As winter tightens its grip and temperatures plummet across the UK, most gardening activities have drawn to a close. For many, this season offers a welcome break from the usual pruning and tidying until spring returns.
The One Essential December Task
However, a leading professional gardener has issued a timely warning, highlighting one critical job that green-fingered enthusiasts must prioritise before the end of the month. Tom Strowlger, known on social media as @garden_with_tom, insists this task cannot wait and should be completed before next week.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Strowlger emphasised the urgency: "It's that time of year to protect our cold-sensitive plants." He specifically advises gardeners to use horticultural fleece to shield a range of vulnerable species this week.
Which Plants Need Immediate Protection?
The expert's list of plants particularly at risk from frost and extreme winter conditions includes several popular garden favourites. Gardeners should focus on protecting:
- Fig trees
- Olive trees
- Agapanthus
- Canna plants
- Cordyline
- Tree ferns
Strowlger explained the reasoning behind this urgent call to action: "These plants are particularly sensitive to very cold winter weather and the risk of losing them should encourage us to protect them." He added that losing any of these plants would be a great shame after spending so much time enjoying their beauty during the warmer months.
While some, like agapanthus, are considered hardy, providing a fleece covering acts as an insurance policy against an unpredictable British winter. "We don’t know what weather will come, it could be mild, wet and windy or cold, frozen and snowy," Strowlger noted.
How to Apply Fleece Correctly
Horticultural fleece serves as a vital barrier, safeguarding plants from the damaging effects of snow, ice, wind, and severe frost. The application process is straightforward.
For most plants, simply wrap the fleece around the foliage and trunk, securing it in place with garden string or rope. Strowlger provided specific guidance for agapanthus: "Agapanthus can be covered in a quilt of fleece and be staked down with metal stakes. The leaves of the agapanthus tend to lie lower over wintertime, and if you snip the stalks of the spent flowers off, you can lay a quilt fleece over the plant."
This protective quilt can be safely removed in early spring when the risk of frost has passed. Taking these steps now offers gardeners invaluable peace of mind, knowing their prized plants are shielded from the worst of the winter weather. Strowlger concluded: "A winter-protected plant brings peace of mind to us gardeners."
