Ready for the winter months? Preparation is important to make sure your home is warm and safe as the temperature steadily begins to drop. One area of the home which can be easy to overlook in preparing, however, is the garden. Discover our experts’ advice for preparing your plants and furniture to resist the frost in this guide, including how our products at Hales Sawmills can be used to make sure your garden is ready to face another winter season.

Inspect and Repair Garden Structures

Structures can bring convenience and support to your garden. From garden sheds to greenhouses, garden structures need to be well-cared for to last a long time. Here are some key tips to help you make sure the winter months don’t seriously impact your garden structures.

Carry Out Shed Maintenance

Sheds are highly valuable garden structures, as they provide outdoor storage for your garden equipment, furniture, tools and more. To make sure the shed can effectively protect the items inside, you will need to ensure it’s in good condition. Check over your garden shed carefully, inspecting it for holes or damage. If you should find any, it’s important to effectively block this or replace panels to make sure no snow or frost can make its way in and damage your belongings.

Timber Log Store Preparation

If you have a wood-burning stove inside or outside of your home that you plan on using during the winter months, you’ll need to make sure your fuel is well-stocked! Collecting or purchasing household fuel, kindling and logs is key, as well as ensuring that your garden timber log store is equipped to protect the wood from wet and frosty weather that may damage it. When storing firewood outdoors, make sure to also keep the wood off of the ground.

Prepare Your Garden Beds and Soil

If you take pride in creating a healthy garden throughout the year, it can be disheartening to find out that your plants didn’t make it through the winter months. Luckily, there are some effective ways you can increase your plants’ chances of surviving into spring.

Cleaning Up Plant Beds

As autumn comes to an end, you’ll likely find your garden is covered in dead leaves and other plant remains. Before you let your garden settle for winter, it’s worth tidying up your plant beds. Any leaves and dead plant life that you discover in your outdoor space can be composted, helping to create a useful material that can sustain your plants in the following seasons.

Soil Enrichment

As the winter months can be extremely tough on plants, it’s worth making sure the soil that nurtures them is in the best condition possible. You could provide your plants with mulch, covering their roots for added protection and to help retain the right level of moisture. At Hales Sawmills, we can provide you with high-quality mulch bark to help your plants stay safe during the colder months.

If the season becomes too tough on your plants, there are some extra steps you can take to prevent them from becoming seriously harmed. You can move your plants, for example, into a warmer area or a sheltered space, preventing them from needing to deal with harsh weather head-on. If your plants can’t be relocated and frost is predicted, it can be sensible to cover your plants temporarily with leftover newspaper.

Reinforce and Protect Wooden Fences

Boundaries are important in all areas of life, so make sure you don’t overlook those that protect your outdoor space! Wooden fence panels require maintenance to stay strong and to resist the challenges thrown at them, from local weather conditions to accidental damage. Read on to learn how to protect them below.

Inspect Your Fencing Panels

To make sure your wooden fencing panels are in good condition, you will need to investigate their overall condition. If you notice any weak spots or visible damage, you will likely need to repair or even replace your wooden fence panels. At Hales Sawmills, we offer fence panels in a variety of materials, including strong timber.

Prevent Fence Damage

One of the easiest ways for fences to become damaged is for furniture to be knocked into them. If you’re expecting stormy weather in your area this winter, it’s important to make sure your garden furniture is carefully secured. Additionally, you can implement secure rounded fence posts and utilise protective exterior paints to put your fencing panels in the best position to cope with winter weather.

Protect Outdoor Furniture and Garden Features

Curating a beautiful outdoor space often includes implementing high-quality outdoor furniture and garden features. To protect their appearance and condition, it’s important to keep your furnishings well-protected. Below, you can uncover how to protect your outdoor furniture and garden features from harsh winter weather.

Store Delicate Items Indoors

You may have belongings in your garden that are particularly sensitive, so often the best way to keep them protected is to move them indoors. Items made of metal, for example, can easily rust during the winter months, making it beneficial to keep these out of direct rain and snow.

Purchase Waterproof Covers

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to store your belongings inside. Large seating and outdoor surfaces, for example, can be challenging to move and store, which is where waterproof covers come in handy. These covers can perfectly fit your garden furniture, making sure every inch is protected from the harsh weather. Additionally, waterproof covers can make it very easy to effectively remove snow from your surfaces by simply lifting the cover off

Clean and Organise Garden Tools

To maintain your garden throughout the year, you will need quality garden tools. During the winter months, tools can often be impacted by the weather if left outside in the elements. To prevent your garden tools from becoming damaged, read on for our key tips for winter.

Clean Your Tools

Gardening hand tools are highly likely to become dirty and muddy with regular use, particularly after working in wet or dense soil. Over time, the mud, dirt, and plant residues that gather on tools can lead to rust, dulling, and even weakening of blades or edges if they aren’t cleaned properly.

To protect your tools, take the time to thoroughly clean them before winter hits. Once clean and maintained, store your tools in a dry, secure place where they’ll be protected from extreme weather. This small effort in winter preparation will help extend the life of your garden tools, keeping them in optimal condition for spring.

Store Effectively

While cleaning is important for making sure your tools are in good working condition, it will likely be ineffective if you leave these belongings outdoors. Make sure to store your tools indoors, where they can be kept safe and dry while not in use. While putting them away, you should also consider how accessible they will be when you need them in the new year.

Wildlife-Friendly Preparations

Caring for local wildlife can be incredibly rewarding for you and your household, making it worthwhile, especially during the difficult winter months. From providing appropriate food to creating protective shelters, discover some ways to help your local creatures thrive during the colder seasons below.

Create Habitats

Man-made wildlife habitats don’t need to be complicated to properly provide local creatures with somewhere to escape the cold. Try piling leftover bricks and logs, for example, as these can provide simple shelter for nearby insects, worms, frogs and toads. Hollowed logs equipped with leaves can additionally provide an area for small rodents and amphibians to stay away from the frost.

Provide Food

While creatures will take measures to make sure they and their offspring are well-fed during the winter, providing supplementary food is always a good idea. Hanging up bird feeders, while simple, can provide an easy way for you to neatly feed birds in your local area. If you’d like to purchase items to help you care for local birds, we offer a wide range of bird care products at Hales Sawmills.

Garden Specialists in Shropshire

At Hales Sawmills, we understand that gardens are invaluable to a household’s well-being. That’s why we specialise in gardening products, designed to make sure your garden can both thrive and survive year-round. So, if you’re looking for the tools you need to prepare and protect your outdoor space, shop our wide range of garden items and timber products at Hales Sawmills now.

If you’re interested in any of the products we have mentioned in this article, all of them are available on our website. Visit us online or in-store to shop with us today! Alternatively, if you would also like expert advice before making your purchases, please get in touch with our friendly team first.