Beat the big Freeze

How to make your garden survive, and even thrive in the snow covered winter.

Harsh winters are not as common as they used to be but we can still expect freezing conditions in January and fauna and flora have adapted to survive A winter freeze does no harm to the garden but the following tips can help your garden to survive the winter. Winter flowers such as aconites can freeze solid without coming to any harm. hardy plants will start and stop growing according to temperature and some fruits, particularly blueberries, need cold weather to bear crops.

1. Bubble wrap over the inside glass panels of your greenhouse will add insulation and reduce the heat loss.
2. Horticultural fleece over plants will give extra protection.
3. Outside containers may freeze. To help avoid this, group them together and wrapping fleece around them. Do not try to thaw out containers. Let them do so naturally.
4. Perennials which are not fully hardy should be given added protection. A thick layer of mulch will help.
5. There is no need to protect genuinely hardy plants. If you move them into a greenhouse or indoors they will loose their resistance to the harsh weather.
6. If you have a pond which has become frozen, melt a little of the ice each day to maintain the oxygen levels in the water and to give drinking water for the birds. The best way to do this is to stand a saucepan of hot water on the surface.
7. Snow is heavy and can be damaging to trees or shrubs. Ensure that snow is shaken off branches as soon as possible and if any stems have splayed out under the weight of the snow, these should be tied up.
8. Try and avoid walking on frozen lawns. Your weight will bruise the grass and you may have footprint marks on your lawn for weeks after the snow has melted.
9. Check all outdoor pipes, taps and stopcocks. Water butts should also be checked for damaged caused by frost and ice.
10. Garden furniture should be covered or put inside, particularly if you have wooden furniture.  Cast Aluminium garden furniture loves the snow as you can see from the photograph. It can be left outside during even the harshest of winters. It will not be affected by the snow or frost.
11. Ensure that you leave out plenty of high energy bird feed. Birds are at their hungriest in cold weather