Overview

• Drain and shut off exterior water lines, taps and hoses before freezing nights to avoid burst pipes, a frequent and costly winter failure cited by garden advisers.
• Switch off, clean and store pond pumps and filters in a frost‑free place, and remove leaves and sludge to prevent toxic gases building under ice.
• Protect container plants by insulating pots with fleece, jute, bubble wrap or Styrofoam, lifting them off cold ground and moving non‑hardy specimens indoors because root balls freeze faster in tubs than in soil.
• Act now on plant care: mound and mulch sensitive roses, apply potassium‑rich, low‑nitrogen autumn fertilizer to strengthen plants and lawns, plant spring bulbs between September and November, and lift dahlia tubers to overwinter frost‑free.
• Some models highlight a weakened polar vortex that could favor severe cold this winter, yet meteorologists caution outcomes are uncertain, so start protections when temperatures persistently dip below about 5 °C.