Mark Lane has revealed the biggest mistake many gardeners make when getting their gardens ready for winter. Luckily, if you're guilty of it, there is still time to fix it.
Mark Lane is a UK-based garden designer and writer who sprung to fame when he joined the BBC's Gardeners' World as a presenter in 2018. He is the first garden designer in a wheelchair in the UK, and is currently the resident gardening expert on BBC One’s Morning Live.
Speaking exclusively to Gardeningetc Mark Lane, revealed that when it comes to how to prepare a garden for winter, the biggest mistake he sees is gardeners 'not taking care of potted plants.'
When winter frosts hit potted plants are particularly vulnerable to snow and cold winds. This is because unlike the rest of the plants in the garden the roots aren't protected by the warmth of the earth.
Fortunately, knowing how to protect plants from frost is quite simple. Mark Lane's top tip is to make sure they are fully wrapped up in a mixture of bubble wrap and fleece cover.
'Protect pots by wrapping bubble wrap around them and securing in place with string,' says Mark. 'Never use bubble wrap around the plant itself, instead use horticultural fleece.'
The bubble wrap will help insulate the pots themselves and keep the roots protected from frost. However, when used on plants themselves, according to the RHS it can cause issues with over-heating and lack of insulation at night.
Horticultural fleece on the other hand is more porose, so will help keep the plants warm without overheating them. You can easily pick horticultural fleece up on Amazon.
Once your plants are all wrapped up, it is then a question of positioning them. 'Place all of your potted plants together up close to a wall to protect them even further,' says Mark.
When choosing the best wall or place to place your potted plants, opt for somewhere sheltered, as warm as possible and against an exterior wall of your house. The heat from the interior will help transfer a little extra warmth to the plants.
You need to start protecting your potted plants about a week before the first frost hits. The first frost date varies between October and December for most regions across the US and UK, so if you're guilty of this mistake, there's still time to fix it.
Simply check when is the frost date in your area, to work out if you need to start wrapping up your potted plants asap.
