Eco-friendly plant protection for winter

By Stephanie Mahon

Published: Wednesday, 24 November 2021 at 12:00 am

As autumn and winter set in, and the weather turns cold, it’s time to plan how to protect your precious plants from damage caused by low temperatures, frost, ice and snow.

Much of the widely-available plant protection equipment available is, however, made of plastic, and could not be considered eco-friendly.

So here we have rounded up all the ways you can both protect your plants and protect the environment, with smart and sustainable ideas and products to try.

Why do I need to protect plants in winter?

Many of the best and most popular garden plants are hardy, and therefore perfectly able to withstand cold snaps, but there are other shrubs and perennials that are more sensitive – often called half-hardy or tender plants. These beauties, which often hail from warmer climates around the world, need all the help they can get to survive the freezing conditions and winter wet.

And as winter turns to early spring, and you begin to sow seeds and propagate plants, you also need to consider garden protection for seedlings and young plants, whether you are hardening them off before planting them out in the ground, or simply offering cover for direct sown seedlings.

There are of course multiple ways to do this, ranging from the potentially costly and elaborate, through to the quick and easy. And all are proven sustainable and eco-sound.

Alternatives to garden fleece

"Pittosporum
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’
© Jason Ingram

There are some borderline plants, such as Pittosporum and Callistemon, that are hardy enough to grow outdoors year-round and can typically withstand a mild winter with spells of light frost, but will need some help temporarily if very cold temperatures are forecast, or in gardens in exposed areas. This is where horticultural fleece, also called garden fleece, comes in handy, as it can be wrapped around the plant as and when needed for protection when you know a freeze is coming.

Find out more about how to use horticultural fleece to protect plants in our guide here.

For the eco-friendly gardener, however, horticultural fleece is a fraught choice, as it is made from polypropylene or polyester – synthetic materials – and tends to shred and break down with exposure to the elements. Although it is soft and warm, like fabric material, it can be considered a single-use or short-term plastic product.

So what to choose instead?

Agralan Envirotect

"agralan"

Envirotect is endorsed by the RHS, and is a more sustainable alternative to lightweight garden fleece, as it is made to be more durable and long lasting, meaning you can use it again and again, year after year. Made from UV-stabilised polyethylene, it looks like netting and can withstand harsher conditions, can be washed in the washing machine on a wool cycle, and is also recyclable. Thick and heavier than fleece, it is less likely to rip or blow away.