subject: Caring For The Garden In Winter [print this page] Author: Robert Gardner Author: Robert Gardner
The garden in winter may not look all that exciting at times. In Britain most things look dull and cheerless in winter, unless there is snow when everything looks pristine and while, but lacking in interesting details just the same. However, unless your garden is covered in two feet of snow, there's a lot you can do in winter.
You enjoy the company of birds in summer, so why not look after them in winter. This is a time of year when they struggle to find food. Remember, these same birds can help you a lot by keeping down on grubs, whiteflies and cabbageworms when it's warmer, so why not help them when it's colder. Fat balls and fat cakes are good for a range of birds. Seed mixes work well with blackbird, starling and sparrows, while peanuts and pieces of dried coconut will suit nearly all small birds in the garden in winter.
Remember also that birds need water. You should also bear in mind that water can and often does freeze at this time of year. You can't add anti-freeze to the water for your birds (really, you can't!), but you can break the ice in the mornings and ensure that there's always a full supply of water on the bird table.
If you still have your old Christmas tree (a real one that is), a far better plan than taking it to the local tip is to recycle it in the garden. It's bad enough that millions of perfectly good trees are destroyed at this time of year, so you can help redress the balance by recycling yours. If you can shred it, it can be used to make a great mulch, for example. Perhaps you have other ideas, but any idea that keeps it in some kind of use in your garden is better than destroying it.
The first months of the year is a good time to plan ahead for how your garden will be in later months. This is a great time to buy in all those pots, string canes and everything else you may need in the months ahead. Have you ever started work in the garden on a quiet weekend morning, only to find that you don't have enough of something? This is the time to plan it all out and stock up so that you will be completely prepared later. The garden in winter should be a place where you can still do some work, if only preparing for the months ahead.About the Author:
To learn more about the garden in winter, as well as just gardening in general, visit the Garden Health site promoting garden health for everyone.
