Cold Comfort Corner: Winter Gardening

The weather is closing in now, with the daylight hours pretty limited. That said, there is still some pleasure to be had in the garden. I always think it is particularly valuable to your health and wellbeing to get outside for just a short time at this time of year.

I limit my gardening to a single task but I usually feel very pleased with myself if I get anything done at all. I know from experience that any time I spend in the garden now will be worth double when spring comes and everything is clamouring for attention.

So what do I do?

By the end of November I don’t really want to stand on the soil too much, partly because it is wet and pretty unpleasant and partly because I don’t want to compact it too much. I will stand on the path and take out anything that is wet and rotting, especially old fern leaves and the leaves from perennials that are truly over. Even this small job makes everything look much better.

I will also cut back any of the shrubs that have got too big over the summer.

Today I have cut back a hardy fuchsia and I’ve been shaping a summer-flowering yellow jasmine. There is a great deal written about the best time to cut back particular plants, but I focus more on doing it when I have got the time, as otherwise I know it won’t get done at all. The main risk is that you will get fewer flowers if you prune at the ‘wrong’ time, but I can live with that.

Although it may seem strange, I’m also propagating. Very often I will find seedlings that have germinated in the gravel or even underneath dying foliage from perennials. If I want new plants I will pot up the seedlings. I keep them out of the worst of the wet and look forward to strong, new plants in the spring. You can plant seeds this time of year too. Many perennial seeds need a period in cold, wet compost to trigger germination so you can scatter seeds you have collected yourself in a tray of compost and forget about them till the weather starts to warm up.

Sometimes I just walk around the garden looking at what I might do next year. You might be surprised at how many plants are still throwing up the odd flower. At the moment I have got flowers on Sisyrinchium, Potentilla and the sweet little hardy geranium Orkney Cherry.

Remember if you leave some striking seed heads for the winter, the birds will thank you and it will look so pretty if you get a slight frost. Ideal for this are the seed heads of Phlomis or maybe even Cardoons if yours have been lucky enough to survive Storm Bert.

The fading flower heads of hydrangeas are also really pretty, and these are best left on the plant till next spring to protect the new buds underneath.

I really enjoy my winter forays into the garden, and in Pembrokeshire we are lucky enough to be able to garden in some way all the year round if we want to.

Those of you who come to our open days here at Cold Comfort Plants know we love a homemade cake, so what could be nicer than a slice of fruit cake and a cup of tea to reward your efforts?

Happy winter gardening.

Contact: judy.rumbelow@gmail.com; 07809 560409.

Facebook: Cold Comfort Plants