Top Tips to Winter-Proof Your Garden and Balcony

As the nights draw in and the weather gets cooler, our thoughts turn to getting the garden or balcony ready for the winter. If you spend some time organising the space and tidying up now, it will be much easier to get everything set up when the warmer weather returns next year. Here are a few tips to get you started, which will leave you with a garden that looks good throughout the winter.

Add Some Colour

Just because it's the winter you don't have to have a bare and drab garden that is devoid of any colour. There are plenty of varieties of evergreens that will give your garden or stainless steel balcony some much needed interest and brighten it up through the long dark months with beautiful flowers and striking berries.

Look After the Lawn

Grassed areas can start to look a bit neglected over the winter if you don't give them a bit of TLC. Even though it will no longer require mowing, you should still spend some time raking up any moss or dead leaves, and it's a good time to apply a top dressing to help maintain the condition.

Protect Your Outdoor Furniture

Most outdoor furniture should be fine when left outside over the winter, but you need to ensure you store away any cushions or other soft furnishings to keep them clean and dry. Give your furniture a good clean, and if you're not putting them away, use covers to protect them from the elements. If you have hardwood furniture, now is the time to paint a treatment on them, and aluminium or cast iron pieces should be repainted where necessary.

Clean Your Flooring

Whether you have a patio, decking area or a stainless steel balcony with tiled flooring, you need to clean it thoroughly in the autumn to remove any build-up of dirt, grime, leaves or moss. This will give it added protection from the winter weather, when extra moisture from the rain, sleet, ice and snow can result in damage. Timber decking should also be treated with a water-proof finish to prevent moisture from penetrating under the surface and damaging the structure.

By following these few simple steps, you'll have a garden or balcony to be proud of this winter, and you can start looking forward to many more happy times outdoors next summer.