January / February 2015 Newsletter

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It’s still only January, but as I write I’m able to look out at my back garden and can already see lots of new growth … spring bulbs well out of the ground, green buds on many of the shrubs, and a Daphne Odora covered in bud and flower, and smelling gorgeous. The Hellebores are amazing again this year, too, and I can already see new growth on the Euphorbias. It reminds me that it won’t be too long before I have an astounding display of zinging acid yellow from them to contrast delightfully with the cerise pink tulips planted amongst them. I do hope you’ve had a chance to get out and see what’s looking good in your garden too. Taking a few minutes outside (preferably in the sunshine) does wonders to relieve the inevitable winter blues, and reminds us of the joys of spring to come.

It’s impossible to predict if the relatively mild weather will continue, or if there’s an arctic blast just round the corner. This has meant that at the centre I’ve been wary of getting much in the way of new plant stock in too soon, in case we get covered in a blanket of snow. However, we do have a nice selection available already, including pots of bulbs - Crocus, Narcissi, Muscari, Snowdrop, Scilla, Tulips and many more. Other plant superstars at the moment are the Helebores - they really are magnificent – and the Euphorbias. All are fully hardy, and UK grown, so it’s fine to plant them out now.

As it’s so difficult to know what to prepare for, my advice is ‘be prepared for anything’! Have some horticultural fleece handy to cover tender plants in case we do get a very cold snap; put a layer of mulch down to help protect those young shoots that have started to break through the earth; prune your deciduous shrubs and trees now, in case the sap starts to rise sooner rather than later; and generally keep a close eye on weather conditions.

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Even with the first signs of spring obviously in the garden, I’m still regularly lighting the wood burner in the evenings to ensure we stay warm and cosy in the kitchen, and feel very lucky that I can just grab a sack of Olive wood from our stocks at the garden centre whenever I start to run low. I spent an evening recently sorting out my gardening bits and bobs by the fire – throwing out very old chemicals and fertilisers, sorting through some plant labels to remind myself what needs pruning when (I still get confused with all the various types of clematis) and generally getting things in order before I’ll need them. It so therapeutic to have a clear out, but sadly often clearing out the garden shed (or in my case, garden cupboard) gets ignored from one year to the next …. along with cleaning old pots, sharpening tools, and repainting garden furniture and fences! So this year I feel rather smug, as I repainted the garden furniture in November, have had my secateurs sharpened already, and have now sorted out my garden cupboard. Ha ha!

One thing I had to throw out was a box of slug pellets that had got damp, and that reminded me that one of the disadvantages of not having had a prolonged cold period is that we may have an early invasion of garden pests, including slugs, snails and aphids. It is well worth taking remedial action early to minimise the amount of chemicals needed later. I’m going to bring some slug pellets home this week, as I’ve found that using them early in the season, thus destroying the first emerging slugs, really cuts down on the need to repeat doing so as the season continues. Do as I did - check your supplies, and stock up as necessary now on the items you may need.

Of course, it’s always worth encouraging beneficial wildlife into your garden (birds, ladybirds, frogs, bees) and ensuring you have places for them to make their homes –as they will gobble up lots of the wildlife you don’t want, as well as being a pleasure to watch. I love the cycle of watching frogspawn turn into tadpoles and then into the cutest tiny frogs each year, and simply would never now be without a pond, however tiny, in my garden.

Wildlife needs feeding, and also needs a source of water, if you want it to keep returning to your garden. Keep your birdfeeders topped up and put out a dish of water if you don’t have a pond. Birds will start looking for a place to nest soon, so clean out any existing nesting boxes you have up, or put one up if you don’t have any already. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the pair of blue tits who hatched four chicks in a bird box at the garden centre will come back this year. It was SUCH a delight watching the parents run ragged by the constant, very vocal, feeding demands of their offspring.

It’s over and out from me now, but Sally’s garden tasks check-list follows. Keep popping in, won’t you, as little by little we will be stocking up again on plants, shrubs and trees. Sally and I have finalised our fruit tree and soft fruit order, I’m doing the same with the next Italian delivery of larger shrubs, David Austin roses will let us know as soon as our order of shrub roses and climbers are fit to come to us, and there will be plenty more besides.

In the meantime, keep checking on your garden, keep a weather eye out, and keep warm!

See you soon.

Karen

Garden Jobs for January/February 2015

’Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall, is missing the best part of the year... for gardening begins in January, with the dream...’ (anon, on Facebook)

It's true, on cold winter’s days, we can indulge in reading books and magazines, and design wonderful outside spaces in our heads or on paper. Having said that, when the weather allows, it's worth walking around the garden to see what's going on, and get on with some early jobs to save time and avoid disappointment later on.

My top 2 jobs for now

1. Planning: think about what you want to grow for the first time this year, what areas of the garden could be improved or reworked, what fruit and veg would you like...?

2. Protection: check protective fleeces and wrappings around plants and pots, ensure stakes, fences and gutters are secure, and that the garden is tidy, with nothing lying around which could be picked up by strong winds and cause damage.

General maintenance

• On your garden walks, take a hoe with you to knock out annual weeds as they emerge. It’s much easier to get rid of them before they have a chance to establish. Perennial weeds should be dug out with as much of their roots as possible, or treated with a systemic weed killer as soon as they have new leaf.
• Remove dead leaves from herbaceous perennial clumps to avoid them rotting into the crown of the plant.
• As new growth emerges on ornamental grasses, cut or pull out dead leaves which were left standing over the winter.
• Try not to walk on lawns when they are frosted or wet because it will damage the grass. If you need to access beds and borders to work, lay planks to walk on.
• Spread organic matter, well-rotted manure or organic compost as a surface layer over beds. If you lay it on top as a mulch, the rain and worms will gradually pull the nutrients down into the soil.
• Frosts will improve the structure of previously dug soil, but take care not to walk on or work the soil when it is waterlogged, as you will do more damage than good.
• As Karen has mentioned, clear out the shed or storage cupboard, checking over tools and equipment to make sure they are all clean and in working order. If your secateurs and shears are in need of sharpening, we have used Kevin Smith, of ’Sharpsmith’. Tel: 07818 568 095. Email: kevinsmith9@hotmail.co.uk.
• Get rid of any chemicals and fertilisers which have been lying around for a long time. These materials should be taken to your local authority waste site for safe disposal.
• If snow is forecast, tie up Cordylines, conifers and other plants which may be damaged by the weight of snow.
• Deadhead winter bedding plants such as cyclamen and pansies, and remove any diseased leaves and remember to water them: lack of watering can cause mildew.

Pruning

• Finish pruning deciduous trees if needed to keep them in shape. Be prepared to seal the wood with an appropriate sealant.
• Give Wisteria its winter prune by cutting back the current seasons growth to within two or three buds of the older wood.
• Finish pruning apple and pear trees, gooseberries, red and blackcurrants.
• Prune autumn fruiting raspberries, cutting each cane right down to the ground.
• Cut back Group 3 clematis – the late flowering ones which flower on the current year’s growth e.g. Etoile Violette, Jackmanii, Gravetye Beauty – to the lowest pair of strong buds, at about knee height, 30cm above the ground.
• Prune summer flowering deciduous shrubs such as Buddleja, Caryopteris, hardy fuchsias, santolina and others. These can generally be pruned very hard, almost to the ground leaving a few buds or shoots on each stem. If you want to increase the size of the shrubs, leave a few stems on and prune these lightly.
• Prune roses to encourage healthy new flowering stems.
• When you have finished pruning, give plants a feed with an organic fertiliser and mulch with good organic compost or manure.
• Remember that we have a stock of Southwark brown garden waste bags, to fill with prunings, dead leaves etc. Pick up a bundle, free of charge.

Planting

• Continue planting deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
• Plant pots of spring bulbs in any gaps in the border for some instant colour.
• Introduce evergreen shrubs if your winter garden is lacking structure, and bright coloured winter stems. As I mentioned at the end of last year, a beautifully scented winter flowering shrub is essential in all gardens!

Seed sowing

• Sweet Pea seeds can be sown indoors in a propagator on a sunny windowsill, and planted out later on. Those sown in Autumn can be potted on, and kept on a windowsill, in a cold frame or greenhouse.
• If the weather improves and the soil gets warm, you can start to sow broad beans, peas, cabbage, beetroot and spinach under cloches.

House plants

• Check house plants such as orchids for scale insect, aphids, whitefly and mealy bug, which produce the horrible sticky honeydew encouraging sooty moulds.
• Keep indoor plants watered and fertilised, according to their requirements.

Pests and diseases

•  As Karen has said, keep an eye out for the first signs of herbaceous growth and protect the new leaves from slug attack! An early application of slug pellets will reduce the population later in the year.

Wildlife

•  Keep the bird feeders topped up with a variety of food to encourage a wide range of birds to your garden. Keep a supply of fresh water for them too.

Enjoy watching spring bulbs appearing, the scent of flowering shrubs, buds developing on trees and hedges, and sitting inside, dreaming!

Until March...

Sally