The cold weather can prove damaging to many gardens but one gardener has shared the common winter task which should actually be avoided to help your garden plants to flourish by springtime
A gardening enthusiast has detailed a “top winter gardening job” to help ensure your plants are thriving come spring. Despite the chilly weather sometimes wreaking havoc on gardens, leaving them looking sparse and barren, some people still feel the need to get out there and tidy up, removing dead plants and raking leaves.
However, one gardener is urging people to avoid this step, claiming that not tidying is one of the best things “you can do for nature”. Many people are keen to make the most of their gardens, transforming whatever space they have into a tranquil oasis to escape the stresses of everyday life, though not everyone is blessed with gardening prowess.
Those eager to improve their skills often turn to social media looking for guidance. On the popular video sharing platform TikTok, there’s a litany of insights and tips from both novices and experts, all keen to share their knowledge and experience.
This is the case for Helen Hutchings Cox, who posts online as Helen Likes Plants, a content creator and gardener who’s passionate about nature and sustainability.
Her talent and dedication to the great outdoors has even seen her elected to the board of trustees at the Royal Horticultural Society at just 31-years-old, making her “potentially the youngest ever appointment”.
She regularly posts content aimed at helping people cultivate their own food and flowers “in an easy and sustainable way”, eager to inspire individuals of all abilities to give it a go themselves.
In a recent clip, she revealed the optimal method for maintaining a garden during the winter months. In the footage, which was posted on TikTok, she recorded herself venturing outdoors.
She said: “Come with me to tidy up the garden so it looks great over winter. I’m totally kidding, I don’t do that.”
Helen then went on: “The best thing you can do for nature over winter is to just leave your garden exactly as it is, don’t tidy it up.
“All the seed heads and dead plants provide vital food for the bugs and the birds and the other creatures in your garden, and the decaying plant matter feeds your soil.
“So go inside, stay warm and cosy up with a cup of tea and know that you are doing your bit for nature by doing so.”
In the description alongside the video, she quipped: “My top winter gardening job!”
This turned out to be welcome advice for one viewer, who commented: “How did you know I needed to hear this today?
“Was feeling totally guilty that everyone’s allotments are nice and tidy and mine has spent plants everywhere, lol”.
