More than half of Brits abandon their garden every winter

• 40% of homeowners fail to prepare their garden for the harsh British winters

• 52% don’t manage the upkeep of their outdoor space throughout the colder months

• Experts offer their tips on how to look after your garden in winter with minimal effort

Who doesn’t love spending time in their garden when the summer sun is shining? But for many, the temptation to make the most of your garden furniture and the motivation to spend time preening your plants to perfection dramatically drops as the colder weather rolls in.

Outdoor building manufacturer, Tiger Sheds, surveyed the nation to unveil their garden habits, revealing that a massive two in five (40%) of Brits don’t take precautions to prepare their garden or garden buildings for the cooler weather.

What’s more, 52% completely abandon their gardens and fail to do any gardening throughout winter. Almost one in ten (9%) said that they don’t care for their garden in winter because they think that their plants will die regardless, and 8% said they would just replace anything that that is damaged by the winter weather – but at what cost?

As a nation we are keen to retreat indoors as soon as the chilly weather hits, with only 4% of Brits saying winter is the season they spend the most time caring for their garden. It seems the frosty weather is quick to discourage even the most avid gardeners from pottering around their outdoor space, with the cold temperature coming out as the number one reason to avoid gardening in the winter (67%).

The top four reasons people don’t garden in the winter are:

1)    It’s too cold to be outside gardening (67%)

2)    The flowers and leaves don’t come through until spring so there is little payoff (31%)

3)    Not spending enough time outdoors in the winter for it to be worth it (25%)

4)    Slippery surfaces (20%)

Abandoning our gardens while we spend less time in them may seem inevitable, however, experts from Tiger Sheds offer four top tips for homeowners to ensure their garden and garden buildings survive the frosty weather and all the money and time spent perfecting green spaces in the summer months does not go to waste.

Protect your garden buildings

Make sure to weatherproof your building before the cold weather hits to reduce the risk of rot in the damp environment. You can also help protect your outdoor building with a simple lick of paint! As well as giving your garden a new lease of life, applying a fresh coat of paint gives your building some extra protection for the winter.

Another tip is to check that the windows and doors of your garden building are well-sealed to ensure that water can’t get in and cause further unwanted damage.

Don’t abandon your plants

There’s still life in them yet! Keeping your plants warm and dry is key for their survival. If you can, move plants indoors to keep them out of the cold and rain. If this isn’t possible, try to keep your plants near fences and other sheltered areas. To shield your plants from frost, use a protective cover overnight.

Grouping your potted plants together and/or wrapping them in bubble wrap will also help to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing or getting blown over in the bleak conditions. It’s also good to keep your plants in pots with drainage holes so excess moisture from heavy rainfall can drain out.

Store away garden furniture

Garden furniture can easily get damaged in the winter weather so it’s a good idea to store it away, ideally in a garden shed, where it can be sheltered from the snow and rain. Despite being designed to be outside, the wet weather makes furniture susceptible to damage so it’s good practice to pack it away before winter kicks in.

Don’t forget to maintain!

Maintenance matters – more than half of the nation (52%) tend to forget to look after their gardens during the colder seasons. Gardening in the winter doesn’t have to be strenuous but taking some time to look after your green space will make all the difference. One key tip is to keep trimming away problematic branches to reduce the risk of damage that could be caused in harsher weather.

Although it may not be the first area you think of when it comes to looking after your garden, the winter can have harsh effects on your lawn, so it’s important to stay on top of maintenance. Make sure you clear up any dead leaves as these prevent the grass from getting sunlight and water. It’s also a good idea to fertilize your lawn to restore any nutrients lost as a result of the frosty weather.

Commenting on the findings, Jack Sutcliffe from Tiger Sheds said, “Understandably, it can be easy to ignore your garden in the winter, but it’s important to look after it throughout the colder months to ensure your green space bounces right back once spring comes along.

“These tips are easy to follow yet can go a long way in protecting your garden from the cold British winter and ensure all the time, effort and money spent taking care of your garden in spring/summer wasn’t in vain.”

For more information on how you can look after your garden and garden buildings in winter, visit: https://www.tigersheds.com/thehiphorticulturist/winter-garden-care/

Autumn Seating from Sadolin

Rose is a budding talent at Arundel Castle

A bright young volunteer in the Gardens team at Arundel Castle has been recognised with a Certificate of Commendation at The South & South East in Bloom Awards 2018.

Rose Philpott, 19, was presented with the commendation at Arundel Castle by gardening guru Jean Griffin, a President of the Kew Guild and BBC Radio personality. The judges examined nearly 300 entries before selecting this year’s winners.

Rose first joined Arundel Castle’s Gardens team on a work experience placement and quickly became a regular volunteer. She spent the summer holidays employed by the Castle, caring for its eclectic mix of gardener’s favourites and more unusual plants, from tulips to tamarillo and, of course, plenty of roses.

Now, Rose studies horticulture at Plumpton College near Lewes and spends one day a week gardening at the Castle as part of the practical work experience for her course.

Head Gardener Martin Duncan commented: “Rose is a fantastic asset to the Castle Garden team and thoroughly deserves this recognition. It is so exciting to see a promising young person so engaged with horticulture and eager to learn. Passing on the tips and tricks of the trade to the next generation of professional gardeners is truly a pleasure.” 

Arundel Castle is open from 10am until 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday until 28 October 2018 and will reopen to visitors on 02 April 2019. For more information on the Castle and its events calendar, please visit: www.arundelcastle.org.

I’ve got lots of photos of bees, but I really need to practice taking some photos to get a really good shot for this competition. It doesn’t have to be a Bee you send a photo in of, but I’d like to think it would be!

Absolutely stunning video. Honeybee from an egg to hatching as an adult bee. Three weeks development in 1 minute of video.

Christmas department opens at Haskins Garden Centres

Customers can browse a variety of gifts, with plenty suitable for green-fingered adults, as well as plenty to choose from for beginner gardeners. There’s also a wide range of decorations available.

Real pot-grown trees will be available at Haskins from Monday October 29 and real cut trees will be available from Monday November 19. For customers that prefer artificial trees, these are also available.

Haskins anticipates welcoming over a million visitors to its four centres across a three month lead up to Christmas. Across all four centres, Christmas gifts, decorations and trees equate to 8.9 per cent of the overall yearly sales (excluding the restaurant).

Lisa Looker, brand director at Haskins, commented: “We have worked hard to ensure we remain on the map as a must-visit Christmas destination. We’ve received great feedback from customers who have visited us already for ‘early bird’ Christmas shopping and we look forward to welcoming plenty more as Christmas draws closer.”

A first for this year, customers can take a photo in Haskins’ ‘Selfie Throne’ and share on social media to get in the festive spirit.

Conna Powles, buying director at Haskins, commented: “We want customers to be able to shop depending on their preferred Christmas theme. We start working on Christmas in December the previous year, so we have had all year to perfect our themes for the festive season.”

Haskins is also taking bookings for festive Christmas lunches, which start from Monday December 3. With a choice between two or three courses, it’s ideal for a celebration with colleagues, family or friends.

Dean Ridley, head of retail operations at Haskins, commented: “Some might say it’s too early to open a Christmas department, but we’re finding that more and more people are enjoying visiting early and spreading the cost of Christmas over the course of a few months. Can you ever really have too much Christmas cheer?”

Haskins has centres in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone and Snowhill in West Sussex. For more information visit www.haskins.co.uk

‘Do you ever secretly wonder what would happen if you were stranded on a desert island!? We are looking for men and women for the new series of Channel 4’s The Island with Bear Grylls! On this series, there’s a prize! To apply, please go to www.theislandwithbeargrylls.com’

Channel 4’s Bafta winning The Island with Bear Grylls  are looking for applicants for the show.

In previous series, the volunteers were stripped of all the comforts of civilisation, and cast away on a remote deserted island. They filmed themselves, and shared their raw and exhilarating story of survival. This year there is also a prize.

We are looking for people who are fit and able to participate, of all ages (18+), each with their unique skillset, from a variety of backgrounds and professions who are confident in their ability to thrive but they do not need any experience in adventure or survival pursuits to participate.  We will cover reasonable pre-agreed loss of earnings for everyone who participates.

To apply, please go to www.theislandwithbeargrylls.com