With snow and sub-zero temperatures coming soon, it's time to give your garden some TLC to ensure your lawn is ready for spring.
Gardening whizz Jamie Shipley, managing director of Hedges Direct, has dished out his top tips, as reported by the Express.
"As winter edges even nearer, you might think that your garden needs less attention," he explained. "In fact, this is one of the busiest moments in the gardening calendar, as you tidy, prune, move, and inspect existing plants, as well as plant and propagate a whole host of new plants and see to the lawn."
He's got four key moves to keep your green space in top shape when Jack Frost comes knocking.
1. Aerate
First, aerate the soil to stop your lawn from turning into a swampy mess.
Jamie said: "If your lawn is prone to winter waterlogging, it can be a good idea to improve drainage by aerating in autumn. The simplest way of doing this is repeatedly spiking it as deep as you can with a garden fork, on a larger scale, using an aerating machine.
"A layer of sand brushed into the holes will help the effects last longer."
2. Raise the height of lawnmower blades
If you're still mowing, crank up the height of those blades. A bit more length means your grass stays strong against the cold.
3. Lay new lawn turf on mild, dry days
And if you've got a dry day, why not lay down some fresh turf to spruce things up?
The gardening guru shared: "November can be a great time to lay turf, the wet weather tends to take care of irrigation, and it will have a few months to settle in before the arrival of any hot, dry weather. Simply avoid doing this on very wet or frosty days."
Also, remember not to tread on any frosty lawn to prevent brown patches.
4. Tidy up leaves and debris
This might seem like a never-ending chore in autumn, but staying on top of it will help keep lawns free from rotting grass.
"However, instead of completely removing the leaves, I recommend raking them from your lawn and paved areas onto your flower beds," Jamie advised.
"The fallen foliage is actually a great heat insulator and will protect the soil from becoming frozen in future cold snaps this winter. Wildlife also love leaf bundles as they can use them for nesting sites."
If you're not up for this, leaves can be gathered and put in the compost, or they can be used to make leafmould.
English (US) ·