Winter Garden Work

Winter Garden Work
By Tobias Theodore Arthur

Winter may be a fairly dormant time for most plants, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't get out and about in the garden. There are many ways you can take advantage of the season and get your garden ready for the New Year's growth.

Throughout the year pests and plagues pose a real threat to most species of tree. It's important to embark on programmes of repair and precaution to defend against whatever threats may present themselves in the coming months, and there's no better time to do so than winter.

Since the vast majority of trees will be in a dormant state, with the deciduous genera shedding their leaves en masse to facilitate their period of low-energy uptake. The first advantage this poses is a chance to prune. Once the foliage has been neatly cleared away it's easy to get a good look at the branch system, making sure everything is growing evenly and without issue. Having room to inspect the entire tree, even the top branches, is perfect for spotting signs of infection and injury on the tree. This makes winter the ideal time to accurately prune away at rogue branches to encourage wider growth in the spring, and completely remove any infected or dead shoots and branches.

On the rare occasions a tree or shrub needs to be replanted, winter is one of the best periods to get the task underway. A small benefit is the lighter weight of the tree, though for larger plants this is unnoticeable. More importantly, trees can better adapt to new soil and surroundings in the winter. The low energy requirements they sport over colder seasons mean any changes are adapted to gradually, rather than being perceived as a sudden shock to the system. Just remember to make extra effort loosening the soil. Though winter is a good time for planting, you won't want to leave the tree in frozen ground unable to fill in effectively.

Since there isn't much intensive work to be done over winter it's a good time to clear house for the spring. First gather up the various leaves littering the floor, they'll make a good addition to your compost heap. For those cultivating edibles and vegetable patches in the spring it's best to start preparing for the season ahead. Dig up your beds to expose soil and be rid of weeds, and gather up any dead or decaying plants left over from the previous year's harvest and add them to the compost heap as well.

Though intensive and time consuming, double digging might be worth it if you have the energy left after Christmas. It's rarely necessary, though the extra depth of soil cultivation is a good idea if you're starting a new bed, but if you're looking for a winter project prior to a replant then double digging may prove challenging enough to keep you occupied. Winter should keep the ground malleably moist without waterlogging, so digging should be productive and relatively painless.

Just because growth is at a minimum doesn't mean you shouldn't get outside and get involved in your garden. A lot of necessary garden work is made much easier by the cold weather, so it's worth taking advantage of the chill while you can.

When Tobias Arthur isn't writing about trees and the environment he's tending to his plants and shrubs. Now a collaborator of English Woodlands he's expanding his expertise further.

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