The gardening expert advises covering sensitive plants like fig trees, olive trees and agapanthus with fleece before winter weather hits to protect them from frost and extreme conditionsMillie Bull Deputy Editor, Spare Time and Tom Strowlger
13:23, 21 Dec 2025
There is one task gardeners need to do sooner rather than later in December(Image: PaulMaguire via Getty Images)
With winter now here and temperatures dropping, gardening tasks are largely coming to an end. Other than the odd bit of pruning and tidying, gardeners up and down the country can enjoy some respite until spring.
However, there is one task gardeners need to do sooner rather than later in December, according to an expert.
Professional gardener Tom Strowlger, who goes by @garden_with_tom on Instagram and TikTok, has shared the one crucial task everyone should do before next week.
Strowlger told Express.co.uk, “It’s that time of year to protect our cold-sensitive plants.”
He suggested covering fig trees, agapanthus, canna, cordyline, olive trees and tree ferns in fleece this week.
I’m a professional gardener and there’s 1 crucial task you must do before next week(Image: Getty)
He added: “These plants are particularly sensitive to very cold winter weather and the risk of losing them should encourage us to protect them.
“The loss of any of these would be sad as we spend too much time enjoying them in the warmer months.
“Agapanthus are hardy but fleecing them just ensures they get through the winter. We don’t know what weather will come, it could be mild, wet and windy or cold, frozen and snowy.”
Fleece protection helps protect plants from the harshness of extreme weather, whether that be snow, wind, ice or wind.
To wrap fleece around your plants, you can use string or rope. For an agapanthus, the fleece can be wrapped around and tied in place.
Strowlger continued: “Agapanthus can be covered in a quilt of fleece and be staked down with metal stakes.
To wrap fleece around your plants, you can use string or rope(Image: Michele Ursi via Getty Images)
“The leaves of the agapanthus tend to lie lower over wintertime, and if you snip the stalks of the spent flowers off, you can lay a quilt fleece over the plant.
“The fleece quilt can be removed in early springtime. A winter-protected plant brings peace of mind to us gardeners.”
If you would like to order fleece please visit www.harrodhorticultural.com and use my promo code GWTDEC25 to get 10% off your order.
Please do follow me on Instagram and TikTok @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.
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