https://www.facebook.com/662501680273805/

IC Gardening, Huddersfield (2026)

07/09/2026

🍂 Getting Ready for Winter & Spring 🪴 – Post 5

What should you prune in winter?

Winter can be a great time to prune summer-flowering seasonal plants, dormant deciduous plants, and certain woody climbers.
One of the advantages of winter pruning is that, once the leaves have fallen or thinned out, it can be much easier to see the plant's structure and identify what actually needs attention.

However, a common mistake when pruning is thinking that everything needs to be pruned.

Different plant varieties and trees have different pruning requirements, methods, and timings. Pruning incorrectly can potentially do more harm than good, so it's important to know what you're working with.

Removing dead, damaged or diseased wood 🌳

Different varieties of trees have specific pruning requirements to encourage healthy growth, remove unwanted wood, and help reduce the risk of disease.
For example:

Autumn-fruiting raspberries:

Cut the canes down to around 5cm from ground level. This allows the plant to rest and encourages fresh new growth for the next growing season.

Fruit bushes: 🫐

Redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries benefit from thinning out older, congested or crossing wood. This helps maintain an open, goblet-shaped structure, allowing better airflow through the centre of the bush.

Apple & pear trees: 🍎
Remove dead, diseased, crossing or inward-growing branches. This helps maintain a healthier structure and improves airflow through the tree.

Climbers & vine pruning: 🌸
Some climbers also benefit from winter pruning.
Remove weakened, crossing or damaged stems in late winter. Reduce suitable stems by around a third, cutting back to an outward-facing bud.

Wisteria:
Prune back the long, wispy side-shoots from the previous year to around 2–3 buds from the main framework, usually in January or February.

Clematis Group 3:
These can be cut back hard in February, leaving a pair of strong buds approximately 10–20cm from the base.

What should you NOT prune in winter?

Not every plant appreciates winter pruning.

Spring-flowering shrubs:

Leave plants such as lilac, forsythia and early-flowering magnolias alone during winter. They flower on older wood, so pruning at the wrong time can remove next year's flower buds.

Stone fruit trees:

Avoid winter pruning of cherries, plums, apricots and peaches where possible, as pruning during the dormant season can increase the risk of diseases such as silver leaf and bacterial canker. These are generally better pruned in late spring or summer.

Evergreens:

Avoid heavy pruning of tender evergreens, evergreen hedges and shrubs during freezing winter conditions or when plants are dormant.

Prune in the right conditions
Always try to choose suitable conditions for pruning.
Avoid pruning during harsh frost.

Avoid pruning when conditions are excessively wet.

Make sure your pruning tools are clean, disinfected and sharp. Clean cuts made with sharp tools can help minimise unnecessary damage to plants.

And a polite reminder: if you're not trained or qualified to work on large trees, please source a suitably qualified professional. 🌳

Finally, thank you for reading my “Getting Ready for Winter & Spring” series.

I hope you've found the posts useful and picked up some helpful tips along the way!

If you would like some help preparing your garden for Winter & Spring, feel free to enquire with IC Gardening for a no-obligation quote. 🌷

Posts written by myself. Only my logo is AI-generated.

04/09/2026

🍂 Getting Ready for Winter & Spring 🪴 – Post 4

We often concentrate on what is growing above the ground, but what is just as important for healthy plant growth is healthy soil.

During the autumn and winter months, rain can wash nutrients through the soil, while the repeated wetting and drying of the soil can also affect its structure.

So, what can we do?

Apply organic matter. 🪏

Adding organic matter such as manure, leaf mould, straw or shredded leaves can help with erosion, provide some insulation for the soil and support earthworms and other soil life.
However, make sure you spread organic matter around plants and trees rather than directly against the stems or trunks, as keeping it too close can encourage rot and other problems.

Don't forget what's living in your soil. 🐛

Healthy soil might look like just dirt, but beneath the surface is a whole ecosystem containing bacteria, fungi, worms and many other organisms that all play an important role in healthy plant and tree growth.

It's also important not to over-dig or use a tiller to completely turn your soil over unnecessarily, as this can disrupt the soil structure and the ecosystem living within it.

Healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants. 🌸

Finally, Post 5 – What should you prune during the winter months?

IC Gardening 🌷

Posts written by myself. Only my logo is AI-generated.

03/09/2026

🍂 Getting Ready for Winter & Spring 🪴 – Post 3

How to look after your lawn during wet weather

The English weather has always been notorious for being harsh on our lawns. With autumn and winter bringing more rain, it’s important to adapt how we maintain our lawns during wetter conditions and know how to keep them looking their best throughout the season.

Limit traffic on the lawn. 🌱

What I mean by limiting traffic is trying not to walk on saturated areas of the lawn. Walking on very wet grass can compact the soil, damage the grass and, in particular, harm the roots.

Keep leaves off the grass. 🍂

As mentioned in my previous post, keeping both wet, soggy leaves and dry leaves off your lawn is important. A thick layer of leaves can block light and air from reaching the grass, creating damp conditions and encouraging deterioration.

Regularly clearing leaves will help keep your lawn healthier throughout autumn and winter.

Raise the mower height & avoid mowing when it’s too wet. ✂️

Everyone loves having their grass looking great all year round — myself included!

Unfortunately, there are times when we need to hold off mowing, especially when the lawn is saturated.

Mowing very wet grass can damage the roots, create ruts, scalp and tear the grass, damage the soil structure and potentially encourage fungal diseases.

If conditions are damp but not overly wet, raise the mower height. This allows you to lightly take the tops off the grass without putting as much stress on the lawn and can encourage healthier growth.

Brush in top dressing & aerate soggy areas. 🧹

Brushing in a suitable top dressing, such as sharp sand and a suitable loam/topsoil for lawns, can help level out minor dips and bumps.

Top dressing can also help improve the soil structure and assist with the breakdown of thatch over time. Adding suitable topsoil can also provide additional nutrients and, when combined with aeration, help improve drainage.

If you’re wondering how to create aeration holes, a garden fork can be used on smaller lawns. For larger lawns, tools such as a hollow-tine aerator, scarifier or spiked roller can be useful, depending on what your lawn needs.

Consider winter tonics.💧

Finally, winter tonics such as liquid iron or seaweed-based treatments can be useful alternatives to standard high-nitrogen fertilisers during colder months.

Too much nitrogen at the wrong time can encourage soft, lush top growth, whereas iron can help improve the colour and resilience of the grass as temperatures drop.

After all, we all want our lawns to be thicker, greener, level and appealing when friends and family come over.

🌷 IC Gardening (All writing myself only AI is my logo).

02/09/2026

🍂 Getting Ready for Winter & Spring 🪴 – Post 2

What Should You Do With All Those Fallen Leaves?

As autumn starts to get underway, the leaves will begin piling up, especially with the current weather.

But before we simply get rid of them, it’s worth thinking about how we can make use of those fallen leaves and how they can benefit our gardens and local wildlife.

In Your Borders 🪏

Leaves that have fallen into your borders can provide shelter and habitat for insects and wildlife, while also adding much-needed organic matter to your soil as they naturally break down over time.

Raking leaves underneath shrubs can also help provide a natural layer of insulation around the roots, helping to protect them during colder periods.

So, rather than clearing every leaf away, consider leaving some in your borders where they can naturally decompose and benefit your garden.

If you have a spare space 🐾

If you have a free corner of your garden, why not repurpose some of your fallen leaves along with fallen branches to create a natural habitat for visiting wildlife?

This can provide shelter and hiding places for insects and other wildlife, making your garden more appealing for them to return to.

Insects and wildlife play an important role in our gardens by providing natural pest control, pollination and supporting healthy soil.

On Your Lawn 🌱

It’s important not to leave a dense layer of leaves can block sunlight and reduce airflow to the grass, creating damp conditions that can encourage fungi, moss and weeds.

Regularly clearing or collecting excess leaves will help keep your lawn healthier as we head towards late winter.

Remember, fallen leaves don’t always need to be seen as garden waste, as they can be a valuable part of your garden’s natural ecosystem.

Other ideas to consider, is adding leaves to a compost pile or create a simple mould pile/cage and then let nature create rich nutrient soil.

IC Gardening 🌷

Next post – Post 3: Getting your garden ready for winter.

01/09/2026

Getting Ready for Winter & Spring — Post 1

🍂 Autumn, Winter & Spring Planting Displays 🌱

As summer starts to move on, it doesn’t mean your garden has to lose its colour!

Autumn is a perfect time to start thinking about planting for the colder months and getting your garden ready for spring. With the right plants, you can keep colour and interest in your garden throughout autumn and winter, while also getting a head start on your spring display.

🍂 Autumn display ideas

Heuchera (Coral Bells).

Heucheras are semi-evergreen perennials that can bring plenty of colour and vibrance through their foliage. With a wide range of leaf colours available, they can work really well in borders, containers and pots.

Winter Pansies.

Winter pansies are another great choice for borders, containers and pots. They can provide bright, cheerful colour through the colder months and into spring.

Planting them from late summer through autumn gives them time to establish before the colder weather really sets in.

Cyclamen.

Cyclamen can add a beautiful splash of colour to autumn and winter displays, with their distinctive butterfly-like flowers and attractive heart-shaped foliage.

Depending on the type, they can work particularly well in partially shaded areas, such as underneath shrubs and trees or within woodland-style borders.

Preparing for spring displays🪻

Autumn is also the perfect time to get many spring-flowering bulbs into the ground, including:

• Daffodils
• Crocuses
• Tulips
• Alliums

Getting bulbs planted while the soil is still workable gives them time to establish their roots before spring.

Try to avoid planting when the ground is frozen, waterlogged or extremely wet, as poor drainage can cause bulbs to rot and fail to establish properly.

If your garden soil isn’t suitable, containers and raised beds can also be a great alternative, particularly where you can provide better drainage and suitable growing conditions.

Things to remember when planting:

Planting isn’t just about choosing a plant that looks nice.

It’s about putting the right plant in the right place.

Consider:

• The type and condition of your soil
• Whether the plant needs full sun, partial shade or shade
• How much space the plant will need as it grows
• Drainage and moisture levels
• The time of year and weather conditions
•How the plant will complement the rest of your garden

A little planning now can give your garden plenty of colour through the colder months and give you something to look forward to when spring arrives.

Next up — Post 2: What to do with fallen leaves throughout Autumn & Winter. 🍂

IC Gardening 🌷

31/08/2026

🍂 Getting ready for Winter & Spring 🪴

With autumn peeping its head around the corner, I'm going to be putting a series of posts together to help give you some advice on how you can prepare your garden for the winter and for the new spring ahead.

Over the next week or so, I will be sharing some general advice on preparing for the hard frost, wet weather, and whatever the unpredictable English weather decides to throw at us and our garden.

I'll be covering:

Post 1: Autumn, Winter & Spring planting displays 🌷
Post 2: What to do with fallen leaves throughout Autumn and Winter 🍂
Post 3: How to look after your lawn during wet weather 🌱
Post 4: Protecting your soil in beds & Borders 🪏
Post 5: What to prune during the Winter ✂️

My aim is to share simple and practical advice to help keep your garden healthy through the colder months and to give your garden the best start when spring arrives.

IC Gardening 🌷

(Note: AI is only my logo all writing is done by myself).

26/08/2026

A job that I’ve completed recently 🪏🧤

I’ve been very busy behind the scenes, which is why I haven’t had as much time to post all the work I’ve been getting stuck into.

A massive thank you to everyone who follows my page, recommends IC Gardening, shares my posts and continues to support my small business. It genuinely means a lot and has helped keep me very busy this year.

20/08/2026

A border that needed revamping 🪴

A client got in contact as they had a border they loved, but over time it had become a little too much and was in need of a refresh.

I was more than happy to provide my services and help turn a tired, overgrown border into a fresh blank canvas ready for new growth.

The aim wasn’t to completely change the character of the garden, but to bring the border back under control and give the client a clean starting point for the next stage.

Now they have the perfect space to introduce plants full of colour, while still creating an inviting environment for insects, pollinators and other wildlife.

My services include:

🏡 Lawn & Border care
🌱 W**d control and moss treatment
🌳 Hedge Trimming
🍃 Leaf clearance
🪏 Planting & small reductions

If you need an extra hand no matter the size or task in your garden, then message for a free no obligation quote 📩

15/08/2026

Public footpath lost but now found 🥾

This footpath was becoming difficult for my client to maintain and needed a good clear-out of the overgrown vegetation.

Before carrying out the work, I made sure there was no wildlife that could be disturbed. I also wanted to keep the natural, country feel of the area, so rather than removing everything, I left some of the ferns and blackberry bushes in place for people to enjoy picking on a sunny day.

The aim wasn’t to strip the area back completely, but to make the footpath accessible again while still keeping its natural character.

My services include:

🏡 Lawn & Border care
🌱 W**d control and moss treatment
🌳 Hedge Trimming
🍃 Leaf clearance
🪏 Planting & small reductions

If you need an extra hand no matter the size or task in your garden, then message for a free no obligation quote 📩

11/08/2026

Update 🌷

Since my last post, I’ve been busy catching up with my regular clients and I honestly can’t thank you enough for continuing to let me work on your gardens, projects and visions. It really does mean a lot!

Also a massive thank you to the clients who have come on board for either regular maintenance or for one off jobs.

I’ve also had a pretty special reason for being a little quieter recently… Well I’ve welcomed my second child into the world!

It’s been a hectic few weeks, but I’m really glad to be back properly and getting stuck into work again.

I’ve got some exciting projects coming up, and I’m also investing in learning a new skill that I’m hoping will allow me to bring your garden to life even more.

I’m always looking at ways to improve what I can bring to the table, either that’s through my knowledge, experience or the services I provide.

There’s plenty more to come from IC Gardening and again thank you to all my clients.

If you’ve got a garden project in mind no matter how big or small, please feel free to get in touch.

My services include:

🏡 Lawn & Border care
🌱 W**d control and moss treatment
🌳 Hedge Trimming
🍃 Leaf clearance
🪏 Planting & small reductions

If you need an extra hand no matter the size or task in your garden, then message for a free no obligation quote 📩

IC Gardening

07/09/2026

04/09/2026

03/09/2026

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

31/08/2026

26/08/2026

20/08/2026

15/08/2026

11/08/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request