Gardening guru, Kate Turner, has released a series of tips and tricks to ensure you have a garden to make the neighbours green with envy by spring.
The key to an abundant and blooming outdoor space is not neglecting it during the colder seasons – spring gardens are made in autumn. Kate Turner’s top tips include planting trees, bulbs, and shrubs, as well as bringing citrus plants indoors, composting old summer annuals and feeding and seeding your lawn before winter.
Kate Turner for Miracle-Gro:
“There are rumours in the gardening world that say music helps your plants grow, with classical being their favourite – with only seven per cent of the UK are aware of this and play music to their greenery, I suggest that you don’t rely on this to help your plants this autumn and use more practical methods.
“Lawns need help to recover from the dry summer, autumn soil is warm and moist, so will encourage roots to grow strong ready to bounce back in the spring, don’t leave the work until spring as the damage will be harder to repair and will take longer.”
She also recommend native trees and shrubs as they are most likely to attract wildlife, especially species that have berries and flowers, like holly or mahonia. The tips come after research of 2,000 people who grow plants, commissioned by gardening experts, Miracle-Gro, found 31 per cent are proud of their gardens during spring and summer but let them grow out during autumn and winter.
Advice for indoor plants is to feed them less, as the longer dark days kick in, and move them closer to a light source, like a windowsill, while keeping them away from radiators or draughts. To ensure a lush lawn and a thriving garden in summer, sow grass seed, deadhead your plants and protect the soil with mulch during the autumn and winter months.
And make the most of a garden during the cooler months by adding vivid colour with plants – chrysanthemums and dahlias will flower up until last frosts, and Scandinavian Hygge style elements, such as fire pits and warm blankets will keep people cosy after the summer ends.
Kate Turner for Miracle-Gro:
“Adding a mulch to the soil will help suppress weeds and protect summer stressed plants get through the winter. You should be caring for your houseplants and indoor plants differently in each season, including reducing feeding in autumn for all plants apart from those that flower, such as orchids.
“That’s why we’ve created this interactive map of the house and garden to show everything you need to know about indoor and outdoor plant care in the autumn, if you get this right now, it will set them up for a great spring and summer.”
The survey also found 15 per cent of have tested out some interesting tactics in a bid to keep their gardens happy, including talking to their plants, with 21 per cent having even sprinkled them with eggshells in the hope of giving them a helping hand.
On this, Kate advised adding eggshells and coffee to top your soil may help ward off slugs, but it’s something that should be done in the warmer months and won’t help them through the winter. While one in 10 have tried getting rid of weeds with vinegar – which is something that Kate definitely doesn’t recommend and suggests using a non-glyphosate weedkiller.
But almost half (46 per cent) aren’t confident when it comes to taking care of their gardens, lawns or indoor plant collection during different times of the year, with 26 per cent unaware what products should be used.
However, one in five of those polled via OnePoll would use their garden more if they knew how to take care of it in the colder seasons. And it’s not just the outdoors which gets neglected , as only eight per cent care for their houseplants in the autumn and winter.
