With Summer over and winter drawing ever closer preparing your garden is of upmost importance to ensure it is ready for when spring rolls around! We here at Alexander Francis have put a few tips together of things to add to your to-do list for the winter period:
Cover your outdoor furniture
Although our rattan and Sunbrella furniture can be left outside whatever the weather, to save on time and effort when spring rolls around it is beneficial to cover up your furniture set! A few things can affect your furniture such as leaves and mulch but don’t worry these will not damage your set, covering your set will save you time and an avoidable chore, it is recommended from time to time to lift your covers to allow air flow as although furniture can go musty so it is best practice to allow the fabrics to breath, just ensure to do this in the rare dry periods in winter. We provide winter covers for all our sets!
Fallen Leaves
Fallen leaves can be beautiful but as wonderful these are it can affect your plants and cause diseases in them as well as cause mould to form on your lawn, also mycelium/fungus can build up on leaves as well which although being a healthy part of decomposition can damage your lawn and garden furniture if left in the wrong areas, by sweeping these up it can make these issue easily avoidable as well as giving you the advantage to start a compost heap ready for spring planting, compost will contain lots of beneficial nutrients for your plants and will also save on costs!
Bring in Furniture cushions
- Over the winter periods it is recommended to bring in your garden furniture cushions unless it is made from a weather resistant material such as Sunbrella which our Minimo, Moderno and Milano collections are, although this is the case you will still need to cover your furniture! Ensure any cushions brought in are stored in a dry place and are bone dry before storing.
Bring in delicate plants!
Any tender plants will not survive through the winter, we recommend to replant these into new pots and place them into a green house or move into your home to ensure they are safe and happy over the colder months!
Protect your ponds.
Fallen leaves can harm your pond leaving the water in a foul state and can also block the water pump! To help save time netting your pond can is a great idea making it easier to collect fallen leaves to add to your compost heap. It is recommended to use a fine mesh net spread across your pond held down on each corner with something heavy such as a brick, stone or even a planter! Remember to leave a small opening on one side preferably on the shallow end for the pond life to get in and out such as frogs, also to have a small section open for birds to drink and bathe.
Look after the local wildlife!
Over the winter periods birds can struggle to find food, so keep those table tops and feeders topped up with high energy foods! Our friends over at Green Feathers have some fantastic bird tables & nest boxes with cameras which can be the perfect gift for you or a loved one (who is hard to buy for).
They have a number of informative blog posts on how to attract birds to your garden, what to feed them and how to care during the winter months.
