Better weather and warmer temperatures encourage everyone to spend more time outdoors as people like to host barbecues and generally just enjoy the alfresco lifestyle. However, as the summer months draw to a close, your garden will have been used more now than any other time all year and hence, unluckily for you this may have had a detrimental effect on its appearance! The hot weather can make your plant life grow faster than ever and it can be very hard to keep on top of. Therefore, now is the time to whip your garden into ship shape before the colder weather of the autumn months claims your garden and leaves it a dying mess.
There are a few areas of the garden that you should organise first; for example, if you have been adventurous and splurged on some garden furniture during the summer, make sure that you tend to these first and either find suitable covers or somewhere to store them so that they will be protected from the expected harsher weather. For example, garden sheds are a great place to store your furniture in.
When it comes to your outside areas such as patios or decking, it is a good idea to also prepare them for the winter too. If you have any wooden features in your garden you can help prevent their deterioration from the wetter weather by applying a layer of wood preservative paint. Unfortunately, this does mean that you will have to reapply the paint as the seasons change and this can sound a little costly to do, however it is definitely a better alternative to ripping it out and starting again due to issues such as wood rot. As well as this, it is a good idea to keep on top of the sweeping of leaves and other kinds of debris which may have fallen on your patio or decking, as this prevents moss, algae and other weeds from growing in between the cracks.
General tending to your garden before the winter will help to also keep plants alive for longer; cutting them back and tidying up your borders will mean that they will flower much better in the next spring. For long leafed plants it is a smart idea to find covers for these as well as the wind and cold weather can damage the leaves over the winter, making it harder for them to recover in the springtime. If you have already noticed some of your plants withering and wilting away, it is best to remove the diseased plants from your borders to prevent any pests from making any nests in the decomposing debris. There is still a lot of activity in your garden going on under the soil until it freezes as certain bulbs and perennial plants continue to grow their roots, so don’t feel like you can’t continue gardening!
It is important that you remain attentive, it can be easy to become lazy as your garden will look like it is completely lifeless during the winter. But as long as you keep on top of the general tidying up and keep your garden’s greenery alive and well, you will be able to reap the benefits of this when the summer comes back around.