How to Maintain your Garden in Autumn
After all the joy, colour and life of the long summer season, our gardens need a little bit of care and attention to ensure they continue looking their best throughout autumn and beyond.
Whether you have an expansive outside space or a compact yard, there are several tasks that you will need to get stuck into during the autumn season. Getting these jobs done before winter sets in will ensure you don't need to brave the chilliest temperatures or battle against sleet and snowfall which can make things even more difficult.
Giving your garden some TLC during the autumn will also help you to ensure that none of your precious plants are forced to work harder than they need to during the winter.
Clearing Fallen Leaves and Flowers
Clearing fallen leaves can be a time-consuming and tiring task, but it doesn't need to be. There are a variety of ways to streamline the process, allowing you to ensure your garden looks neat and tidy throughout the autumn season without needing to spend all your spare time picking up crunchy leaves and ferrying them to the compost heap.
- Easy Leaf Collector
If you have a large garden with a lot of leaves to clear, you may need a more substantial solution for their collection and transportation. The Easy Leaf Collector can condense several trips to the waste or compost bin into one. In fact, the Easy Leaf Collector can effortlessly hold up to 300L of grass clippings, garden debris, and leaves. Think of it as operating a bit like a large scale dustpan. It includes two ground pegs to keep in place while you work and when it's full, it can be easily pulled along the ground to your compost heap using one of the four robust handles. When not in use, it can be easily folded for storage until it's needed again.
- Investing in a pair of Leaf Grabbers and Bag
A leaf grabber will help you to minimise the amount of time you spend clearing up fallen leaves this autumn in two ways. The leaf grabbers allow you to scoop up more leaves than your hands alone can hold. So, once your leaves have been raked into a neat pile, it should only take a handful of scoops before they're all safely tucked away in a bag. It's also a good idea to have at least one lightweight, collapsible bag that can hold a significant volume of leaves. Be sure to select a bag that has carry handles, which will make transporting it to the waste or compost bin much easier.
- Biodegradable Leaf Bags
You can also opt to put your leaves into Biodegradable Leaf Bags which are made from jute and will naturally biodegrade when tucked away in a discreet corner of your garden. Next year, this will provide you with free, organic, rich mulch that you can use to enhance the conditions of your soil and provide your plants with extra nutrients to promote better growth. Ideal for gardeners who don't have a compost heap or compost bin, this clever solution will ensure that your garden isn't missing out on any goodness that will allow it to thrive long into the future.
Top tip: mulching your borders will help to reduce the number of weeds that can take hold, which will reduce the amount of weeding you will need to do during the warmer months.
Preparing your Lawn for Seasonal Dormancy
As the temperature starts to decrease, the temperature of the soil also drops which markedly slows the pace at which grass grows. As we have already explored, autumn is the ideal time to start thinking about preparing your lawn for its dormant season and giving it a final trim is a key part of this process.
- Compact Lawn Mower
Using a Compact Lawn Mower will provide you with maximum manoeuvrability and be lightweight enough to allow you to access even the trickiest to reach areas. Movers with several different cutting heights allow you to ensure your lawn is always just how you prefer it but when conducting your final autumn mow, it is best to ensure that it is at a length that allows enough light to permeate through to the base of the grass which will prevent it from becoming discoloured. With that said, however, most gardeners will need to set the blades of their lawnmowers higher than they typically would.
Maximising the Longevity of Garden Furniture
- Garden Furniture Covers
If you don't have quite enough space to safely store your garden furniture in a place where it is protected from the elements, Garden Furniture Covers are fully weatherproof and will offer protection from rain, sun, hail, snow and wind. Choose covers that are made from a thick polyester material that has been coated in PVC because it won't tear or crack even when exposed to the extreme weather conditions we can experience throughout autumn and winter. Additionally, this will protect your furniture from UV light and ensure it is free from mould and dust. Covers that include strong eyelets and robust cords will ensure that your furniture stays where you put it, even in extremely windy conditions, which will prevent accidental damage when not in use. If you are planning to cover furniture that is slightly damp, do make sure that air can fully circulate around it to prevent the materials from degrading.
Preparing for New Growth
- Root Blaster Shovel
Autumn is the ideal time to start thinking about and preparing for next spring. Whether you want to prepare a new bed in which to plant a selection of early spring bulbs or you're keen to refresh an existing area of your garden by tackling any overgrowth, a Root Blaster Shovel will help you to make light work of even the most physically demanding garden maintenance tasks.
Offering more versatility than a simple spade, the root blaster is robust and has been designed with serrated edges and sharp tips. These additional features will slice through thick roots with ease and the easy-grip handle offers additional leverage to minimise the time it takes to complete your task. If you grow a lot of annuals, this may be one of your most time-consuming tasks but incorporating this tool into your routine will save you a significant amount of time compared to using a basic spade or trowel. This will then leave you free to start refreshing the soil and planning where to plant your spring bulbs for the best possible display after a long winter.
Don't forget, a root blaster can also help you to lift out tender plants in preparation for overwintering them in a more sheltered spot that will protect them from the cold temperatures that can damage or kill them. Aim to lift out tender tubers and rhizomes including dahlias and begonias after cutting back the stems. Then all you need to do is clean off the soil and store them in trays filled with sand or dry compost. These trays should be placed somewhere cool where the frost won't touch them. If you live somewhere that has a milder climate, you may be able to leave your tubers and rhizomes in place and cover them with a thick layer of mulch.
- Garden Secateurs
Garden Secateurs will also be beneficial here as they will help to streamline the process of pruning thorny plants and shrubs, as well as those with thick, hard to cut branches. Choosing secateurs that have an ergonomic grip and shock-absorbing properties will reduce the risk of straining your hands and wrists. A strain-reducing, rotating handle will reduce the amount of physical effort required, which will give you additional power to tame even the wildest of plants.
Our biggest tip here is to also choose secateurs that have an in-built guard designed to offer your fingers some protection from sharp thorns and branches. When used in combination with gardening gloves, your hands will remain scratch and splinter-free.
Taming your perennials now will help to ensure you can enjoy a vibrant display next year. Aim to cut them back to around 5cm above the soil level but you don't need to be too precise. After all, seed heads can be good for certain species of insects and many birds whilst also looking incredibly ornamental and almost structural when covered in early morning dew or the first autumn frost.
This stage of autumn garden maintenance will also provide you with the perfect opportunity to take cuttings from your favourite plants that you can then plant up into pots ready to be planted out next spring.
Maximising Space in your Workshop, Shed or Garage
Spending some time tidying and organising your workshop, shed or garage will ensure that you know where to find every tool in your collection. Your future self will thank you for making life easier when the growing season really starts to ramp up again.
- Hanging Tool Rack
A Hanging Tool Rack is an excellent space-saving storage solution that still offers easy access to everything you want to hang on it. Opting for a design that has two rows of hooks will offer ample storage space. Just make sure it has been constructed from high-quality powder-coated steel and steel, which are strong materials that are ultra-durable. As this storage solution is relatively compact, hanging tool racks can also be positioned in porches or cloakrooms, illustrating that you can become a master of the outside organisation even if you're very tight on space.
This can also provide you with an ideal opportunity to clean out your greenhouse and ensure you have enough space to comfortably house plants, pots and tools that require some protection from the elements. Cleaning your pots, seed trays and propagators now will also allow you to get on with seed sowing and potting on when spring rolls around again.
As you can see, there are several stages required to fully maintain your garden during the autumn, but when you have completed the tasks and stepped back to admire your handiwork, the view across your garden from your home will be picture perfect. Plus, you'll also get to enjoy the benefits of having a head start as soon as spring arrives, which will allow you to start sowing seeds and planning your layout for the year ahead without needing to worry about squeezing in lots of cleaning, pruning and tidying.
We hope we've provided you with plenty of tips and advice that will streamline your autumn garden maintenance routine and ensure that your garden continues to thrive even throughout the harshest conditions that the winter season might throw our way. Remember, take it one task at a time and try to spread them out over the course of the autumn season in order to maximise their benefits.
By Admin
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