Brighten Up Your Garden This Winter

By Author: John Bregar
Total Articles: 27
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We can’t keep out of the garden in the hot weather, but when the winter comes around we barely acknowledge the existence of our outdoor space. The deckchairs and umbrellas are put away in the shed; even the plants look like they don’t want to be there.But surely when you do occasionally glance out into the place where you once would spend the majority of your day with pleasure, you have on occasion thought; what can I do to brighten up this dreary space?This sometimes depressing time of year can be the perfect time to talk about how you can quite literally brighten up your garden.

• Fairy Lights – Who said these sparkling icicles of brightness should be reserved only for the Christmas period? Fairy lights are a brilliant way to brighten up your garden as the night intrudes ever more into our evenings. Perhaps you could hang these along the side of your garden fence or around a tree, to make the most of the natural features. The use of garden lighting like this can be brilliant to accentuate features you are proud of, or simply to highlight the natural beauty that resides there.

• LED Up-lights – Sticking ...
... with the theme of garden lights, these LED lights are a great way to brighten up the garden. They can be used in either the front or back garden and are usually great for lighting up a patio or brightening up a walkway so any guests can see where they’re going in the dark. Being LED based, they are also very energy efficient, and thus better for the environmentthan a traditional bulb.

• Patio Heater – Rather than braving the cold to appreciate the garden in the colder months, a patio heater could be the solution to keep you warm whilst outside. These are great for parties or just having a few friends over, alternatively you may want to utilise the facility to relax with a book in your garden and enjoy peace and quiet of your garden.

• Winter Cutting– As the winter months are now upon us, it’s important to make sure all hedges, trees and shrubs are cut back. Obviously, due to the temperature, this is not a job you may relish, but leaving it will make it harder to maintain in the future and leaves will drop and leave a mess over the winter period as they rot down. Cut all branches with sharp secateurs and remember to put all garden waste in a garden waste bin if you have one.

• Winter plants– If you do not show them enough attention, your flowerbeds could end up looking dull this winter, and although most flowers will struggle to cope with the cold climate, there are a selection of plants or shrubs which will add colour to your garden and survive the winter chill. These flowers includetheHolly Bush, as the red berries will look great and carry a certain amount of festivity. Conifers are great for filling the garden and giving it a healthy look and finally a ‘Mahonia’ which is an evergreen shrub and should be planted between December and February, producing long fragrant yellow flowers.