HOW TO DEAL WITH WINTER’S WORST WEATHER

Smart ways to protect border plants and containers

LAST year’s bizarre weather patterns caused problems across the entire horticultural community, and several of these may have recurring effects over the next year or so. There is no way of predicting what this year’s weather will be like, but it helps to know how to protect your plants and garden should the worst occur.

January and February are usually the coldest, most snow-prone of the winter months, though March and even April can still spring uncomfortable surprises, as the Beast from the East proved in 2018.

Snow and hard frosts look beautiful, but can be incredibly destructive. As with all things, prevention in avoiding damage in the first place is a better option than trying to right it afterwards.

When snow is forecast, protect your most tender border plants using cloches, fleece, dry straw and/or bubble wrap.

Throw fleece over plants in the greenhouse (removing it as soon as temperatures rise) and add a layer of bubble wrap around the inside of the greenhouse frame as added insulation.

Containers are especially vulnerable and will crack if their damp compost freezes and expands. Wrap them in fleece or bubble wrap and cluster them together against a sheltering wall – a collection of plants will create a slightly warmer and protective microclimate.

Also remember to protect your outside taps to prevent the nightmare of a burst pipe. Insulators are widely available from garden centres and DIY stores, but layers of old cloths and bubble wrap are also effective.

If you do experience heavy snowfall, brush or shake it off plants and the greenhouse before its weight causes serious damage and breakage.

Insulate outside taps before a freeze Frosted seedheads are beautiful Perennials that suffer frost damage may look dead, but will throw up healthy new shoots once the warmer weather arrives. Brush snow off plants to stop its weight causing damage