FREE GB DELIVERY and 10% off. Use code DESSER10 at checkout. 
Discounts subject to change or whilst stocks last. Products already with a sale price not included.
newbiggerdesserlogo1.png
MENU
Search

How to make the most of your garden this autumn and winter

make the most of your garden 2
Prepare your garden for cold weather

1. Prepare for the colder seasons

Slower activity in the garden is unavoidable in autumn, but if you want your garden to thrive come spring, you should invest in preparing. It also helps to give your patio and decking a good clean to avoid slippery pathways during the wetter months. 

Here are some pointers to get you started: 

  • Begin by removing any dead or withered plants. This will not only keep pests off your garden in the springtime, but it would also enhance the quality of the soil allowing new plants to bloom even more beautifully. 
  • Take care of your tools and patio furniture. Before treating and storing in a cool, dry place, begin with a complete clean. Not only will this increase the lifespan of your tools and furnishings, but it will also save you time come spring. 
  • Get your lawn ready! Use a spring-tined rake to remove thatch and moss. After that, apply a sandy top coating and an autumn lawn feed to prepare your grass for the frosty winter months. Autumn is also a fantastic time to lay fresh turf, as it provides plenty of time to establish before next summer. 

2. Invest in some evergreen plants and springtime blooms

There are numerous indications that nature is preparing for the upcoming season as the summer season ends. Autumn is nature’s final celebration before the chilly, gloomy winter months, and what a beautiful season it is. 

In the coldest, darkest months, winter-flowering plants are ideal for bringing a dash of colour to the landscape. Many plants that bloom in the winter can be grown in pots and there are so many to choose from, including climbers like winter clematis, shrubs like mahonia, and bedding plants like pansies.  

Think of the colourful garden you want in spring and begin planting bulbs this year. Tulips are an excellent choice because they require cool soil, or you can grow daffodils in pots to enjoy in the early spring and Easter period. 

make the most of your garden 3
Plant Bulbs now for springtime blooms
make the most of your garden 5
All Weather Corner sofa with Fire Pit Table

3. Have you ever thought to use fire pits and outdoor heating?

With a new fire pit, you can enjoy the outdoor season for a little longer. 

Not only is a firepit a valuable addition to the patio that can be enjoyed all year, but we also stock a fire pit table option, suitable for cosy outdoor gatherings and great for spending cold nights under blankets with friends and family. 

Imagine toasting marshmallows on the fire on crisp autumn evenings with company. Wood stores are a wonderful addition to a garden, adding texture and colour to your outdoor environment, giving a wholesome and cosy vibe. 

Another wonderful year-round feature in any garden is a gas barbecue, with instant ignitions and exceptional cooking times, you could even use it as extra cooking space during the festive season when the kitchen gets too busy! 

4. Get festive! - get decorating with garden ornaments and lighting

Autumn and Winter are the ideal opportunities to create a wholesome space for celebrating the holidays! Crisp autumn leaves, cosy jumpers and pumpkins spiced lattes are perfect for the lead-up to Halloween, but why let it end there?  

Create harvest wreaths using materials from your garden. You could use coloured fallen leaves laden with a mix of tree berries and seeds like acorns or pinecones. For a simpler autumn wreath, you could arrange a halo of wheat or pampas grass stems with hessian bows, there are many unique styles you can choose from to suit your home and garden! 

As the autumn draws to a close and winter has set in, the ideal opportunity for you to get festive in the garden has arrived! If you have any trees or big shrubs, decorating them with fairy lights can create a wholesome atmosphere for the whole family. 

You could even decorate using baubles and bigger Christmas-style ornaments to complete the look; imagine gazing out of your conservatory window on a frosty winter evening and seeing the warm glow and twinkle from the decorations you put out, we cannot think of anything more perfect.  

make the most of your garden 6
Decorate your garden for Autumn & Winter
make the most of your garden 7
Insect hotels are great safe spaces in cold weather

5. Create safe spaces for wildlife to hibernate

There is a simple approach to ensure that wildlife has a place to burrow down and wait out the worst weather: do not clean up. Some may be appalled by the thought, but the truth is that chopping down every stalk and scrap of foliage when your plants begin to look dowdy turns your garden into an inhospitable habitat for wildlife to attempt to live in. 

If you cannot bear to think about not cleaning up the outdoors before the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can always invest in little insect hotels, bird houses and bat boxes, to help create cosy shelters for them to survive. Hedgehogs and frogs both like to spend the winter in warm compost bins, so be mindful when you need to turn your compost. 

All wildlife needs food in addition to a safe shelter to overwinter; even hibernating animals may wake up and require a rapid calorific boost to ensure their survival. Include winter-flowering plants in your garden, such as snowdrops, winter aconites, witch hazel, and forsythia, which will all offer nectar. And make sure to keep your feeders fully stocked for any latecomers! 

6. Treat yourself to a garden room

Even when the sun has stopped shining, you can still enjoy your garden later in the year. The end of the year brings about a lot of change in gardens, with the foliage taking on lovely orange hues, the leaves falling from the trees, and the grass sparkling with dew. Your garden still has a lot to offer at this time of year, and a garden room will be the ideal place to cosy up and see it unfold with each season. 

Your garden room or conservatory could be the perfect space for entertaining friends and family around the festive months, to enjoy games nights, dinner parties or even transform it into a Christmas Grotto! 

This could also be the ideal bit of space where you can go for some alone time, enjoy your hobbies, read that book you have always wanted to read or destress with your yoga mat whilst you gaze over your garden. 

We can provide you with the best furniture for your garden room, whatever you dedicate that space to, get in touch and we can plan together! From bespoke pieces to individual chairs and furnishings, we can create the ideal space you have always dreamed of.  

make the most of your garden 8
Garden Rooms are great all year round

How to make the most of your garden this autumn and winter

1. Prepare for the colder seasons

make the most of your garden 2
Prepare your garden for cold weather

Slower activity in the garden is unavoidable in autumn, but if you want your garden to thrive come spring, you should invest in preparing. It also helps to give your patio and decking a good clean to avoid slippery pathways during the wetter months. 

Here are some pointers to get you started: 

  • Begin by removing any dead or withered plants. This will not only keep pests off your garden in the springtime, but it would also enhance the quality of the soil allowing new plants to bloom even more beautifully. 
  • Take care of your tools and patio furniture. Before treating and storing in a cool, dry place, begin with a complete clean. Not only will this increase the lifespan of your tools and furnishings, but it will also save you time come spring. 
  • Get your lawn ready! Use a spring-tined rake to remove thatch and moss. After that, apply a sandy top coating and an autumn lawn feed to prepare your grass for the frosty winter months. Autumn is also a fantastic time to lay fresh turf, as it provides plenty of time to establish before next summer. 

2. Invest in some evergreen plants and springtime blooms

make the most of your garden 3
Plant Bulbs now for springtime blooms

There are numerous indications that nature is preparing for the upcoming season as the summer season ends. Autumn is nature’s final celebration before the chilly, gloomy winter months, and what a beautiful season it is. 

In the coldest, darkest months, winter-flowering plants are ideal for bringing a dash of colour to the landscape. Many plants that bloom in the winter can be grown in pots and there are so many to choose from, including climbers like winter clematis, shrubs like mahonia, and bedding plants like pansies.  

Think of the colourful garden you want in spring and begin planting bulbs this year. Tulips are an excellent choice because they require cool soil, or you can grow daffodils in pots to enjoy in the early spring and Easter period. 

3. Have you ever thought to use fire pits and outdoor heating?

make the most of your garden 5
All Weather Corner sofa with Fire Pit Table

With a new fire pit, you can enjoy the outdoor season for a little longer. 

Not only is a firepit a valuable addition to the patio that can be enjoyed all year, but we also stock a fire pit table option, suitable for cosy outdoor gatherings and great for spending cold nights under blankets with friends and family. 

Imagine toasting marshmallows on the fire on crisp autumn evenings with company. Wood stores are a wonderful addition to a garden, adding texture and colour to your outdoor environment, giving a wholesome and cosy vibe. 

Another wonderful year-round feature in any garden is a gas barbecue, with instant ignitions and exceptional cooking times, you could even use it as extra cooking space during the festive season when the kitchen gets too busy! 

4. Get festive! - get decorating with garden ornaments and lighting

make the most of your garden 6
Decorate your garden for Autumn & Winter

Autumn and Winter are the ideal opportunities to create a wholesome space for celebrating the holidays! Crisp autumn leaves, cosy jumpers and pumpkins spiced lattes are perfect for the lead-up to Halloween, but why let it end there?  

Create harvest wreaths using materials from your garden. You could use coloured fallen leaves laden with a mix of tree berries and seeds like acorns or pinecones. For a simpler autumn wreath, you could arrange a halo of wheat or pampas grass stems with hessian bows, there are many unique styles you can choose from to suit your home and garden! 

As the autumn draws to a close and winter has set in, the ideal opportunity for you to get festive in the garden has arrived! If you have any trees or big shrubs, decorating them with fairy lights can create a wholesome atmosphere for the whole family. 

You could even decorate using baubles and bigger Christmas-style ornaments to complete the look; imagine gazing out of your conservatory window on a frosty winter evening and seeing the warm glow and twinkle from the decorations you put out, we cannot think of anything more perfect.  

5. Create safe spaces for wildlife to hibernate

make the most of your garden 7
Insect hotels are great safe spaces in cold weather

There is a simple approach to ensure that wildlife has a place to burrow down and wait out the worst weather: do not clean up. Some may be appalled by the thought, but the truth is that chopping down every stalk and scrap of foliage when your plants begin to look dowdy turns your garden into an inhospitable habitat for wildlife to attempt to live in. 

If you cannot bear to think about not cleaning up the outdoors before the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can always invest in little insect hotels, bird houses and bat boxes, to help create cosy shelters for them to survive. Hedgehogs and frogs both like to spend the winter in warm compost bins, so be mindful when you need to turn your compost. 

All wildlife needs food in addition to a safe shelter to overwinter; even hibernating animals may wake up and require a rapid calorific boost to ensure their survival. Include winter-flowering plants in your garden, such as snowdrops, winter aconites, witch hazel, and forsythia, which will all offer nectar. And make sure to keep your feeders fully stocked for any latecomers! 

6. Treat yourself to a garden room

make the most of your garden 8
Garden Rooms are great all year round

Even when the sun has stopped shining, you can still enjoy your garden later in the year. The end of the year brings about a lot of change in gardens, with the foliage taking on lovely orange hues, the leaves falling from the trees, and the grass sparkling with dew. Your garden still has a lot to offer at this time of year, and a garden room will be the ideal place to cosy up and see it unfold with each season. 

Your garden room or conservatory could be the perfect space for entertaining friends and family around the festive months, to enjoy games nights, dinner parties or even transform it into a Christmas Grotto! 

This could also be the ideal bit of space where you can go for some alone time, enjoy your hobbies, read that book you have always wanted to read or destress with your yoga mat whilst you gaze over your garden. 

We can provide you with the best furniture for your garden room, whatever you dedicate that space to, get in touch and we can plan together! From bespoke pieces to individual chairs and furnishings, we can create the ideal space you have always dreamed of.