Most homeowners see their gardens as a summer project. You spend most of the winter and spring preparing for months of hot weather, yet doesn’t this feel like you’re wasting your garden for a big chunk of the year?
The problem with a garden in the winter is two-fold:
- It’s usually cold, so it’s not the best place to sit and relax anymore
- The bad weather means everything dies
However, this shouldn’t mean you should abandon your garden for months, only caring about it when summer starts to rear its head. You can do lots of great things to create the perfect winter wonderland in your garden – starting with the tips below!
/
Deal with winter garden maintenance
Don’t forget garden maintenance in the winter! Luckily, mowing the lawn should be out of the question. A combination of cold weather and a lack of sunlight typically means your grass won’t grow that much throughout the winter months. Some people take this to mean no maintenance is needed in a garden during winter – but that’s not true.
There’s a glaringly obvious task you must keep up with, particularly during the latter months of autumn and the beginning of winter: leaf removal!
Removing fallen leaves will help your garden thrive and prevent it from being home to many pests (especially slugs). It can also keep your lawn in the best condition over winter – a lawn that spends its entire winter under a bed of leaves will end up being splotchy and horrible come spring. All you need is a good cordless leaf blower to blow away the leaves and collect them in piles. Then, either take them to your local garden waste centre or use them as mulch to help fertilise some of your plants.
The only other winter garden maintenance task to worry about is trimming any branches from your trees. When the leaves fall, you end up with knobbly branches all over your garden, so it might be a good idea to trim them back a tad so they’re more aesthetically pleasing.
/
Ensure you have some evergreen plants
All gardens should have a small collection of evergreen plants. Those of you who aren’t already acquainted with these plants should have some idea of their allure. Yep, they remain green at all times! Unlike other plants, these don’t lose their leaves or colour during autumn/winter. As a result, your garden gets lovely splashes of green throughout the colder months. It helps maintain a lovely aesthetic and can look even better when combined with some winter flowers – more on those in a moment.
You might have some evergreen shrubs or plants growing in your garden already. If not, here are some that look beautiful throughout the year but shine particularly bright in the winter:
- Holly
- Griselinia
- Boxwood
- Juniper
- Lavender
/
Incorporate spots of colour with winter flowers
Winter doesn’t need to be the end of your colourful flowerbeds. If anything, it’s an opportunity to plant some lovely flowers you don’t tend to see throughout the year. The secret to a gorgeous garden is having flowers for every season, so here are some of the best winter-blooming flowers to consider:
- Jasmine
- Pansies
- Hellebores
- Violas
- Snowdrops
- Christmas rose
Planting these flowers around your garden brings lovely dashes of colour to compliment the rest of the scene. They’re all designed to withstand the harsh winter conditions, so you’ll never worry about seeing a bed full of dead flowers.
/
Bring cosiness with fairy lights
Who doesn’t love decorating their home when the holiday season comes around? We all adore adding little decorations to enhance the interior appeal and create a festive place for the family. So, why don’t you do the same outside? The difference here is that you don’t need to have any fully festive decorations – just incorporate a few fairy lights throughout your garden for a wonderfully cosy atmosphere.
Fairy lights work beautifully as they easily drape and hang on branches or shrubs. You can put them on a timer to turn on when it gets dark, transforming your garden into a mini winter wonderland. It’s a lovely way to make the garden look nice at night – the lights bring out the flowers and evergreen plants while the softness also acts as the perfect mood lighting. Even better, fairy lights are suitable throughout the year, so you can keep them up and they’ll still look amazing.
/
Create a warm and cosy outdoor living space
The bad winter weather is the main reason you don’t use your garden as much as you do in the summer. During the warmer periods of the year, you’re always outside sipping on a cup of coffee in the morning or hosting dinner on the patio at night. It’s warm, so everyone can enjoy the sun and the heat.
You’re less likely to do this when it’s cold and frosty outside! However, you can make your garden more winter-friendly with some simple outdoor design trends and ideas. Transform your patio or decking into a cosy winter living space with heaters or a fire pit. Get some thick blankets for people to sit on and hang some lovely lanterns to create a marvellous spectacle.
The heaters keep the temperature at a reasonable place so you don’t feel cold while you’re outside. A fire pit is a fabulous idea as it gives you somewhere to toast marshmallows or gather around with friends/family. You can cuddle up and enjoy the winter evenings with a beautiful sunset or a sky full of stars. It’s magical!
/
Don’t let winter put your garden on hold
This post has one clear goal: to convince you that a garden isn’t just for summer. You shouldn’t put your outdoor activities on hold or let your garden waste away during the winter months. Keeping it in excellent condition helps it look gorgeous while a few updates ensure it’s suitable for winter living. You’ll get more use out of it – and you’ll also find it easier to prepare your garden for the warmer months, as it won’t be overgrown or full of leaves!
Discover more : Outdoor Trends 2025 | Trendbook
