For garden-loving homeowners, crisp, cold winter days means it’s still possible to tick some gardening chores off your list before the children in the street start building snowmen.
Your garden is an important feature of your home and contributes significantly to its value. A beautifully kept garden will always reward a homeowner when it’s time to sell.
Perhaps you are thinking of selling in the near future. Winter campaigns can work incredibly well because fewer properties are on the market, stabilising and even boosting prices for some properties.
As a local agent, I know from experience that winter buyers are motivated and often want a quick deal so they can be in their new homes in the New Year.
Here are five ideas to help you enjoy your garden this winter and prepare it for the warmth of spring.
Lawn care
Soil compacts in cold temperatures, making it difficult for water to reach the roots of your grass. Before the ground freezes, aerate the soil with a pitchfork or hire a lawn aerator from your hardware store for large areas.
Mulching madness
Go mad with mulch! Pull weeds from your flowerbeds and mulch to deny them sunlight. You’ll also help the soil retain water for your plants and insulate their roots from the horrors of frost and snow.
Trim-errific
While plants are dormant, break out your trimmer and saw, and cut back your plants to give them the best chance to flower in spring and summer. It’s also an excellent opportunity to pull those hedges back into line. Take no prisoners with dead branches.
Splash of color
Why not consider a few winter flowering plants into your garden? America’s favorites include pansies and violas, winter jasmine, snowdrops, hellebores, winterberry shrubs and cyclamens. Ask your neighborhood garden center for more ideas to fill your garden with color.
Feed the family
You can have great fun establishing a winter vegetable garden. Some of our favorite winter vegetables include peas and snow peas, broad beans, spinach, turnips, Brussel sprouts and lots of herbs.