The advice has been shared by a garden centre ahead of the cold winter months
Amber O’Connor Money and Lifestyle reporter U35s
13:05, 17 Nov 2025
Gardeners don’t have long left to complete their autumn tasks (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
It’s not long now until winter, meaning gardeners will need to act soon if they haven’t completed their autumn tasks yet. One crucial task for many gardeners is covering their outdoor plants, and a garden centre has warned people that there are five plants they should cover before the winter frost arrives.
The tip comes from Smith’s Garden Centre in Warwickshire. Taking to TikTok under the handle @smithsgardencentre, the experts posted a video titled: “Frost on the forecast? Here’s what to cover.”
The caption explained: “Here’s what to cover or move somewhere sheltered: Cyclamen, Heuchera, Ferns, Cordylines, and Hebes. Wrap in fleece and if they’re in pots, lift onto pot feet and move closer to the house. A little protection on these plants will help ensure they’re looking good through the winter.”
For those seeking more advice, presenter and designer Gardening with Ish shared a video on the topic on his popular TikTok page @gardening.with.ish. He told his 116k followers: “When you think of winter weather, you instantly think of frost and those non-hardy plants or even tender plants may struggle a little bit.
“So frost fleecing is absolutely crucial. You can add it on top of your veggies and some of your half-hardy plants to keep them protected from a cold snap.
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“You can also get something known as frost bags, which are absolutely fantastic for things like this bay tree, where the stem is pretty much okay, but the foliage you can simply pop this on top, secure this in place and leave that throughout the course of winter. Take it off in spring, it is nice and protected.”
Ish added: “Bubble wrap is a clever little way to protect your plant pots, whether they be plastic or terracotta, from a little bit of frost damage. It stops them from becoming brittle if they’re plastic and stops them from cracking if they’re terracotta. It adds a nice layer of insulation around the plant, keeping the roots nice and happy too, and protecting your plants from those cold snaps.
“You can also protect the roots of your plants with mulch. Now, this fantastic stuff, you can either buy by the bag, use some multi-purpose compost, or you can even use shredded leaves too.
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“Apply this to the base of your plant to act as another thermal layer. Not only does this help retain a little bit more moisture, but it keeps the cold away from the ground.”
He continued: “One of the other amazing things about using a mulch is also it’s an organic material, so as the wet weather waters this down, it will break some of it down, acting as a slow-release feed throughout the course of winter and early spring, giving your plants a really good kick start.”
The video racked up hundreds of likes from impressed viewers. Sharing a question for Ish, one commenter wrote: “What month do we start using the bags?” He replied: “It’s not so much a set month but when you know it’s starting to get cold – I’d start about late October this year but last year it was almost mid November.”
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