A breathtaking white winter wonderland descended upon Ireland last week... in the first week of March!!! What does this mean for our beautiful spring gardens? Below we have compiled our top tips for caring for your garden during and after the icy weather.

Snow Gardening Tips

• Remove the heavy snow from your hedges and shrubs to help them recover from the snow. Don't shake the branches, just simply brush the snow off.
• Tie in branches that have spread due to the heavy snow, to retain their shape.
• Prune back scorched or damaged leaves and branches on shrubs, hedges and evergreen plants to allow light in and encourage new growth.
• Cover flowering plants, like camellias, with a garden fleece to protect them from the colder temperatures. The garden fleece can be left on the plants for several weeks if the weather remains cold and frosty.
• Cover young seedlings and bedding plants in greenhouses or tunnels with a garden fleece to protect them from air frost. Alternatively, place a small paraffin/gas heater in the greenhouse close to the plants at night.

• Feed your garden song birds with high-protein wild bird feed including sunflower and nyjer bird seeds. Now is also the time to clean out nesting boxes before the breeding season begins in mid March.
• Move house plants away from cold/draughty windows or patio doors, to a bright warm location.
• Raise outdoor plants in pots off the ground to help reduce frost damage.
• Check garden trees to ensure no root rock or gaps have appeared where the stem of the tree meets the soil. If a gap has appeared, add additional soil and re-firm the plant in the ground.

Worried about your garden after the recent snowfall? We're happy to help and answer any questions you may have. Just contact your local store where one of our helpful and knowledgeable staff will be happy to help.