Readying your garden for Winter

Having been able to spend much of this summer out in our beloved gardens,  autumn prompts us to start preparing our outdoor space for the winter weather onslaught ; typically by cutting back perennials, removing dead or declining pants, planting flowering bulbs, protecting delicate plants from the winter weather and prepping for spring.

Part of ‘putting the garden to bed’ may involve cleaning and preparing garden items such as furniture and bbq’s, shutting up outdoor kitchens and protecting patios and structures.

Wherever possible furniture should be brought undercover, but that’s not always possible or desirable, as winter often presents albeit cold but glorious days to sit outside.

Outdoor textiles

Outdoor textiles  can be treated with Fabricshield™ – a super strength water based  water and oil repellent coating for natural and synthetic materials that will prevent staining and generally retain the appearance of all fabrics – from parasol to the sun couch.. Fabricshield will even protect against bird dropping stains and is highly resistant to UV , meaning that your investment is protected for the long term. 

BBQ’s

BBQ’s and other outdoor stainless steel cooking facilities, need to be thoroughly cleaned as there is nothing worse than discovering last year’s burger grease! It isn’t just the cooking grills that need cleaning and protecting but also the outer stainless-steel hoods. Once the big clean-back has been undertaken, wouldn’t it be a boon to imagine that task becoming much easier and less time consuming next time around!

Dura nano-ceramic coating provides stainless steel and other alloy finishes with a long term, scratch resistant layer that also protects against oxidisation (rusting). The bonus is that Dura is food safe,  heat resistant and has a superb easy-clean function – meaning that the burger grease just becomes easier to remove after every cook-up. Dura is also employed as one of the UK’s leading and most durable nano-ceramic finishes for car paint – so depending on the size of your car , it’s likely that one 30ml bottle could kill two birds with one stone – coverage is approximately 6-7m2!!

Patios and paths

Patios and paths need some care and attention before winter, build-ups of moss and lichen on path ways can become slippery with winter rain and frosts, and any greasy contamination combined with frost can cause a black-ice rink!!  To provide a long term anti-moss / algae / black ice treatment to all outdoor paving , the first thing to do is clean back the area with a jet wash or steam clean ; once dry (or nearly dry) simply treat these areas with Eco Friendly Stone Paving and Patio sealer.

This water based product with a liquid quartz active ingredient will prevent future build ups of greening while protecting the stone surface from water ingress and damage caused by weathering – making cleaning much easier with a simple low pressure hose wash. The coating is highly resistant to UV rays  meaning that the performance is permanent unless the paving itself is worn away. We confirm a functionality of at least ten years on surfaces which are not subject to damaging  abrasion.

All in all the Protection Zone has a multi-surface collection of protective products to ensure your garden furniture, accessories and paving  come out in spring as fresh as the daisies popping up on your lawn.