going on and, most importantly, the wildlife gets supplies.



*Put collected leaves into old compost bags – bin bags will do but recycling something is better. Compress down to fit as many in as you can, store somewhere out of the way for a couple of years and you’ll be rewarded with some lovely soil improver. Done annually you’ll end up with a regular supply.



By leaving the majority of the vegetative growth in situ over winter you’ll also be protecting the soil from potential erosion from heavy rain and/or run off and reducing possible weed growth. Any vegetative material that breaks down back into it will provide nitrogen. Gardens in England account for an area 4.5 times the area of our National Nature Reserves (www.wlgf.org) and, at this critical point in time for biodiversity and nature we all need to do what we can, creating welcoming, nature friendly spaces and green corridors for wildlife to move around.



As well as the creepy crawly types, I can count mice, voles, rats, moles, rabbits, badgers, muntjac, squirrels and birds of all shapes and sizes amongst the wild things active in my garden at this time of year and many will continue to be looking for food and shelter over the winter months.



Why not give them a helping hand?



Hannah Phillips (MAPL, MCIHort) is an accredited garden designer working in East Northamptonshire and beyond with a focus on designing gardens for better climate resilience and responsible water use. 



<a href="https://www.hpgardendesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HP Garden Design</a>, email: studio@hpgardendesign.co.uk, tel: 07733 308606

Leave it be! Why not to put your garden to bed and other gardening tips for the winter

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