If you’re wondering “what gardening can I do in winter?” the answer is: more than you might think!

It may not be the season when flowers bloom, bees buzz around happily and the whole family spends a lot of time frolicking on the grass, but your garden is still full of life in the colder months. Tending to it now will set you up for a fabulous spring and summer in it further down the line.

With that in mind, we’re following up our tips for spring, summer and autumn gardening by completing the series with this guide to winter gardening.

Winter gardening ideas

These are our picks of the winter gardening jobs you’ll want to make sure you cover during the colder months.

1. Tend to your soil

Our first winter gardening tip is to make sure the winter weather won’t damage your soil. After all, the better your soil, the more you can grow in it!

There are a few ways you can do this. The first is by using mulch (a prominent inclusion in our spring and summer gardening tips, too!) to help keep your soil moist and warm. Additionally, you may also want to keep an eye on your soil’s pH levels and add some lime if it gets too acidic. Lastly, consider adding raised plant and flower beds to give you a little extra control over the soil away from the lower surface of your lawn.

2. Prune and plant trees

If you have a thing for bare-rooted trees, November to March is the best time to plant them – providing the ground isn’t frozen. You should also make time to prune existing trees and remove dead or half-broken branches. Raising the tree’s crown (which involves removing the lower-down branches) is also a good winter gardening idea as it will make everything easier to harvest in spring.

3. Clear fallen leaves

Leaf fall can be one of the most picturesque parts of autumn, but as it turns to winter those same leaves can turn into a gooey, slippery mess that does nothing for your garden’s aesthetics or health. Instead, sweep them up regularly and if possible, place them in a composter, giving you something to use when the spring rolls around!

4. Cover or otherwise protect the plants that need it

Our fourth winter gardening job is to protect your plants, which you can do in a few different ways. First, lift pots up using corks as feet to guard against waterlogging, and if what’s planted in them needs fairer weather, consider taking them inside or covering them to see out the winter. You can use bubble wrap for this, or use black plastic bags filled with shredded paper or straw.

5. Cut back roses

We mentioned pruning trees above but pruning roses is also important for winter gardening – even though roses may not be something you’d expect to think about when things get colder! This is more something to think about in the later part of winter, once Christmas and the New Year celebrations have been and gone. Try pruning back an outgrown rose bush to about half its size in an even and rounded shape and remove any dead or damaged stems, ready for a blooming marvellous showing when the warmer weather arrives.

6. Support your local wildlife

A birdhouse with birds flying about it against a wintery snow-swept scene

Every garden needs a healthy ecosystem of animals, birds and insects, so even in winter you should do your bit to make sure this is maintained. Your winter gardening jobs in this area can include leaving our birdfeeders, breaking the ice on ponds so animals can drink, and even putting out a bug box to give the (not-so) creepy crawlies somewhere warm to shelter.

7. Insulate exposed water pipes

Another of our winter gardening tips is to scope out any exposed water pipes showing in your garden and make sure they’re well insulated. It’s surprisingly easy for them to burst in the colder weather, which can be an awful pain for any gardener and lead to unnecessary expense. Just wrapping some simple, inexpensive insulating foam around them should help do the trick!

Should I water my garden in winter?

This is a common question we often get as creators of award-winning hose pipe connectors – and while it might surprise you, the answer is yes! Even if your plants are unflowering and going a little bit brown, you should make sure they stay hydrated in the winter months if you want them to flower in the warmer ones.

Of course, winter can be a wet time, so you may not need to physically take a hose to them. Therefore, our final suggested winter gardening job is that if you have a dry spell, make sure to connect your hose and give your flowering plants and trees a water at least once a month until March rolls around.

Make watering your garden easy this winter

The plastic teeth used in most hose pipe connectors can be even more brittle in the winter – which is also the time you least want to find yourself covered in ice-cold water from leaks and connectors popping off unexpectedly!

Thankfully, Qwickhose® has no breakable teeth like standard connectors, these have been replaced with our unique wing clamping system, to help eliminate these problems.

Take a look at our range and get in touch with us to find out when and where you can buy the Qwickhose® Starter Set.