Winter gardening blunders everyone makes - and how to prevent them
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Christmas is officially over, which means it's time to get your green gloves on and head back into the garden. Yes, the weather might be miserable still, and it'll be a while until all the colour returns to your back yard - but winter is the perfect time to step outside and get on top of those small gardening tasks.
In fact, January is an ideal month for planting tulips, sowing salad crops, pruning soft fruit and trees, mulching, and much more. With incoming frost threatening to wreck your beloved blooms, now is also the time to bring your vulnerable plants inside for a bit of warmth, and you can even press mistletoe into your trees if you want a shot at growing your own for next Christmas.
However, there are also several gardening mistakes you should avoid at all costs during the colder months - or risk causing serious damage to your green spaces. So without further ado, here's four common errors most Brits are guilty of... If you spend most summers meticulously watering your lawn in the evening to achieve that picture-perfect shade of green, you might be tempted to keep on quenching your grass in the winter. However, the cold temperatures will force our grass to go dormant, which means they won't be as thirsty. Overwatering can lead to a whole host of issues including root rot, which can seriously damage your lawn. If you spot stagnant water or yellowing grass, you should definitely reduce the amount you water your garden.
After feeding friends and family over the festive period, many of us have built up a small mountain of scraps ready to be added to the compost bin. If you're into composting and eco-friendly gardening, you'll know that turning your compost heap or bin helps speed up decomposition and makes sure everything gets broken down properly. However, doing this is winter risks harming wildlife, such as hedgehogs, who could be using our garden to hibernate. It's therefore worth delaying this task until the warmer, spring months.
