Get active while the days are cool and routine maintenance chores are light with this four-week winter garden planner.
There’s no reason to let a little cold weather stop you enjoying your garden. Depending
on where you live, there are planting, feeding and pruning jobs you can do over the next few months. It’s also a great time to explore some of the lovely winter-flowering shrubs and foliage plants that bring colour to the garden scene as the temperature dips. Then there are those landscape improvement jobs you’ve been meaning to tackle… how about now? Read on and take inspiration from our four-weekend garden planner that will get your patch in top-notch condition ahead of spring’s arrival.
Safety tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.
Weekend 1: Prepare for frost, grow orchids and plant vegetables
There’s still time to sow your favourite cool-season veges.
- In frost-free areas, sow seeds of winter veges, including broad beans, spinach, lettuce, kale, carrots, peas, snow peas, onions and spring onions. It’s also a good time to plant rhubarb, a favourite (and long-lived) resident of the vege patch that is sold in plant form or ‘crowns’ (clumps of roots) at this time of year.
- Pretty up your house, verandah or garden with a cymbidium orchid, in bloom now. With their long spikes of wax-like flowers in stunning colours, they look fabulous in containers and are very easy to grow. In frost-free areas they’ll grow happily outside (dappled light is best), while in cold climates give them a bright spot indoors or grow them in a conservatory or greenhouse. The flowers last for months.
- Plant feijoas in the ground or in pots to give them enough time to establish their root systems ahead of the warmer months, ensuring better growth and fruit production. Plant in well-draining soil in a sheltered spot that gets plenty of sun.
- If you live in a cold climate zone, plan ahead for frosty nights so you don’t lose any of your special plants. To protect young tree saplings, use a triangle of stakes wrapped in bubble wrap – you can throw a cover over the top at night. For frost-sensitive potted plants, move them inside or find a protected spot against a sunny north-facing wall.
Weekend 2: Plant roses, add potted colour and install raised beds
Roll up your sleeves and D.I.Y. some garden additions – sheds, beds, plants and pots!
- If you’ve always promised yourself a backyard greenhouse, now is the perfect time to install one. There are options for spaces big and small, with a range of compact walk-in designs that can be self-assembled, and that even include basic shelving. In cooler climate zones, greenhouses are great for raising seedlings or protecting cold-sensitive plants through the
winter months.
- It’s peak season for buying and planting roses and deciduous fruit trees, both of which are sold as bare-rooted plants at this time of year. By spring, these dormant ‘bare sticks’ will burst forth with new buds and foliage.
- In a small backyard with no garden beds, install a few raised beds to create an above-ground vege patch. Available in ready-made form, and in a variety of sizes, they’re easy to set up – fill them with soil mix and you’re ready to go. Place them in the sunniest part of the garden, and make sure there’s easy access to a hose for watering.
- Craving colour? Pretty up your garden with pots filled with calendula, polyanthus, primulas and pansies. Cyclamen are another great option for outdoor containers in
a shady sheltered spot.
Weekend 3: Prune trees and shrubs, plant herbs and feed bulbs
Tidy up with a good garden prune and get some herbs growing to flavour winter dishes.
- Prepare your tools for pruning season (see ‘How to prune/trim your plants in winter’). A good-quality pair of sharp secateurs is your main weapon so, if yours have become a little rusty, clean the blades with steel wool and oil the joints. A pruning saw is essential for cutting through larger branches, while extendable pole pruners are great for reaching high growth.
- Take a cue from the bush and seek out native plants to bring interest, colour and texture. Mānuka (tea-tree), which produces sweet-smelling, bee-attracting flowers from late winter, is a good option for hedging/screening. New Zealand flax is a popular choice for adding a touch of drama with its striking, sword-shaped foliage.
- Liquid-feed bulbs such as daffodils, bluebells and tulips that are forming flower buds. Use a ‘flower and fruit’ fertiliser.
- While things are quiet in the vege patch, turn your attention to growing herbs. Many varieties flourish through the cooler months of the year, including coriander, parsley, dill, chervil and winter savory. Plant up a trough of mixed varieties by the back door, for easy harvesting when you’re cooking.
How to prune/trim your plants in winter
Midwinter is ideal for pruning deciduous plants, while they’re dormant and bare of leaves –
think roses, hydrangeas, deciduous fruiting and ornamental trees, and grapevines. Evergreen trees and shrubs can be pruned and shaped in winter, too, but you can leave them until late August, just ahead of their burst of new growth. The same goes for citrus trees, as it’s important to avoid any risk of frost.
Pruning tips
- Make cuts just above an outward-facing bud, on a 45-degree angle.
- When pruning roses, first remove any dead wood and criss-crossing branches, then trim
back all remaining stems by a third to a half.
Weekend 4: Cut back, plant, weed and feed your citrus trees
A few end-of-winter jobs will set up the garden for a splendid spring.
- Cut back ornamental grasses with hedge shears to stimulate a burst of new growth when the weather warms in spring. Give salvia and lavender the same treatment. Trim
back camellias, too, after they’ve finished flowering.
- Choose magnolias to plant while they’re still in bloom. That way you’ll get the flower colour you want.
- Before the lawn bursts back into active growth, give it a weed check and remove any invaders before they get a chance to regrow. Onehunga weed, with its little rosettes of prickly, fern-like leaves, is best eradicated now, either manually or by using a suitable weedicide spray.
- Late winter is citrus feeding time. Spread the fertiliser beneath the outer branches of the tree (where the feeder roots are located), scratch it in lightly and water generously. Top with a layer of mulch and water well again. This is also a great time of year to plant a new citrus tree, as long as all danger of frost has passed.
Keep in mind...
- Wear gloves and a mask when handling mulch, compost and potting mix and also when pruning, along with long sleeves, as the leaves and sap of some plants can be a skin irritant and cause allergic reactions.
- Store garden chemicals and products out of reach of children and pets.
Have a tight outdoor space?
Make the most of small spaces with these compact garden design ideas.
Some advertised services and products are not available at some Bunnings stores, but products can be ordered. Some photographs feature products from suppliers other than Bunnings.
Photo credits: Adobe Stock, Alamy Stock Photo, Cath Muscat, GAP Photos/Brent Wilson.
