Advice Centre

Protect against wind

Newly planted evergreen shrubs and conifers will suffer during the winter months if they are not given adequate protection, especially in the most exposed spots. Being evergreen they will continue to lose water through transpiration (the loss of water through the foliage), which they have to replace through their roots. Continue to water new conifers if there is a prolonged spell of dry weather, treating them in much the same way as a winter container plant. Conifers are also more prone to wind scorch during their early years, so protect exposed plants with a piece of windbreak netting firmly fixed to stout poles.

Insulating containers

You can protect plants in containers from freezing solid in winter by wrapping the containers in bubble polythene and moving them to a sheltered spot. You can also cover the top-growth of susceptible plants and those of borderline hardiness with a double-layer of garden fleece. Don't forget to make sure that you leave access to water evergreen plants over the winter months.

Protecting from winter wet

A few plants, particularly grey- and woolly-leaved ones, are prone to rotting in winter and need protecting if the winter is excessively wet. Small vulnerable plants are easy to protect, using an open-ended cloche or a sheet of glass held up on bricks, but where children are at large I'm not a fan of leaving sheets of glass about the place. In such instances, you'll just have to take the risk and plant replacements in spring. With larger plants the answer is to choose their planting site carefully so that it is sheltered from heavy rains by the house or a garden fence or wall.