Winter Garden

With Kathmandu’s cold winters, plants need special attention to thrive. From adjusting watering schedules to using grow lights and protecting outdoor plants with mulch, here's easy ways to help your garden flourish through the colder months.

The days are growing shorter and temperatures dropping day by day. If you look around you, you will notice how nature is much more prepared for the change of seasons than we humans are. Tress start to shed their leaves and start to store more energy and moisture in their trunks and roots to save itself from dying out. Indoor plants and flowers however still need a little help to survive the cold. As I prepare my garden for the next few months I thought it would be good idea to share what I am doing.

Indoor plants need that little extra care as winter approaches, especially here in Kathmandu and surrounding areas as we don’t have insulated homes and it gets really cold inside. I have pruned and repotted all of my indoor plants last week and moved them closer to area where they are getting enough light to keep them healthy and warm. Avoid placing your plants directly at doorways where they face the cold air coming in.

I will also adjust my watering schedule because we all know that plants need less water in the winter. The thumb rule is to stick your finger about an inch into the soil and water only if it feels dry.

Thirdly, maintain the humidity. We all start using heaters to warm the rooms and this dry heat can kill your plants. It might be a good idea to invest in a humidifier which will benefit both you and your green babies.

Go easy with the fertilizers as your plants go dormant during winters and they do not like to be overwatered or fed too much. Give them their food now and leave them at peace. Keep an eye out for the pests as they can take advantage of this vulnerable situation. Pick out the dead leaves, weeds and and dust, and just remind them that this is not a permanent situation.

If you are able to keep them indoors at a consistent temperature between 65°F and 75°F (18°C - 24°C), they will truly appreciate it.

The same rule applies to your succulents. In winter,succulents enter a dormant phase which obviously means they need less water. Overwatering will definitely lead to root rot. Succulents love sunlight so as with your indoor plants, please place them in a sunny spot.

Just a thought, if you do not have enough natural sunlight flooding into your homes, you could consider using grow lights to supplement their needs.

If you are someone who has indoor plants, then you absolutely have plenty of outdoor plants too and they too need a little love and attention during the colder months. The good part is they adjust to the temperature gradually so it isn’t all that demanding but you can still give them an extra layer of mulch to insulate the soil and protect the plant roots from freezing. For this you can use the fallen leaves in your garden, straw and wooden chips.

Cut back perennials and add extra mulch around their bases to shield them from harsh weather. Get all your bulbs out and plant them now to get your blooms in Spring.

I would advise you give your garden and your indoor plants a good watering before the real cold sets in and then leave them undisturbed for the winter.

Preparing your garden and your protecting your indoor plants for winter doesn’t have to be daunting. If you take a few steps now, you will have your plants ready to burst into life come Spring.

Let us learn to embrace the change of season rather than be afraid of it and enjoy the process of nature and learn from them.

Happy gardening!

By Mamta Khatri, owner of Green Owl

Devil's Ivy