Winter Garden Preparation (October to December)

Get your garden ready for the winter before the frosts arrive.

Frost, wind, and waterlogged soil do most of their damage to a garden in the weeks nobody's looking. A Winter Garden Preparation visit gets the vulnerable parts of your garden protected in good time. We offer mulching, fleece wrapping, tall plants staking, and autumn debris clearance, so less is lost over winter and more comes back strong in the spring. (Materials used will be an additional charge)

Why its worth doing

• Frost damage is often preventable. Tender new growth and borderline-hardy plants are most at risk — a properly timed layer of mulch and a covering of horticultural fleece can be the difference between a plant surviving winter and needing replacing in spring.

• Wind does quiet damage too. Newly planted trees and shrubs can rock loose at the roots in winter storms before they've properly established — staking secures them through their first hard season.

• Clear the right debris — but don't clear everything. Diseased leaves and plant material should be removed before they can spread problems next season, and clearing obvious slug and snail refuges can reduce some pest pressure. But healthy fallen leaves and old stems can also protect soil, insulate plants and provide valuable wildlife habitat. Some are best left in place until early spring, particularly where they provide useful winter protection. Winter preparation is about knowing what to clear and what to leave, not making the garden spotless.

What`s included

• Mulching — insulating the soil and roots of borderline-hardy and tender plants against frost

• Fleece wrapping — protecting tender and container plants through cold snaps

• Staking — securing young and newly planted trees and shrubs against winter wind

• Winter debris management — removing diseased or problematic plant debris and clearing selected areas where it is likely to harbour pests, while leaving useful leaf litter and protective material where it benefits plants or wildlife.

How it works

• Select your preferred visit time on the Hortimate Club pages. Book the date and the number of hours needed.

• We will offer advice on protecting your garden, and carry out the tasks you require.

• We will have a good supply of mulch, fleece and plant stakes in our van for you to purchase as you need. Material cost is additional to the time booked.

• Autumn garden debris can be removed for disposal as we hold a waste carrier license, This may incur additional waste disposal charges.

Free Winter Garden Preparation visit for regular customers

If you spend more than £150 per year with Hortimate, we give you a free 50-minute Winter Garden Preparation visit as an end of season thank you. You can book additional time if you need more help.

Licensed Waste carrier

Rubbish and green waste clearance. Hortimate is a licensed waste carrier, so what we clear during your visit is taken away and disposed of properly. We are licensed to remove waste we generate during clearance work, not pre-existing rubbish already on site