Winter gardening seems like something only a hardcore gardener would commit to. When most of us think of winter, stepping into an icy cold garden likely ranks far behind things like snuggling up with a hot chocolate in front of the fire! Neglecting winter maintenance though can wreak havoc on a garden, even a low maintenance one. Here are our top four winter weapons for your garden this winter. 1. Landscaping bark If you are the kind of person who enjoys flowers blooming all year round, you may have planted flowers such Helleborus niger blooms (Christmas rose), who’s white petals can be ruined by being splashed with muddy raindrops. Landscaping bark can be used around delicate flowers to reduce the splashing from winter rain. It can also be used to absorb excess water. 2. Stones On the subject of water damage, winter rains can do real damage to your greenery. Waterlogged grass from rain can suffer dieback from treading. To avoid this damage, you can lay stones at a low level to give you access. Walking across your lawn when it’s waterlogged can cause damage but this damage can be rectified by replacing damaged grass with fake grass if it can’t be repaired or replaced with natural grass. 3. Textiles: Hessian or Fleece Potted plants can really spruce up a boring garden and make landscaping much easier but bigger pots in your garden can crack in the cold weather. Wrapping them in Hessian or Fleece can protect the pots from the damage that frost and cold and insulate your plants from the harsher weather. 4. Care Ultimately, depending on how you have chosen to landscape your garden, there will be maintenance jobs for you to do this winter. Whether it be insulating your taps against the frost or maintaining the heat in your greenhouse; resisting the urge to neglect your garden in winter means that January jobs can be less arduous. A great place to find a checklist of jobs each month is the royal horticultural society website where you can get advice by the month and season for whatever jobs need to be done in your garden.